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| Relativity Records | |
|---|---|
| Name | Relativity Records |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | Barry Kobrin, Al Teller |
| Status | Defunct / Catalog absorbed |
| Country | United States |
| Location | New York City |
| Parent | Sony Music Entertainment (catalog) |
| Genres | Heavy metal, hip hop, alternative rock, electronic |
Relativity Records was an American record label active chiefly in the 1980s and 1990s that specialized in heavy metal, hip hop, and alternative rock, and later electronic music. Founded amid the rise of independent labels in the 1980s, the label became notable for signing diverse acts across the United States and internationally, influencing scenes in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and London. Relativity partnered with major distributors and later had its catalog absorbed into larger music conglomerates, affecting artists' visibility across charts and media.
Relativity Records emerged during a period shaped by the careers of executives associated with Epic Records, CBS Records, PolyGram, MCA Records, Atlantic Records, Warner Bros. Records, Island Records, and Geffen Records. Founders worked in contexts that overlapped with executives from Sony Music Entertainment, BMG, Universal Music Group, Arista Records, and Capitol Records. The label operated in major cultural hubs including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, London, Toronto, and Berlin. Relativity engaged in distribution and licensing arrangements similar to deals involving Jive Records, Def Jam Recordings, Elektra Records, MCA Nashville, and A&M Records. Throughout the 1990s Relativity navigated mergers and acquisitions influences from Seagram, Vivendi, Time Warner, MCA Inc., and executive shifts akin to those at Island Def Jam Music Group and Sony BMG. The label’s operations intersected with music industry events such as the MTV Video Music Awards, Grammy Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and trade shows like the MIDEM conference.
Relativity’s roster included artists whose careers also connected to labels like Roadrunner Records, Nuclear Blast, Century Media Records, Megaforce Records, and Roadrunner USA. Notable acts were contemporaries or touring partners with groups on Elektra, Atlantic, Columbia Records, and Mercury Records. Artists on or associated with the roster shared stages and festivals alongside performers linked to Lollapalooza, Ozzfest, Glastonbury Festival, Reading Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and Warp Records alumni. Relativity’s signings reflected influences from scenes tied to bands represented by Sub Pop, Matador Records, SST Records, Touch and Go Records, 4AD, Mute Records, Fat Wreck Chords, and Epitaph Records. Many roster members collaborated with producers and performers associated with Rick Rubin, Dr. Dre, Butch Vig, Steve Albini, Bob Rock, Terry Date, Bill Laswell, Mick Jones, Brian Eno, and Trevor Horn.
Relativity Records operated across heavy metal, thrash metal, death metal, hip hop, hardcore punk, alternative rock, and electronic music, communities that overlapped with acts on Metallica-adjacent bills, Slayer tours, and scenes around Public Enemy, N.W.A., Beastie Boys, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang Clan, and Run-D.M.C. The label’s metal releases echoed contemporaries found on Pantera bills and shared fan bases with artists associated with Anthrax, Megadeth, Testament, Sepultura, Morbid Angel, and Cannibal Corpse. Its alternative and electronic signings bore affinities with artists connected to The Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead, New Order, The Cure, Chemical Brothers, and The Prodigy. Relativity releases influenced scenes that intersected with venues like CBGB, The Roxy Theatre, Whisky a Go Go, Madison Square Garden, and The Forum.
Relativity employed distribution models paralleling independent-major partnerships used by Epitaph Records with Warner Music Group, Sub Pop with Warner Bros., and Def Jam with Universal Music Group. The label negotiated licensing, manufacturing, and promotion deals similar to those characteristic of MCA Records, PolyGram, RCA Records, Virgin Records, and Sony Music Entertainment. Relativity’s artists benefited from placement opportunities in media tied to MTV, soundtrack placements in films produced by studios like Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, 20th Century Fox, and Universal Pictures, and synchronization deals connected to television series on NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and streaming services that later evolved into platforms analogous to Netflix and Hulu. The label’s catalog eventually became consolidated within catalogs managed by companies akin to Sony Music Entertainment and UMG Distribution.
Relativity issued albums and singles that charted on Billboard 200, Billboard Hot 100, UK Albums Chart, UK Singles Chart, and specialized charts such as Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Billboard Top Rock Albums, Billboard Top Heatseekers, and Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs. Several releases achieved airplay on MTV, rotation on KROQ-FM, WBMX, WNEW-FM, Z100 (New York) and specialty shows akin to those on BBC Radio 1. The label’s charting acts competed with contemporaries on charts alongside artists from Rough Trade Records, 4AD, Sire Records, Geffen Records, and Columbia Records. Notable commercial and critical successes were discussed in music press outlets such as Rolling Stone, Spin (magazine), NME, Kerrang!, The Source, Vibe (magazine), and Billboard (magazine).
Relativity’s legacy is reflected in the careers of musicians who later signed to or collaborated with labels like Roadrunner Records, Nuclear Blast, Epitaph Records, Matador Records, Sub Pop, Def Jam Recordings, Atlantic Records, and Epic Records. The label’s cross-genre approach informed strategies later adopted by executives at Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, BMG Rights Management, and boutique imprints connected to XL Recordings and Domino Recording Company. Relativity’s alumni participated in reunions, reissues, box sets, and tribute compilations promoted through outlets such as Pitchfork, Consequence (magazine), Stereogum, AllMusic, and archival projects hosted by institutions like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and university archives. Its impact is noted in histories of independent-label growth alongside narratives of consolidation involving Seagram, Vivendi Universal, and Sony BMG.
Category:American record labels Category:Defunct record labels