Address Jive Records
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Jive Records Information
Jive Records
Jive Records is a US record label operating under the banner of the Zomba Music Group, as part of Sony BMG.
The roots of Jive Records can be traced back to South Africa in 1971, when local musicians Clive Calder and Ralph Simon formed a new business to release records, promote concerts, and publish music. In 1975 the pair took their operations to London, where they named their company Zomba.
In 1978 the company expanded its reach to New York City, and three years later Zomba formed the record label, Jive - named after the African style of music called "township jive".
During this period the company had its first hits with singer Billy Ocean, synth-poppers Flock of Seagulls, and early rappers Whodini.
Up until 1987 distribution was handled by Arista Records but the foundation of BMG prompted the switch in Jive's distribution to RCA Records. The then head of Arista, Clive Davis, was strongly opposed to rap music, but now outside of Arista's authority, Jive was free to develop strong ties to the hip-hop community.
For the next ten years Jive became known as a pioneering label first for pop-rap and then for lesser known cult rap artists, crafting a legacy second to only Def Jam. The label was respected for its open-minded attitude to its stable of artists, allowing them complete creative control of their projects.
The start of the 1990s saw EMI's attempt to buy Jive fail, and Simon sell his share of Zomba to Calder, after the pair fell out.
In autumn 1996, Zomba sold BMG a minority 20% stake in its record division, which included Jive along with Silvertone and others.
As the millennium drew to a close Jive's successes mushroomed when it became the era-defining record label in US mainstream music, pivotal in bringing the teen pop revolution to North America, Europe and Asia. Jive was the home of three of world's highest grossing acts- Britney Spears, N'Sync and the Backstreet Boys. In 2001 Jive reaped an estimated $300 million in profits on $1 billion in sales, making it the world's largest independent label.
This reign ended on June 11, 2002, when Calder finally sold BMG complete control of Zomba for an estimated $1.8 billion. The following year saw Jive, along with So So Def and LaFace Records, absorbed into the new Zomba Music Group.
The 2004 Sony BMG merger meant that Zomba and Jive became part of Sony BMG Music Entertainment.
Haydn Mullineux, 2006
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Interviews with A&Rs at Jive Records
Interview – Mark Pitts, A&R Jive Records - Apr 24, 2006
"I’m looking for younger acts. What I look for is: do they have a high in their personality?
Do they like to roam up, even if they sit down? It’s their whole attitude, their swagger, their whole movement… a little cocky confidence,"
… says Mark Pitts, A&R at Jive Records N.Y. USA. He is credited for signing and breaking the US No.1 debut artists Ciara and Chris Brown, for which he was awarded No.8 on the 2005 World Top 100 A&R Chart.
Mark also co-founded Bad Boy Entertainment together with Puff Daddy and has worked as a manager. The first artist he managed was Notorious B.I.G., before adding Faith Evans and Changing Faces.
Find out about how Mark listens to unsolicited material and read his opinions on renewing an artist’s situation and why he thinks everybody should take vocal lessons, no matter how good they think they are.
How did you get started in the music business?
I started Bad Boy with Puff Daddy. I was his assistant. We went to school together. When he left school he worked at Uptown Records, where I was an intern, and from there we started Bad Boy.
Then I went on to management. Notorious B.I.G was my first artist. Managing him led me to starting my own management company. After B.I.G, I managed Faith Evans (his wife at the time) and Changing Faces.
After that I got my first production deal through Universal and started as an A&R. From there I went to La Face where I met L.A. Reid, and that was where my career really changed because I became an executive and made records.
Have you been an artist yourself?
I always wanted to be one but no, I wasn’t.
What does your work involve?
I find records and tracks, put artists with writers and give them direction and a style which connects who they are with the music. You can have a hit record, but that doesn’t mean that you are a hit artist.
I call the work the art of slapping and hugging. Sometimes you have to know how to renew a situation. You can have a great record and the artist may not go for it. To me A&R is not only about finding good records, you have to convince artist’s to make them, and they should know why they’re making them.
Because of my management background I’m good with artists. I can make them feel comfortable enough to do something, or to try it. I’m like an artist in my own life. I live through them and I challenge them all the time. I’m very animated and try to get them pumped up.
How did you find Ciara and Chris Brown?
Ciara was brought to Arista by the producer and artist Jazze Pha. When she came over to Jive I helped her with the single and with finishing the album.
Chris Brown was brought to me by his manager Tina Davis, who is a long time friend of mine. When I saw him, I knew immediately that it was right.
How was Chris Brown presented to you?
They had a little cheap video that was shot a while ago and I saw the potential, his smile, his voice… I knew I wanted to be in the Chris Brown business. I didn’t love all the records, but I loved his voice. It wasn’t a problem because I knew that he could sing, and I knew how to make records.
How do you develop an artist?
... to read the continuation of this article, click here.
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Interview - Wayne Williams, senior vice-president of A&R at Jive/BMG - Sep 8, 2004
"Unsigned artists should know what A&R people work at the labels and know the difference between them"
Based in New York, Wayne Williams is a senior vice-president of A&R at Jive/BMG. The artists he works with include R. Kelly, Joe, Syleena Johnson and Eamon. Jive, which was the world’s biggest independent label, was recently bought by BMG.
Here he tells us what kind of buzz makes him sit up and take note, how much it generally costs to make an album and what aspiring artists should know about the music business.
How did you get started in the music business and how did you become a vice-president of A&R at Jive?
I started off as a dance music DJ and after a while I started making house records. Then I started working for Trax Records, a dance label based in Chicago. We released big records like “Move Your Body” by Marshall Jefferson and “No Way Back” by Adonis, which were pop hits overseas. Representatives of Jive, which was based in the UK, came over to see who was making all this music at this little indie label in Chicago, and that’s how I was discovered. I started working for Jive in 1989.
What experiences have contributed to your skills as an A&R?
Deejaying was a very important experience, because you’re constantly picking new music for your audience to listen and dance to. Then of course there are the projects that I worked on in the early days: Samantha Fox, for example, or Will Smith, when he was in Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. I co-produced “Boom! Shake the Room” and “Ring My Bell” for them, and I also signed the producers who did the “Summertime” record. All these things helped shape my A&R skills.
Jive’s owner, Clive Calder, helped me tremendously, as did Barry Weiss, then president of Jive. Listening to Barry and learning from him was a big part of it. R. Kelly, who’s a phenomenal songwriter, producer and artist, also taught me a lot. Teachers don’t come much better than those three men.
How did the merger between Jive and BMG work out?
It’s been an experience. Obviously, it has brought us many great artists and, although we already had great artists of our own, it’s incredible how much talent there is at the label now.
What difficulties did the merger entail?
There are growing pains with everything, but for the most part it’s been very positive.
What was so particular about Jive that it became the biggest independent label in the world?
Part of the reason is that, financially, we’re very conservative. We also have a great sense of timing and know when to release the right records. We’re very A&R-oriented, we pay close attention to the artists’ needs and we simply pick the right records for them.
How do you explain the fact that urban artists are currently dominating the Billboard charts?
There was a lot of separation in music, racial separation to a degree, and the world coming closer together and losing many of the traditions that shouldn’t have been in place to begin with is opening people up to all kinds of music, which is a very positive thing.
As it becomes mainstream, does urban music risk dilution?
... to read the continuation of this article, click here.
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