MNRK Music Group

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MNRK Music Group
Formerly
  • Koch Records
  • E1 Music/E1 Records
  • Entertainment One (eOne) Music
Company typeSubsidiary
Industry
FoundedJanuary 1987; 37 years ago (1987-01) (as Koch Records)
FounderMichael Koch
Headquarters
40 Wall Street, 6th floor, New York City
,
United States
Key people
Sean Stevenson (President and CEO)[1]
Products
ParentBlackstone Inc.[2]
Subsidiaries
Websitewww.mnrk.com

MNRK Music Group, (pronounced "monarch") formerly known as Koch Records and Entertainment One (eOne) Music/Records, is an American independent record label and music management company based in New York City. It was formed in 1987 as a music division of Koch Entertainment, which was acquired by and absorbed into Entertainment One (or eOne for short) in 2004. eOne was acquired by toy and multimedia company Hasbro in 2019, absorbed its family brands division in the process and announced the sale of this division to The Blackstone Group in April 2021, which then adopted this name. Hasbro then sold the remains of eOne to Lionsgate, who then rebranded it initially as eOne Canada and then Lionsgate Canada.

MNRK owns the libraries of Artemis Records, Dualtone Records, and Last Gang Records.

History

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Background

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Main articles: Lionsgate Canada and Koch Entertainment

The label as a whole has its origins in the Canadian music distributor Records on Wheels, which was acquired by the Canadian retail chain CD Plus in 2001 to expand its wholesale business.[3] Darren Throop joined the company after CD Plus acquired his record store chain Urban Sound Exchange. The combined company later became known as ROW Entertainment, with Throop as president and CEO.[4][5]

In June 2005, ROW acquired the American independent music distributor and home entertainment publisher Koch Entertainment, including its label Koch Records.[6][5]

From 1999 to 2005, Koch operated a Nashville, Tennessee division dedicated to country music, originally known as Audium Records. The Nashville division's roster included Restless Heart, David Lee Murphy, Daryle Singletary, Cledus T. Judd, and The Tractors. This division was closed in October 2005.[7]

In 2008, Koch launched HipHopCanada Records, in partnership with the publication HipHopCanada[8]

As eOne Music

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Koch was renamed E1 Music in 2009.[9] E1 acquired IndieBlu Music, parent of Artemis Records and V2 Records North America, in 2010.[10]

In 2013, eOne acquired the library of defunct hip-hop label Death Row Records.[11] In January 2016, eOne acquired Dualtone Records.[12] In March 2016, eOne acquired Canadian label Last Gang Records, and hired its founder, music industry lawyer Chris Taylor, as global president of eOne Music.[13][11]

In 2016, eOne acquired the management firms Hardlivings and Nerve Artist Management.[14][15] In November 2016, eOne Music hired Ted May, the former senior international marketing manager of Universal Music UK, as director for its UK division, operating from eOne's offices in London.[16] In March 2018, eOne Music acquired the live event production company Round Room Entertainment.[17]

In 2019, Amelia Artists partnered with eOne's management division.[18] Later in 2019, eOne partnered with the Latin management and marketing group Entotal.[19] In November 2020, it signed AMPED Distribution as its new physical distributor in North America.[20]

Sale and rebrand as MNRK

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In April 2021, following the acquisition of its parent company by toy and entertainment company Hasbro,[21] eOne announced that it would divest its music business to the private equity firm The Blackstone Group for $385 million, in order to focus more on its film and television entertainment businesses.[22]

The sale was completed in June, and the unit continued to use the eOne branding until September 2021;[2] when the company was subsequently renamed MNRK Music Group.[23]

On February 9, 2022, MNRK sold the rights to the Death Row Records brand and catalogue to hip-hop rapper Snoop Dogg.[24] In 2022, MNRK's Management division added 2 managers, Phil Jones[25] and Keith Hagan.[26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Sean Stevenson to lead MNRK Music Group". Music Week. June 4, 2024. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Vlessing, Etan (June 29, 2021). "Hasbro Closes eOne Music Business Sale for $385M". The Hollywood Reporter.
  3. ^ "CD Plus links up with Records On Wheels". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  4. ^ "From Barrington Street record dealer to international deal broker".
  5. ^ a b "How the CEO of Canada's eOne built a global entertainment giant". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  6. ^ "CIMA: ROW Entertainment Buys KOCH Entertainment". Canadian Independent Music Association. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  7. ^ "Koch Records Nashville Folds". Billboard. October 17, 2005. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  8. ^ Watkins, Greg (July 2, 2008). "Canadian Invasion: Coming To America". allhiphop.com. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  9. ^ "Koch Renamed E1". Home Media Magazine. January 30, 2009. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  10. ^ Chris Walsh (April 29, 2010). "E1 Acquires IndieBlu". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  11. ^ a b "'We're very well-funded - and we're looking at everything out there'". Music Business Worldwide. June 15, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  12. ^ Jones, Rhian (January 21, 2016). "Entertainment One acquires Nashville's Dualtone Music Group". Music Business Worldwide. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  13. ^ "Chris Taylor Joins Entertainment One to Lead Music Business as President, Entertainment One Music". Entertainment One. March 8, 2016. Archived from the original on March 16, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  14. ^ Jones, Rhian (September 8, 2016). "ENTERTAINMENT ONE MUSIC ADDS HARDLIVINGS MANAGEMENT TO ROSTER". Music Business Worldwide. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  15. ^ "ENTERTAINMENT ONE ATTRACTS NERVE TO ITS ARTIST MANAGEMENT DIVISION". Music Business Worldwide. November 1, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  16. ^ "HITS Daily Double : Rumor Mill - TED MAY JOINS eONE ONE TO LEAD U.K. OPS". HITS Daily Double. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  17. ^ Newman, Melinda (March 26, 2018). "Entertainment One Acquires Round Room Entertainment: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  18. ^ "Amelia Artists, Management Home to Tegan and Sara, Links With eOne". Variety. August 2, 2019. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  19. ^ "Entertainment One Teams With Latin Music Management Company Entotal". Variety. December 10, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  20. ^ "AMPED inks North American physical distribution deal with Entertainment One". Music Business Worldwide. November 3, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  21. ^ Leight, Elias (August 23, 2019). "A Toy Company Now Owns Death Row Records". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  22. ^ Turner, Nick; Shaw, Lucas (April 26, 2021). "Hasbro to Sell EOne Music Unit to Blackstone for $385 Million". BNN Bloomberg. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  23. ^ DiGiacomo, Frank (September 27, 2021). "eOne Music Is Now MNRK Music Group; Chris Taylor Remains President/CEO". Billboard. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  24. ^ Tapp, Tom (February 9, 2022). "Snoop Dogg Buys Death Row Records Brand Just Days Before Super Bowl Halftime Showcase". Deadline. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  25. ^ "MNRK Music names Phil Jones as VP of artist management". www.musicweek.com. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  26. ^ "Veteran Artist Manager Keith Hagan Joins MNRK Music Group - Pollstar News". December 13, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
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