Imago Records

{{Short description|American record label}}

Imago Records (The Imago Recording Company) was an American independent record label, which was active during the early 1990s. It was started by Terry Ellis after he left his previous record label, Chrysalis Records.

In 1990 Ann Munday was hired as Vice President and General Manager in their New York office.{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/cashbox55unse_12/cashbox55unse_12_djvu.txt |title=Full text of "Cash Box" |date=16 November 1991 |publisher=Cash Box Pub. Co. |access-date=2018-02-10}}

Several influential artists released albums through Imago, including Rollins Band, Aimee Mann, Paula Cole and Love Spit Love{{cite web|title=All Music - Imago Records | website=AllMusic |url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=18:L%7c8448 |access-date=2009-07-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090808203644/http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg |archive-date=August 8, 2009 }} as well as alternative, gay hip-hop artist and rapper Sha-Key (aka Hanifah Walidah).{{Cite web |title=Hanifah Walidah – The Oakland Artists Project |url=https://artsinoakland.org/articles/hanifah-walidah/ |access-date=2023-06-12}} Despite building a slate of up and coming alternative rock artists, the company ran into serious financial difficulties when, in December 1994, the company's former financial backer Bertelsmann Music Group pulled funding.{{cite web | title = Imago Records Sues DreamWorks | work = Los Angeles Times | date = 1996-06-12 | url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-06-12-fi-14214-story.html | access-date = 2009-07-19}} This left many of their artists scrambling to find new labels.{{cite web | title = All Music - Paula Cole | url = {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p44869/biography|pure_url=yes}} | access-date = 2009-07-19}}.

In 1996, Henry Rollins and his new label DreamWorks SKG sued Imago, alleging "fraud, deceit, undue influence and economic coercion" on the label's part.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/508008/henry-rollins-sues-imago-records/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214045341/http://www.mtv.com/news/508008/henry-rollins-sues-imago-records/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 14, 2015|title=Henry Rollins Sues Imago Records|work=MTV News|access-date=24 February 2016}}