Perspective Records

{{Short description|American record label}}

{{Infobox record label

| name = Perspective Records

| image = PerspectiveRecordsLogo.png

| image_size =

| parent = Universal Music Group

| founded = {{start date|1991}}

| founder = James Harris, Terry Lewis

| fate =

| defunct =

| status = Active

| distributor = A&M Records (1991-1999)
Virgin Music Group (2018-present)

| genre = {{hlist|Rhythm and blues|gospel|{{nowrap|hip hop}}|}}

| country = U.S.

| location = Los Angeles, California

}}

Perspective Records is an American record label, launched in 1991 by the producing team Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, through a joint venture with A&M Records—which Jam & Lewis had had a prosperous working relationship with throughout the 1980s, with several of its major acts including Janet Jackson, The Human League, and label founder Herb Alpert.

Acts on Perspective's roster included Bobby Ross Avila, Smooth, Mint Condition, Lo-Key, Solo, Sounds of Blackness, Young Zee, and Ann Nesby. From 1993 to 1996, A&M Records released most of its own urban acts through Perspective. Rapper Tech N9ne was one of the signees for the label, however he was released from the label due to creative differences. In 1997, Jam and Lewis resigned as the label's CEOs, but remained consultants. Over the next year, Perspective continued to release recordings by the current artists for the sake of fulfilling contractual obligations with them.{{cite web|date=2006|url=http://www.onamrecords.com/Perspective_Records.html|title=Perspective Records|publisher=On A&M Records.com.}} The company was dismantled, and absorbed into A&M Records, in early 1999—per the merger of A&M's PolyGram parent and Universal Music Group.

In 2018, Jam & Lewis reactivated Perspective Records under its current distributor, Virgin Music Label & Artist Services. The first album released under the label since 1998 was Peabo Bryson's album Stand For Love.{{cite web |last1=Mitchell |first1=Gail |title=Peabo Bryson Gets Ready to 'Stand for Love' on New Album Coming Aug. 3 |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8455590/peabo-bryson-announces-new-album-stand-for-love |website=billboard.com |publisher=Billboard Magazine |accessdate=2018-06-17}} In 2019, Mint Condition lead singer Stokley Williams signed to Perspective for the second time as a solo artist to release his second album, Sankofa.{{cite web |title=Stokley Strips Down & Celebrates Women In 'She…' And Announces New Album 'Sankofa' |url=http://www.soulbounce.com/2019/10/stokley-strips-down-celebrates-women-in-she-and-announces-new-album-sankofa/ |website=soulbounce.com |date=14 October 2019 |publisher=SoulBounce |accessdate=2019-10-20}}