Login
Login

Telstar Records

{{Short description|British record label}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}

{{Use British English|date=September 2013}}

{{More citations needed|date=December 2009}}

Telstar Records was a British record label that operated from 1982 to 2004.

Background

{{unreferenced section|date=July 2016}}

Telstar Records was founded in 1982 by Sean O'Brien and Neil Palmer with a government loan of £120,000. It was launched as a specialist compilation marketing label and had hits with a range of compilation franchises such as the Deep Heat, Kaos Theory and 100% ranges.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}} As well as these brands, the company licensed a number of major artist recordings (for example ABBA and the Four Tops) to release telemarketed compilations.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}}

In the mid-1990s, it diversified its output into the singles market and long-term artist development. Until then, Telstar normally only released singles that were telemarketed or associated with acts like The Chippendales or Byker Grove's PJ & Duncan.{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/29628/ant-and-dec/|title=Ant and Dec | full Official Chart History |publisher=Official Charts Company}} Many of PJ & Duncan/Ant & Dec's early records came out XSRhythm, Telstar's dance music label, though by the mid-1990s this had been superseded by Multiply Records. This dance label was run by Mike Hall and originally featuring a large amount of acts licensed on a track-by-track basis from overseas companies,{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/27061/jinny/|title=JINNY | full Official Chart History |publisher=Official Charts Company}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/2432/sash!/|title=SASH! | full Official Chart History |publisher=Official Charts Company}} before becoming home to acts such as The Cheeky Girls.{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/13010/cheeky-girls/|title=Cheeky Girls | full Official Chart History |publisher=Official Charts Company}}

Acts signed in the late 1990s period included Conner Reeves, Phats & Small and a Tony Mortimer-free version of East 17,{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/5395/e-17/|title=E-17 | full Official Chart History |publisher=Official Charts Company}} while Craig David had two UK number one singles on the Wildstar label, a joint-venture between Telstar and the Capital Radio Group (now known as media company Global), which was run by music managers Ian McAndrew and Colin Lester.{{Cite web|url=https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/sony-music-uk-acquired-wildstar-records-last-year-1-8m/|title=Sony Music UK acquired Wildstar Records last year for £1.8m|date=4 January 2018|website=Music Business Worldwide}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/8934/craig-david/|title=Craig David | full Official Chart History |publisher=Official Charts Company}}

Other artists included Victoria Beckham (in a £1.5 million deal arranged with Simon Fuller's 19 Recordings), Rosie Ribbons, Skream!, Danny Erskine and Mis-Teeq.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}} In the late 1990s, Telstar became closely associated with BMG Records, especially with the Telstar TV compilation label.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}}

Telstar Records went bankrupt in 2004, largely due to the company's habit of giving large advances to artists such as Claire Sweeney and Victoria Beckham who failed to make them any money.{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/nov/02/popandrock.spicegirls|title=The Observer Profile: Victoria Beckham|date=2 November 2003|website=The Guardian}} In the media much of the blame for the label's failure was placed on their most high-profile signing, Victoria Beckham.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}} However, as most of Telstar's artists were not directly signed to the label, instead being either sub-licensed or part of a number of joint ventures, BMG (soon to be merged with Sony) declined to buy the label's assets outright.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}}

The majority of Telstar's back catalogue (the artists signed directly to the label not sub-licensed) ended up with Phoenix Music International alongside the rights to songs from Gut Records, Jet Star and Azuli,{{Cite web|url=https://www.phoenixmusicinternational.com/about-us|title=About Us | Phoenix Music International | London|website=Phoenixmusicint}} whilst Ant & Dec's hits ended up being sub-licensed to BBC Studios' Crimson Productions/DMG TV in the early 2010s{{Cite web|url=https://www.demonmusicgroup.co.uk/catalogue/releases/ant-dec-greatest/|title=Ant & Dec: Greatest | Demon Music Group}} (which resulted in a number one hit for DMG TV's Edsel label in 2013 when "Let's Get Ready to Rhumble" charted again).{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/20130331/7501/|title=Official Singles Chart Top 100 |publisher=Official Charts Company}} In February 2017, the remains of Wildstar was bought by Sony Music Entertainment UK, a company who signed Craig David in 2016 (in a deal which was part of another joint venture called Insanity Records),{{Cite web|url=https://www.sonymusic.co.uk/craig-david-signs-album-deal-with-insanity-records-speakerbox/|title=Craig David signs album deal with Insanity Records – Speakerbox|date=25 January 2016|website=Sony Music UK}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.sonymusic.co.uk/label/insanity-records/|title=Sony Music UK | Insanity Records|website=Sony Music UK}} whilst Ian McAndrew runs management company Wildlife, home to Miles Kane, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets and Royal Blood.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wildlife-entertainment.com/about-wildlife|title=About Wildlife|via=Tumblr}}

Artists

=Telstar=

=T2=

=Telescope=

=Multiply=

=Wildstar=

Wildstar Records was a record label launched in 1993 by Colin Lester, Ian McAndrew and Capital Radio in a joint venture with Telstar.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}} In February 2017, Sony Music acquired Wildstar from Global Radio and Telstar for £1.8m.{{cite web|url=https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/sony-music-uk-acquired-wildstar-records-last-year-1-8m/|title=Sony Music UK acquired Wildstar Records last year for £1.8m|date=4 January 2018|website=Music Business Worldwide}}

=XSrhythm=

Compilation brands

{{unreferenced section|date=July 2016}}

  • Deep Heat
  • 100%
  • Euphoria (to Ministry of Sound)
  • The Greatest Hits of... (yearly compilation series e.g. The Greatest Hits of 1987)
  • Hits 93 / Hits 94 (these were listed as part of the Hits Album brand in the Complete Book of British Charts due to Telstar TV's later involvement with the series, but were actually released by Telstar in joint venture status with BMG. There was later a Pure Hits 97)
  • Box Hits (to UMTV)
  • Megabass
  • Brit Awards (to Sony BMG)
  • Kaos Theory

In the late 1990s, Telstar's successful dance music compilation series Euphoria and Breakdown (full name The Very Best of Euphoric Breakdown) were launched, both of which lasted into the days when BMG were co-credited on compilations, and transcended Telstar Records' closure when they were continued on the Ministry of Sound label.

=''Chart Attack''=

Chart Attack was Telstar Records' first chart hit on the UK Top 75 album charts.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}} It was released in autumn 1982 and reached number 7 in the main chart in the days before the exclusion of such various artist albums.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}}

See also

References

{{Authority control}}

Category:1982 establishments in the United Kingdom

Category:British record labels

Category:Defunct record labels of the United Kingdom

Category:Pop record labels

Category:Record labels established in 1982

Category:Record labels disestablished in 2004