W4AD is a record label owned by the UK based Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name "Axis" by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to "4AD" after the release of the first four singles. In late 1980 Watts-Russell and Kent purchased the label off Beggars Banquet to become an independent record label, then in 1981, Kent sold his share to Watts-Russell.
WAmerican Recordings is an American record label headed by producer Rick Rubin. The label has featured artists such as Slayer, the Black Crowes, ZZ Top, Danzig, Trouble, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, The Mother Hips, and System of a Down.
WJeffrey Kent Ayeroff is an American record executive who has worked for A&M, Warner Records, Virgin U.S., Work Group, Apple, and Shangri-La Music. He founded Rock the Vote in 1990 in response to a censorship campaign against artists’ use of explicit language.
WCold Chillin' Records was a record label that released music during the golden age of hip hop from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. A producer-and-crew label founded by manager Tyrone Williams and run by Len Fichtelberg, most of the label's releases were by members of the Juice Crew, a loosely knit group of artists centered on producer Marley Marl. In 1998, the label shut down, and the majority of its expansive catalog was bought by Massachusetts-based LandSpeed Records.
WGrand Upright Music, Ltd v. Warner Bros. Records Inc., 780 F. Supp. 182, was a copyright case heard by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan sued rapper Biz Markie after Markie sampled O'Sullivan's song "Alone Again (Naturally)". The court ruled that sampling without permission constitutes copyright infringement. The judgment changed the hip hop music industry, requiring that any future music sampling be approved by the original copyright owners.
WI Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco is a 2002 black-and-white documentary film by director/photographer Sam Jones, following the American alt-country rock band Wilco through the creation and distribution of their fourth studio album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. The film, distributed to theaters in the United States through Cowboy Pictures, was released on July 26, 2002, three months after the album's retail release.
WJoie Manda is an American music executive and former executive vice president of Interscope Records, a position he held for eight years prior to leaving in December 2020. He previously held executive positions at Def Jam Recordings, Warner Bros. Records, and Asylum Records. Since 2004, Manda has worked with a variety of hip hop and R&B artists, including Gucci Mane, Jill Scott, Juice Wrld, J. Cole, Ella Mai, DaBaby, Summer Walker and numerous others.
WMaverick was an American entertainment company founded in 1992 by Madonna, Frederick DeMann, and Veronica "Ronnie" Dashev, and formerly owned and operated by Warner Music Group. It included a record label, a film production company, book publishing, music publishing, a Latin record division, and a television production company. The first releases for the company were Madonna's 1992 coffee table publication Sex and her studio album Erotica, which were released simultaneously to great controversy as well as success.
WOVO Sound is a Toronto-based Canadian record label, founded in 2012 by hip hop artist Drake, Oliver El-Khatib, and producer Noah "40" Shebib. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Warner Music Group's Warner Records, except for Drake's releases, which are distributed by Republic Records, a division of WMG's competitor, Universal Music Group.
WPaisley Park Records was an American record label founded by musician Prince in 1985, which was distributed by and funded in part by Warner Bros. Records. It was started in 1985, following the success of the film and album Purple Rain. The label shares its name with Prince's recording complex Paisley Park Studios and the song "Paisley Park" on his 1985 Around the World in a Day album. Paisley Park was opened to the public as a museum and memorial to Prince following his death. October 28, 2016 is officially known as Paisley Park Day in the city of Chanhassen to recognize the opening of the museum.
WQwest Records is the American record label started by Quincy Jones in 1980 as a joint venture with Warner Bros. Records, and owned by Warner Music Group, although Jones was still under contract with A&M Records through 1981. George Benson's 1980 Give Me the Night LP was the first release on Qwest, although it was shared with Warner Bros. Records, where Benson was under contract. One of the first artists to sign with Qwest was Jones's goddaughter, Patti Austin. Qwest released Every Home Should Have One in 1981.
WReprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels.
WSire Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records.
WTommy Boy Entertainment is an American independent record label and multimedia brand founded in 1981 by Tom Silverman. The label is credited with helping and launching the music careers of Queen Latifah, Afrika Bambaataa, Digital Underground, Coolio, De La Soul, House of Pain, Naughty By Nature, and Force MDs. Tommy Boy is also credited with introducing genres such as EDM, Latin freestyle, and Latin hip hop to mainstream audiences in America.
WAlex Wilhelm is the co-owner of 48 Hours Entertainment, based in Los Angeles. Before launching his own company, Alex worked in senior A&R roles at record companies such as Warner Records, Capitol Records, and Atlantic Records/APG. He has signed various multi-platinum artists, served on the Grammy Awards Committee, and has been included on Billboard's prestigious "40 under 40" list.