Asylum Records

Asylum Records is an American music-recording label established in 1971 by entertainment managers David Geffen and Elliot Roberts. The label began as a home for singer-songwriters and folk- and rock-oriented performers whose work did not fit easily into the prevailing structures of the major record business. Its formation followed a conversation between Geffen and Atlantic Records president Ahmet Ertegun during an unsuccessful attempt to secure a recording contract for Geffen's client Jackson Browne. Ertegun agreed to provide initial financing, Atlantic agreed to distribute the releases, and the two sides arranged to share profits. This relationship gave the young label access to major-label infrastructure while allowing Geffen and Roberts to shape its artist roster and creative identity. The early Asylum roster established the label's reputation for artist-centered American songwriting. Jackson Browne became one of its defining artists, while the company also worked with Linda Ronstadt, John David Souther, Judee Sill, David Blue, Jo Jo Gunne, and Tom Waits. Geffen also encouraged Glenn Frey to form the Eagles, linking the label's history to the development of California rock. John Fogerty joined in 1974 after his period with Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Bob Dylan recorded two Asylum albums, Planet Waves and the live Before the Flood, before returning to Columbia Records. Tom Waits remained with the label through 1980, making Asylum an important early home for his distinctive songwriting and performance style. Warner Communications took control of Asylum in the early 1970s, and the label was combined with Elektra Records as Elektra/Asylum Records. Geffen and Roberts received cash and Warner stock as part of the transaction. Geffen remained involved as president and chairman of the combined operation until 1975, when he moved into the film business and became a Warner Bros. executive. After his departure, artists such as Warren Zevon reinforced Asylum's association with sophisticated, critically respected rock songwriting. During the 1980s, however, Elektra increasingly became the dominant identity in the combined company. Asylum's artists were moved onto the Elektra roster, while older recordings, catalog products, and reissues continued to carry Asylum-related branding. The corporate structure was subsequently known as Elektra Entertainment. In 1992, Asylum was reformatted as a country-music label operated by Elektra. This period produced recordings by Emmylou Harris, Brother Phelps, Thrasher Shiver, Kevin Sharp, Bryan White, and Lila McCann, alongside critically regarded projects involving George Jones, Mandy Barnett, Guy Clark, the Cox Family, Bob Woodruff, and other country performers. The country operation eventually faded because of management difficulties and limited promotional resources. Mike Curb later revived a Nashville-based division in 2003 under the Asylum-Curb name, with artists including LeAnn Rimes, Clay Walker, Lee Brice, Rio Grand, Hank Williams Jr., and Wynonna. After several dormant years, Asylum was revived in 2004 as an urban-music label. Its output was distributed through Warner Bros. Records and Atlantic Records at different times. The renewed label gained commercial momentum through rapper Paul Wall, whose 2005 album The Peoples Champ reached number one on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum in the United States. In 2006, Warner Music Group placed Asylum within its Independent Label Group, and the label broadened beyond hip-hop by signing the metal band Sevendust. Later signings and releases connected the brand with Cee Lo Green, New Boyz, and Ed Sheeran, among others. Asylum's internal alignment changed several times in the late 2000s and early 2010s. It operated under Warner Bros. Records from 2009 to 2013 after being separated from the Independent Label Group, then moved to Atlantic. The label also developed a significant United Kingdom presence, achieving its first UK Singles…

Asylum Records emerged from the management partnership of David Geffen and Elliot Roberts, two former William Morris Agency agents who were managing performers in the folk and rock fields. The label was created in 1971 after Geffen sought an Atlantic Records contract for Jackson Browne. Atlantic president Ahmet Ertegun instead encouraged Geffen to create his own record company and agreed to finance and distribute it. The resulting arrangement gave Asylum the resources of an established major while leaving its founders substantial control over repertoire and artist relationships. The label's initial identity was built around singer-songwriters and California-oriented rock. Browne became a central act, and the early roster also included Linda Ronstadt, John David Souther, Judee Sill, David Blue, Jo Jo Gunne, and other performers. Geffen's relationships with artists and managers were particularly important to the label's development. He encouraged Glenn Frey to help form the Eagles, while Tom Waits joined in 1972 and issued his first Asylum album, Closing Time, in 1973. Waits ultimately released seven albums for the label, ending with Heartattack and Vine in 1980. John Fogerty joined in 1974, and Bob Dylan recorded Planet Waves and Before the Flood for Asylum during a temporary break from Columbia Records. Warner Communications took over Asylum in the early 1970s. The company was then combined with Elektra, creating Elektra/Asylum Records. The transaction provided Geffen and Roberts with cash and Warner stock, while Geffen continued as president and chairman until 1975. His departure for film and Warner Bros. marked the end of Asylum's founder-led phase. Warren Zevon became one of the most important artists associated with the post-Geffen label; his 1976 self-titled debut is widely regarded as a significant California rock recording. By the early 1980s, Elektra had become the more prominent identity in the combined operation. Album copyright lines continued to reference Elektra/Asylum or Elektra/Asylum/Nonesuch, but Asylum increasingly functioned as a secondary imprint. Its remaining artists were transferred to Elektra's active roster, and by 1989 the business was known as Elektra Entertainment. Asylum branding remained visible principally through catalog recordings and reissues. A major repositioning occurred in 1992, when Asylum was converted into a country-music label under Elektra. The country roster included Emmylou Harris, Brother Phelps, Thrasher Shiver, Kevin Sharp, Bryan White, and Lila McCann. The imprint also issued or prepared critically recognized country projects involving George Jones, Mandy Barnett, Guy Clark, the Cox Family, Bob Woodruff, Monte Warden, and others. The division ultimately dissolved as management problems and inadequate promotion constrained its operations. In 2003, Mike Curb revived the Nashville concept as Asylum-Curb, with a roster that included LeAnn Rimes, Clay Walker, Lee Brice, Rio Grand, Hank Williams Jr., and Wynonna. Asylum was revived again in 2004, this time as an urban-music label. The modern version used Warner Bros. Records and Atlantic Records for distribution at different points. Paul Wall became a particularly important commercial success: The Peoples Champ, released in 2005, reached the top of the Billboard 200 and later achieved platinum certification in the United States. In 2006, Warner Music Group placed Asylum in the Independent Label Group. The label also expanded its genre range by signing Sevendust, identified as its first non-hip-hop signing in the newly configured period. The label's corporate alignment continued to change. After Todd Moscowitz was promoted from Asylum president and chief executive to co-president of Warner Bros. Records in 2009, Asylum operated under Warner Bros. from 2009 through 2013 and was subsequently moved to Atlantic. Its roster and international activity broadened through artists such as Cee Lo Green, New Boyz, and Ed Sheeran. In the United Kingdom, Rudimental's Feel the Love became the label's first UK Singles Chart number-one single in 2012. The U.S. label was relaunched separately in 2017. Asylum is now a Warner Music Group-owned and distributed brand, principally associated with hip-hop but retaining a historical and continuing connection to rock and alternative metal. Its long-term significance lies in its ability to move between specialist formats while preserving a recognizable catalog identity within a major-label group.

1. 2017U.S. relaunch

   Asylum is relaunched in the United States as a separate operation from the UK label.

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2. 2012First UK Singles Chart number one

   Rudimental's Feel the Love gives Asylum its first UK Singles Chart number-one single.

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3. 2009Asylum moves under Warner Bros. Records

   Following Todd Moscowitz's promotion, the label becomes detached from the Independent Label Group and operates under Warner Bros.

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4. 2006Asylum joins the Independent Label Group

   Warner Music Group places Asylum within the newly created Independent Label Group.

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5. 2005The Peoples Champ reaches number one

   Paul Wall's album reaches number one on the Billboard 200 and becomes a major commercial success for the revived label.

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6. 2004Urban-music revival

   After dormancy, Asylum returns as an urban-oriented label.

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7. 2003Asylum-Curb is formed

   Mike Curb revives the Nashville operation under a new Asylum-Curb division.

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8. 1992Country-format relaunch

   Asylum is reformatted as a country label operated by Elektra.

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9. 1989The combined company adopts the Elektra Entertainment name

   Asylum has largely become a secondary imprint as Elektra assumes the dominant corporate identity.

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10. 1976Warren Zevon releases his Asylum debut

    Zevon's self-titled debut becomes one of the label's best-known post-founder-era rock releases.

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11. 1974Bob Dylan records for Asylum

    Dylan releases Planet Waves and the live album Before the Flood through Asylum before returning to Columbia Records.

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12. 1973Asylum becomes part of Elektra/Asylum

    Warner Communications takes over Asylum and combines it with Elektra Records.

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13. 1972Tom Waits joins the label

    Tom Waits signs with Asylum, beginning a long association that includes his 1973 debut Closing Time and subsequent albums through 1980.

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14. 1971Asylum Records is founded

    David Geffen and Elliot Roberts establish the label with initial financing from Atlantic Records and an Atlantic distribution arrangement.

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A Warner Music Group label with a history of artist-led American songwriting and repeated format repositioning. The brand is historically associated with folk-rock, singer-songwriters, country music, hip-hop, rock, and alternative metal, and is primarily oriented toward hip-hop in its current incarnation.

• Closing TimeStudio album1973

  Tom Waits's 1973 debut album on Asylum Records. It represents the label's early commitment to distinctive singer-songwriters and forms the starting point of Waits's multi-album relationship with the imprint.

• Planet WavesStudio album1974

  Bob Dylan's Asylum studio album, recorded during his temporary departure from Columbia Records. Its release gave the young label an unusually prominent association with one of the era's most established singer-songwriters.

• Before the FloodLive album1974

  A live Bob Dylan album issued through Asylum during the same period as Planet Waves. It remained part of Asylum's catalog history even after Dylan returned to Columbia, which later reissued both albums.

• The Peoples ChampStudio album2005

  Paul Wall's 2005 commercial debut studio album for the revived urban-music incarnation of Asylum. The album reached number one on the Billboard 200 and was subsequently certified platinum in the United States.

• Feel the LoveSingle2012

  A Rudimental single that became Asylum's first number-one entry on the UK Singles Chart in 2012, demonstrating the label's international reach during its modern period.

• 2017Relaunch the U.S. operation separatelyStrategy

  Asylum had developed different operating histories in the United States and United Kingdom after its modern revival.

  What changed. The label was relaunched in the United States as an operation separate from the UK label.

  Aftermath. The brand continued under Warner Music Group ownership with a primary association with hip-hop and related contemporary genres.

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• 2009Move Asylum under Warner Bros. RecordsOther

  Asylum president and chief executive Todd Moscowitz was promoted to co-president of Warner Bros. Records Inc.

  What changed. Asylum was detached from the Independent Label Group and operated under Warner Bros. Records from 2009 to 2013.

  Aftermath. The label was later moved to Atlantic, continuing the pattern of organizational repositioning within Warner Music Group.

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• 2006Place Asylum within the Independent Label GroupStrategy

  Warner Music Group created an organizational structure for independent and specialist imprints.

  What changed. Asylum was transferred into the Independent Label Group alongside Cordless Recordings and East West Records.

  Aftermath. The label subsequently underwent further organizational movement, including a period under Warner Bros. Records and a later move to Atlantic.

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• 2004Relaunch Asylum as an urban-music labelStrategy

  After several inactive years, Warner-affiliated operations sought to give Asylum a contemporary market role.

  What changed. The label was revived with an urban-music focus and distribution arrangements involving Warner Bros. Records and Atlantic Records.

  Aftermath. The repositioning produced a major commercial breakthrough with Paul Wall's The Peoples Champ and later expanded into metal and other contemporary genres.

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• 2003Revive the Nashville operation as Asylum-CurbStrategy

  The previous country incarnation had ended, but the Asylum name retained value as a recognizable label identity.

  What changed. Mike Curb created a new Nashville division called Asylum-Curb.

  Aftermath. The revived division brought the brand back into country music with a roster including LeAnn Rimes, Clay Walker, Lee Brice, Hank Williams Jr., and Wynonna.

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• 1992Reformat Asylum around country musicStrategy

  The imprint had become less prominent within the Elektra organization after its original rock-focused roster was moved to Elektra.

  What changed. Elektra relaunched Asylum as a country-music label.

  Aftermath. The division released work by several notable country artists but was eventually dissolved amid management problems and insufficient promotion resources.

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• 1973Combine Asylum with Elektra under Warner CommunicationsM&A

  Warner Communications took control of Asylum after the label's early growth and commercial significance.

  What changed. Asylum was merged operationally with Elektra to form Elektra/Asylum Records.

  Aftermath. Elektra gradually became the dominant identity, while Asylum survived increasingly as a secondary imprint and catalog brand.

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• 1971Create a specialist label for singer-songwriters and rock artistsStrategy

  Geffen and Roberts were managing folk- and rock-oriented performers and sought a recording-company structure better suited to those artists.

  What changed. They founded Asylum with Atlantic financing and distribution while retaining creative control over the label's roster.

  Aftermath. The label quickly established a recognizable identity around American singer-songwriters and California rock.

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• 2017Asylum is relaunched separately in the United States

  The American operation received a further relaunch after the label's earlier organizational changes and period of dormancy.

  Product launch
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• 2012Rudimental's Feel the Love becomes Asylum's first UK Singles Chart number-one

  The Rudimental single Feel the Love gave the label its first number-one single on the UK Singles Chart.

  Product launch
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• 2009Asylum leadership changes as Todd Moscowitz moves to Warner Bros. Records

  Asylum president and chief executive Todd Moscowitz was promoted to co-president of Warner Bros. Records Inc., after which Asylum's organizational placement changed.

  Leadership change
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• 2006Warner Music Group places Asylum within the Independent Label Group

  Asylum was moved into Warner Music Group's newly created Independent Label Group alongside other imprints.

  Other
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• 2006Asylum signs Sevendust as its first non-hip-hop act in the reconfigured era

  The label expanded its modern roster by signing Atlanta metal band Sevendust.

  Product launch
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• 2005The Peoples Champ gives the relaunched label a Billboard 200 number-one album

  Paul Wall's The Peoples Champ became a major commercial release for the revived label, reaching number one on the Billboard 200 and later receiving U.S. platinum certification.

  Product launchProduct generation
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• 2004Asylum returns as an urban-music label

  Following a period of dormancy, Asylum was relaunched around urban music, with releases distributed through Warner Bros. Records and Atlantic Records at different times.

  Product launch
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• 2003Asylum-Curb revives the Nashville division

  Mike Curb revived a Nashville branch under the Asylum-Curb name, bringing the brand back into country music.

  Other
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• 1992Asylum is reformatted as a country label

  The Elektra-operated imprint adopted a country-music focus and released work by artists including Emmylou Harris, Bryan White, Kevin Sharp, and Lila McCann.

  Other
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• 1973Warner Communications takes control of Asylum and combines it with Elektra

  Asylum became part of Warner Communications and was operated in combination with Elektra as Elektra/Asylum Records.

  M&A
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• 1971Asylum Records is founded through a financing and distribution arrangement with Atlantic Records

  David Geffen and Elliot Roberts established Asylum Records, with Atlantic Records providing initial financing and distribution.

  Other
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1. Asylum Records