Koch Entertainment
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Koch Entertainment LP is a North American entertainment company with offices in New York, Nashville and Toronto.
In 1991, Koch became the first national independent distributor of domestic labels in the U.S., offering the first alternative to the traditional system of regional independent distribution or national major label distribution.[citation needed]
In 1992, Koch was ranked #315 on Inc. Magazine’s list of America’s 500 fastest-growing private companies, and has since grown into an entertainment conglomerate. Today, it is the largest independent music and video distributor in North America, holding the highest market share of any independent. Billboard Magazine and CNN cited Koch as the #1 Independent Distributor and Record Label in North America, and Entrepreneur Magazine praised Koch as “a multimedia force to be reckoned with." [1] Koch has consecutively received the nomination for Distributor of the Year from 2001-2005 by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM).[citation needed]
Koch expanded into the Canadian market in 1995 by forming the Toronto-based Koch Entertainment Canada. It was announced in 2005 that Koch was acquired by Canadian company Entertainment One (formerly Row Entertainment) [2] for a purchase price of approximately $80 million. [3]. Since then, both Entertainment One and Koch have been sold to the London based firm Marwyn Investment Management LLP for a purchase price of $188 million dollars. [4].
In 2004, Koch held the top 3 positions on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart in May of that year, a status that only a few independent companies have been able to achieve. In addition, Koch launched a New Media division in 2005 as part of its plan to enter the digital distribution market.
Koch's other subsidiaries include its theatrical/DVD label Koch-Lorber Films, its television programming and home video company Koch Vision, its publishing administration system Koch Publishing, its retail distribution arm Koch Distribution, and Koch Entertainment Canada. Its primary subsidiary, Koch Records, is the largest independent record label in the United States [5]. A number of artists on or distributed by Koch were formerly signed to major labels, including:
- 2Pac
- AZ
- Boyz II Men
- Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony
- Black Ice
- Bleu Davinci
- Canibus
- CL Smooth
- Coko (formerly of SWV)
- Cradle of Filth
- Daz Dillinger
- DJ Kay Slay
- DJ Khaled
- Domination
- Funkmaster Flex
- Ginuwine
- GZA aka the Genius
- Havoc (of Mobb Deep)
- J-Hood
- Joan Baez
- KRS-One
- Keith Murray
- Kurupt
- Lil' Troy
- Lord Jamar
- Mike Beck
- Oleta Adams
- Opeth
- Prodigy (of Mobb Deep)
- Public Enemy
- Purple City
- Ringo Starr
- Royce Da 5'9"
- Scarface
- Sheek Louch
- Sinéad O'Connor
- Slim Thug
- The Smithereens
- Talib Kweli
- Tha Alkaholiks
- Tha Dogg Pound
- The Alchemist
- Too Short
- Unk
- Wu-Tang Clan
- Wyclef Jean
- Xzibit
- Ying Yang Twins
Koch Records has also signed a number of former American Idol contestants, including:
In addition to being a record label, Koch also distributes other notable imprints, such as:
Also, the children's music division of Koch Records distributes albums and children's entertainment from, among others:
Koch Records' country music division, once known as Audium, is now known as Koch Nashville.
Koch is also distributed in Europe and in Asia by Universal Music Group International BV.
In a July 2006 interview, Snoop Dogg announced that he will be named a CEO of Koch West, a newly formed subsidiary of Koch Entertainment. [6]
