1960s Fontana 45 rpm record
Fontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records. When Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favour of Vertigo Records and Mercury Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label.
Fontana's U.S. counterpart label was started in 1964 and distributed by Mercury Records. Among the hitmakers were: Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders, The Troggs, The New Vaudeville Band, and Steam, all of whom had #1 hits on the label. Other successful Fontana artists included The Silkie and Nana Mouskouri. Mercury discontinued this label (and one other subsidiary, Smash Records) in 1970.
Fontana's British division was the UK licensee for Vanguard Records (until 1967), Mainstream Records and ESP-Disk.
In the UK and Europe, the Fontana label was largely dormant after 1974, although in 1980-81 it was used for releases by Sector 27 and Dennis Bovell. Fontana was revived in the late 1980s as an outlet for acts such as Tears for Fears and Swing Out Sister. It is currently an active division of Universal Music Group. Today the label operates under Interscope Records.
The name has also been revived as independent label distibutor Fontana Distribution.
US Label variations
- 1964 -- Pink label
- 1965-1970 -- Light blue or slightly darker-toned blue label (some of these labels were stamped with an "S")
- 1980s -- Black and silver label
See also
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