| ABC Music | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
| Founded | 1974; 51 years ago (1974) |
| Distributor | The Orchard |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Location | Sydney |
| Official website | www |
ABC Music is Australia's largestindependent record label. It operates under theABC Commercial division of theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation. It covers a wide range ofmusic genres, includingclassical,children’s and adult contemporary music,blues,roots,rock, andAustralian country music. Its imprints includeABC Classics andFOUR FOUR.
ABC Music Publishing was a separate business unit of ABC music, which published the work ofcomposers andsongwriters, until its catalogue was acquired byUniversal Music Publishing Group Australia & NZ in 2020/21.
Established in 1974, ABC Music is one of the longest-running, most prolific and diverseindependent record label.[1] Operating as part of theABC Commercial division, ABC Music invests all profits back into the broader ABC, to spend on the creation of content and to further its ABC Charter activities.[2][3][4]
ABC Music the largest independent record label in Australia.[5] Its catalogue covers a wide variety of genres including country, classical, blues, roots, and rock.[4]
The label has released many albums in conjunction with variousABC Radio stations and programs, includingtriple j'sHottest 100,Like A Version,House Party,One Night Stand,Beat The Drum and40 Years Of Music releases,[6] as well as tribute albums toNick Cave[7] andPaul Kelly.[8] It is also home to a number of popular compilation series, includingCountdown,rage,Hit Country,Beaut Ute andABC Kids themed titles, and has produced a number of special event releases, such asHis Life and Music, the live album fromGurrumul featuring theSydney Symphony Orchestra.
ABC Music acts as the umbrella label for several imprints, past and present, while FOUR FOUR covers genres such asreggae,ska, roots,world music and rock.[9]
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| Genre | Classical |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1987 |
| Parent | ABC Music |
| Divisions | Australian Composers Series with theTasmanian Symphony Orchestra |
ABC Classic is an imprint of ABC Music, which represents many of Australia's leading classical musicians,orchestras andensembles.[4] The label was founded in1987 as a means of showcasing the ABC's classical music recordings under its own banner.[10] The label sells music on CD as well as making it available on variousmusic streaming services such asSpotify.[11]
ABC Classic has been awarded the prestigiousARIA Music Award for Best Classical Album more than 25 times since the inception of the awards in 1987.[11][12]
Featured artists includeYvonne Kenny,Geoffrey Lancaster,Jayson Gillham,Richard Tognetti,Sara Macliver,Teddy Tahu Rhodes,Slava Grigoryan,Gareth Koch,David Hobson,Karin Schaupp,Diana Doherty,Roger Woodward,Gerard Willems, Omega Ensemble,Cantillation,Sydney Children's Choir, Gondwana Voices andSaffire (the Australian Guitar Quartet). The label has a strong emphasis on Australian compositions, with theirAustralian Composers Series recorded in conjunction with theTasmanian Symphony Orchestra being a major milestone in Australian Music.
| Four Four | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | ABC Music |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Status | Active |
| Distributor | The Orchard |
| Genre | Rock,ska,punk, etc. |
| Location | Sydney |
| Official website | fourfourmusic |
Four Four (stylised as FOUR || FOUR) is an imprint of ABC Music.[1][9] Established in 2012,[13] Four Four's releases include genres such asreggae,ska,roots,world music,blues,folk,alternative rock,punk,indie andAustralian rock.[9]
One of their earliest signings was the ARIA Award-winning bandMelbourne Ska Orchestra, in November 2012.[13][9]
As of June 2021[update], the following artists were signed to Four Four:[14]
As of 2022, ABC Music releases have received 119ARIA Music Awards in a wide range of categories, since the awards' inception in 1987.[15]
Music by Australian composers features prominently in the list winners, includingPeter Sculthorpe,Richard Meale,Carl Vine andRoss Edwards. Australian orchestras have also dominated the awards, with theSydney Symphony Orchestra featuring on four award winners. SopranoYvonne Kenny and pianistGerard Willems have both won the award twice.
The label has enjoyed great success in recent years, includingARIA Chart Number One albums fromLee Kernaghan[16] andTriple J'sLike a Version.[17][18]
ABC Music was named "Best Independent Label" at the 2020AIR Awards[19]
ABC Music Publishing is as of June 2021[update] still registered as a business name under ABC Commercial, but its website is no longer in existence,[20] after its catalogue had been sold toUniversal Music Publishing Group Australia & NZ.[a] It was "an independent music publisher representing some of Australia’s most recognised songwriters and composers", includingscreen composers.[20] It also provided a personalised service forfilmmakers, providing licences for appropriate music for their films.[21]
It represented some of Australia's most recognised songwriters and composers, includingYou Am I,Ruby Boots,Ben Salter,The Audreys, Sean O'Boyle, Juice Music,Tim Rogers,Davey Lane,Kit Warhurst,Amanda Brown, Rosie Westbrook,Sara Storer,Andy Clockwise,Sinead Burgess, Lachlan Bryan, andRhys Muldoon.[citation needed]
Marianna Annas was Head of ABC Music Publishing until January 2020, before moving to take up the position of Vice President, Commercial & Creative atUniversal Music Publishing Group Australia & NZ,[22][23] based inSydney.[24]
ABC Audio is a leading producer ofaudiobooks and otherspoken word releases, receiving distribution from Bolinda Audio Publishing.[25]
