| Volcano Entertainment, III, L.L.C. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | Zomba Recording Corporation (1998–2003) Q Prime (1998–2000) BMG (2003–2004) Sony BMG Music Entertainment (2004–2008) Sony Music Entertainment (2008–present) |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Founder | Kevin Czinger |
| Status | Dormant |
| Distributors | Sony Music (In theUS) RCA Records (Outside the US) Legacy Recordings (Reissues) |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Los Angeles,New York City |
Volcano Entertainment (sometimes referred to asVolcano Records) is an American all-round musicrecord label founded in 1996 which released albums byTool,311,Survivor and"Weird Al" Yankovic. (The latter two were formerScotti Bros. Records artists and the only artists retained from that label.) The Volcano Records catalog is owned byRCA Records, a division ofSony Music Entertainment.
Volcano Records was founded in 1996 by Kevin Czinger.[1][2] It is essentially the continuation ofZoo Entertainment which Czinger bought from BMG in 1996.[1] Initially, the company was meant to have two divisionsZoo/Volcano andVolcano which would be a hip-hop imprint.[3] The first album released with the new ownership wasTool's albumÆnima followed by actorKeanu Reeves' bandDogstar's albumOur Little Visionary. However, the Zoo name was eventually phased out and many of Zoo artists became the cornerstone of the Volcano roster.
In October 1997, Volcano merged withDallas Austin'sRowdy Records to becomeFreeworld Entertainment.[4] Freeworld was short-lived, as the label was plagued with financial trouble and the relationship with Austin faltered.[5][6] Many of the label's employees were either cut or left.[7] Additionally, the label's flagship artistTool was attempting to leave the label which resulted in a lengthy lawsuit.[8]
In the spring of 1998, Freeworld was purchased and "saved" by theZomba Label Group. Though theZoo branding was briefly reintroduced, Zomba quickly returned the Volcanomoniker, abandoning Zoo altogether.[9][10] A month later,Q Prime, led by top managersCliff Burnstein andPeter Mensch, purchased a 50% stake in Volcano and made sure that hard-rock artist Tool would stay.[11] They would sell their share back to Zomba in the early 2000s.
1998 also marked the year that Volcano acquired the contracts and masters ofScotti Bros. Records which had just been purchased byPearson PLC. Volcano also purchasedCapricorn Records in December 2000.[12]
In 2002, Zomba was purchased by BMG, returning Volcano to the BMG umbrella it had previously been a part of as Zoo Entertainment in the early nineties.[13] Volcano now controls theScotti Bros. Records,Capricorn Records (later) andZoo Entertainment catalogs.
With Yankovic fulfilling his Sony contract on their main labelRCA, with his 2014 albumMandatory Fun, Volcano functions primarily as a reissue label. Tool released its contract fulfillment album for Volcano,Fear Inoculum, on August 30, 2019, through Tool Dissectional/Volcano/RCA, completing their five-album requirement.[14]
Volcano products were initially distributed by BMG. When Zomba purchased the label in 1998, distribution was handled through theZomba network which, depending on the territory, may have been BMG, Virgin, Zomba itself or other smaller labels. When Zomba was purchased by BMG, BMG became the sole worldwide distributor again. Between 2004 and late 2008 distribution switched toSony BMG in accordance with the merger of Sony and BMG. Since early 2009, Sony Music Entertainment distributes Volcano products worldwide.
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