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| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | |
| Founded | January 1987; 39 years ago (1987-01) (as Koch Records) |
| Founder | Michael Koch |
| Headquarters | 40 Wall Street, 6th floor, New York City ,United States |
Key people | Sean Stevenson (President and CEO)[1] |
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| Website | www |
MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch"), formerly known asKoch Records andEntertainment One (eOne) Music, is an Americanindependent record label and musicmanagement company based inNew York City. It was formed in 1987 as a music division ofKoch Entertainment, which was acquired by and absorbed into Entertainment One (or eOne for short) in 2004. eOne was acquired by toy and multimedia companyHasbro in 2019, absorbed its family brands division in the process and announced the sale of this division tothe Blackstone Group in April 2021, which then adopted this name. Hasbro then sold the remains of eOne toLionsgate, who then rebranded it initially aseOne Canada and thenLionsgate Canada.
MNRK owns the libraries ofArtemis Records,Dualtone Records,Last Gang Records andProsthetic Records.[3]
The label as a whole has its origins in the Canadian music distributor Records on Wheels, which was acquired by the Canadian retail chain CD Plus in 2001 to expand its wholesale business.[4] Darren Throop joined the company after CD Plus acquired his record store chain Urban Sound Exchange. The combined company later became known as ROW Entertainment, with Throop as president and CEO.[5][6]
In June 2005, ROW acquired the American independent music distributor and home entertainment publisherKoch Entertainment, including its labelKoch Records.[7][6]
From 1999 to 2005, Koch operated aNashville, Tennessee, division dedicated tocountry music, originally known as Audium Records. The Nashville division's roster includedRestless Heart,David Lee Murphy,Daryle Singletary,Cledus T. Judd, andthe Tractors. This division was closed in October 2005.[8]
In 2008, Koch launched HipHopCanada Records, in partnership with the publicationHipHopCanada.[9]
Koch was renamedE1 Music in 2009.[10] E1 acquired IndieBlu Music, parent ofArtemis Records andV2 Records North America, in 2010.[11]
In 2013, eOne acquired the library of defunct hip-hop labelDeath Row Records.[12] In January 2016, eOne acquiredDualtone Records.[13] In March 2016, eOne acquired Canadian labelLast Gang Records, and hired its founder, music industry lawyerChris Taylor, as global president of eOne Music.[14][12]
In 2016, eOne acquired the management firms Hardlivings and Nerve Artist Management.[15][16] In November 2016, eOne Music hired Ted May, the former senior international marketing manager of Universal Music UK, as director for its UK division, operating from eOne's offices in London.[17] In March 2018, eOne Music acquired the live event production company Round Room Entertainment.[18]
In 2019, Amelia Artists partnered with eOne's management division.[19] Later in 2019, eOne partnered with the Latin management and marketing group Entotal.[20] In November 2020, it signed AMPED Distribution as its new physical distributor in North America.[21]
In April 2021, following the acquisition of its parent company by toy and entertainment companyHasbro,[22] eOne announced that it would divest its music business to the private equity firmThe Blackstone Group for $385 million, in order to focus more on its film and television entertainment businesses.[23]
The sale was completed in June, and the unit continued to use the eOne branding until September 2021;[2] when the company was subsequently renamedMNRK Music Group.[24]
On February 9, 2022, MNRK sold the rights to the Death Row Records brand and catalogue to hip-hop rapperSnoop Dogg.[25]
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