One of the biggest record labels in the world is changing its name, and the reason why might surprise you.
After sixty-one years of business, Warner Bros. Records has chosen to rebrand itself as Warner Records. The change has already taken place, marked by the recent change the to company’s official website, and appears to be permanent. You can view the new logo above.
According to the announcement, “This marks the latest step in the company’s evolution, following Aaron Bay-Schuck joining as U.S. Co-Chairman & CEO in October 2018, Tom Corson being appointed U.S. Co-Chairman & COO in January 2018, and Phil Christie being named President of the UK label in 2016. The name change also follows the U.S. company’s recent move to a new, state-of-the-art headquarters in downtown LA’s Arts District.”
There are several motivating factors behind the name change. When Time Warner bought the company in 2004 it agreed to keep the name Warner Bros. Records for fifteen years. The move also allows the company, which has undergone many leadership and artist roster changes in that time, to have something of a fresh start. You don’t have to be a business major to understand that changes as minimal as dropping ‘Bros’ from a company name and unveiling a logo can create a massive boost in press coverage and publicity.
The announcement describes the new logo’s “artful simplicity and impactful typography that are ideally suited to the digital world. The circular icon – suggesting a record, a sun, and a globe – is a nod to the label’s past, present, and future. The openness of the design gives it the flexibility to embrace all Warner Records artists and all genres of music around the world.”
“For the first time in the label’s history, we’ve had the opportunity to create a distinct, modern identity entirely of our own,” said Corson and Bay-Schuck. “The timing couldn’t be better, since we all feel the label is at a moment of reinvention that builds on our legacy, while moving into a future driven by fearlessness and creativity. We have a growing roster of world-class artists, a rejuvenated team, and an incredible new location. It’s a new day for Warner Records, an iconic label that was born in the California sun, and is at home everywhere on earth.”
“We’re signing and developing the next generation of British artists to move global culture, so we wanted the Warner Records brand to have the power and freedom to mean different things to different people around the world,” said Christie. “A new logo isn’t meaningful on its own, and our label will always be defined by the originality of our artists, our music, and our people.”
