Nonesuch Records

Nonesuch Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Bros. Records, and based in New York City. Founded by Jac Holzman in 1964 as a budget classical label, Nonesuch Records has developed into a label that records critically acclaimed music from across a wide range of genres. Robert Hurwitz has been the president of the company since 1984.

History

Founding

Nonesuch was founded in 1964 by Jac Holzman to produce "fine records at the same price as a trade paperback", which would be half the price of a normal LP. To achieve this he initially licensed European recordings of classical music as it would be too expensive to record new material. Originally the label concentrated heavily on chamber and baroque music, often with (then) unique repertory, and typically sold at less-than-premium prices. Upon its formation, Nonesuch operated as a subsidiary label of Elektra Records, which Holzman had launched in 1950. In 1970, Holzman sold Elektra and Nonesuch to Kinney National Company, which became Warner Communications and later part of Time Warner's Warner Music Group. In 2004, Warner Music Group (WMG) became an independently owned, publicly traded company.