Voices Music & Entertainment AS
Voices Music & Entertainment ( VME ) is one of the largest independent labels and music distributors in Norway . It was founded in Oslo in 1988 under the name Voices of Wonder and today it publishes all kinds of music.
Label history
In 1988 Voices of Wonder was founded by Ketil Sveen and Dag Krosvold. At first only Norwegian bands were signed. The focus was on the harder music styles, especially in rock and metal . In the early 1990s, the label took over the exclusive distribution of the albums from Deathlike Silence Productions , making a name for itself in black metal . It also markets the products of larger, international independent labels such as Earache Records and Sub Pop in Norway.
In 1996 Voices of Wonder succeeded in establishing a branch in Denmark together with Tom Jensen as a new partner . Around this time the focus of the label shifted. In addition to the rock area, there was another area that mainly comprised electronic music and dance .
In 2000 the label managed a joint venture with DJ Beat Records GmbH from Switzerland . For this purpose, DJ Beat Records Scandinavia was founded, a label that markets trance and dance music. This became independent in 2004 and today works closely with Aqualoop Records from Germany.
In 2001 the name was changed to Voices Music & Entertainment AS, AS is the Norwegian abbreviation for public limited company . Voices of Wonder was retained as a sub-label name. In the same year another label was founded for the Swedish market: Voices Music & Entertainment Sweden AB, which was dissolved again in 2003. Since then there has been a strategic alliance with Showtime Distribution AB.
Financial situation
The label generates most of its sales in its home country, Norway. Their market share reached a peak with the 2002 4.3% Ultimate Collection by The Kinks . This not only made VME the largest independent label in the country, it even overtook the major label BMG in Norway. Today the market share is around 6%.
The label now has 17 employees (six of them in Denmark) and operates its own labels Voices of Wonder Records, Beatservice, Euphonious, Head Not Found , Jester, Bad Afro and DJ Beat Records Scandinavia, which serve different musical styles. A little over 200 publications appeared in total. The top selling artists are: Mayhem , The 3rd and the Mortal , Motorpsycho and Ulver .
The sales catalog has a stock of around 12,000 titles.
criticism
The label has been criticized by several bands under contract with him. The band Enslaved , which had actually been under contract with Deathlike Silence Productions , switched to Osmose Productions after their debut album Vikingligr Veldi and spoke out against Voices of Wonder. According to their own statements, the American band Hemlock was cheated out of royalties and treated worse because they did not come from Norway; the label is said to have treated other bands that way too. Metalion stopped working on the Head Not Found label, where the band Hemlock was under contract at the time, due to constant problems with Voices of Wonder, among other things, and the label continued without him. Sigurd Wongraven of Satyricon and Moonfog Productions called the operators of the label a traitor. Varg Vikernes of Burzum claims he was defrauded of 20,000 Norwegian crowns by Voices of Wonder; the label had ended the collaboration with him because he had committed himself to National Socialism .
Individual evidence
- ^ "No thanks to K. Sveen and VOICES OF WONDER (not including the remaining VOW Staff !!!); you can keep trying to give us a hard time, it won't help !!! We're too strong for you !!! “Various artists: Nordic Metal - A Tribute to Euronymous , Necropolis Records 1995.
- ↑ Hemlock ( Memento April 13, 2010 in the Internet Archive ), accessed January 23, 2013.
- ↑ Dan Tobin: SLAYER MAG interview ... ( Memento of the original from December 16, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , September 24, 2002, accessed October 14, 2012.
- ↑ Интервью с Satyr сразу после выхода "The Shadowthrone" (январь 1995) , accessed October 14, 2012.
- ↑ Ovl. Svithjod: Burzum . Up From The Ashes ~ Or Into a Prison? . In: A 1000 Years ... of lost pride and dignity . The Epitaph for religious propaganda , No. 1, accessed October 14, 2012.
- ↑ "Det Som Var Engang" In 1993 , accessed on 14 October 2012 found.
