Syco

Syco Entertainment, often known simply as Syco, is a global joint venture between Simon Cowell and Sony Music Entertainment focused on the production and marketing of music, television, film and digital content. It employs a staff of more than 50 in offices in London and Los Angeles and manages a string of high-profile television and music brands through partnerships with Sony Music labels and TV production partners, most notably FremantleMedia.

Syco was initially owned by Simon Cowell, then sold to Sony. But in 2010, a new company was formed as a 50/50 partnership between Cowell and Sony, keeping the pre-existing name Syco but titled as Syco Entertainment. In 2015, it was announced that the Syco Entertainment joint venture would be extended for a further 6 years. Retail billionaire Sir Philip Green, a close friend of Cowell, serves as an advisor to the company.Karren Brady, television personality and vice-chairman of West Ham United F.C., also serves as an advisor to the company.

Syco Music

Syco Music, also known as Syco Records is a British record label founded by Simon Cowell. It is a subsidiary of Syco Entertainment.

History

Syco Music has offices in London and Los Angeles and is home to several artists. Syco has the exclusive right to sign winners and finalists of The X Factor and Got Talent. Susan Boyle's debut album, I Dreamed a Dream, has sold over 9 million copies, making it one of the best selling releases of the last decade and Syco's most successful release to date. Between 2004 and 2009, Il Divo achieved four multi-million selling albums and in 2007, Leona Lewis became one of the most successful talent show winners when her second single, "Bleeding Love", propelled the album Spirit to 9 million global sales. They have signed one of the most successful boy bands in the world, One Direction.

Syco's original base is in London and it has enjoyed most success in the UK market. From 2004 to date, the label has had 22 UK number-one singles. From 2004 to the end of 2009, the label achieved 13 number-one albums. Factoring in releases under predecessor label S Records, Syco/S achieved 20 number-one albums in the 2000-2009 period, more than any other imprint in the UK, including far larger operations like Columbia Records (17), Warner Bros. Records (16) and Polydor Records (14). Additionally, the label has achieved 7 top 10 U.S. albums since 2006.

Skyline

A skyline is the horizon created by a city's overall structure, or by human intervention in a non-urban setting or in nature. City skylines serve as a kind of fingerprint as no two skylines are alike. For this reason, news and sports programs, television shows, and movies often display the skyline of a city to set a location. The term The Sky Line of New York City was first introduced in 1896, when it was the title of a color lithograph by Charles Graham for the color supplement of the New York Journal.

Paul D. Spreiregen, FAIA, has called a skyline "a physical representation [of a city's] facts of life ... a potential work of art ... its collective vista."

History

Early examples

The Colosseum in Rome

The Colosseum in Rome

Gizah pyramids

Gizah pyramids

Acropolis

Acropolis

Stonehenge's skyline has been known for millennia.

Stonehenge's skyline has been known for millennia.

Historic buildings in Toledo, Spain have been part of the city skyline for many years.

Skyline (musical group)

Skyline was a newgrass group active in the 1970s and '80s headed by Tony Trischka. The band consisted of Tony, Danny Weiss on guitar and vocals, Dede Wyland on guitar and vocals, Larry Cohen on bass, and Barry Mitterhoff on mandolin. In the last year of their career Dede Wyland left the band and was replaced by Rachel Kalem. They were a major proponent of the "newgrass" sound, known for jazz-infused riffs and extensive use of harmony in their singing. Their first album, Skyline Drive, was released in 1977. The band released several more albums over the next few years, culminating with their final release, Fire of Grace in 1989. In 1999, they released a retrospective album called Ticket Back.

Members of the band are still playing together in various configurations. Danny, Larry and Barry performed as Silk City, a band named after an old nickname for Paterson, New Jersey. The band was active around 2000-2004, before Barry left to join Hot Tuna.

References

Skyline (Yann Tiersen album)

Skyline is the seventh studio album by Yann Tiersen. The album was published by Everything's Calm and released through Mute Records on 17 October 2011 in Europe, and six months later, on 17 April 2012, via ANTI- in North America.

The album, which features nine tracks, was engineered by Gwen Roujanski, mixed by Ken Thomas, and mastered by Ray Staff. It was released in CD and LP formats.

Recording and production

When Yann Tiersen recorded and released his previous album, Dust Lane, he had enough songs available for a new album. During the tour that began in October 2010, starting from New York for promoting Dust Lane, Yann Tiersen and his band have begun to unravel this new material, and the first two pieces from Skyline, "The Trial" and "Another Shore", were subsequently performed live. The album was recorded under the guidance of engineer Gwen Roujanski at Everything's Calm Studio I in Paris and largely at Studio II in Tiersen's home in Ushant. The vocals for "The Trial", engineered by Jay Pellicci, were recorded at Tiny Telephone studio in San Francisco, while the vocals for "Vanishing Point", engineered by Efterklang, were recorded part in Berlin and part in Nashville. Skyline was subsequently mixed by music producer Ken Thomas at The Chairworks, a residential recording studio complex located in Morrison Street, Castleford, near Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, and mastered at Air Studios in London by mastering engineer Ray Staff, best known for his work with Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Clash, Black Sabbath, and Muse.