The Cataracs

The Cataracs was an American hip hop indie-pop production project (formerly duo) formed in Berkeley, California consisting of songwriter, vocalist, and producer Niles "Cyranizzy" Hollowell-Dhar (born 6 October 1988), and formerly songwriter and vocalist David "Campa" Benjamin Singer-Vine (born 1987). The duo started out as an independent group, during their years at Berkeley High School. The two were first signed to the label Indie-Pop. Singer-Vine left the group in August 2012 with Hollowell-Dhar continuing on with the name The Cataracs despite David's departure. Hollowell-Dhar also released materials starting 2014, under the name of KSHMR.

Biography

Early days

The duo met in their sophomore year while attending Berkeley High School. Singer-Vine was featured in a rap CD that was being passed around campus. When Dhar eventually heard the CD, he subsequently created a response. However, the “diss” response brought the two together and they soon became friends. In 2003, the two joined together to create what is now The Cataracs (named after the phrase “Who smoke ‘til your eyes get cataracts” from Snoop Dogg's song “What's my name Pt. 2”). In the summer of 2006, they released their first album, Technohop Vol. 1. In August 2006, the group joined with The Pack to make the single “Blueberry Afghani”. The song soon became a hit and was chosen as a “Download of the Week” by 106 KMEL and many music sites such as The Fader, UK’s Hip Hop Connection and XLR8R praised it.

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. There are also cases where songs are used in tie in marketing campaigns that allow them to become more than just a song. Tie ins and merchandising could be used in toys are marketing campaigns for food and other products. Although the origins of music videos date back to musical short films that first appeared in the 1920s, they came into prominence in the 1980s when MTV based their format around the medium. Prior to the 1980s, these works were described by various terms including "illustrated song", "filmed insert", "promotional (promo) film", "promotional clip", "promotional video", "song video", "song clip" or "film clip". Since the creation and increased popularity of YouTube, mainstream artists now promote new music videos by releasing trailers of short promos on the site for their upcoming song and music video. Consequentially, YouTube has been converted into a social media platform for celebrities and artists to market themselves to their fans and audiences.

Universal Republic Records

Universal Republic Records was an American record label, that operated as a division of Universal Music Group. It was based on the then-defunct Republic Records label founded by brothers Monte and Avery Lipman. In the summer of 2011, changes were made at one of the three Universal Music Group umbrella labels, Universal Motown Republic Group, and Motown Records was separated from Universal Motown Records (causing it to shut down and transfer its artists to either Motown Records or Universal Republic Records) and the umbrella label and merged into The Island Def Jam Music Group, making Universal Republic Records a stand alone label and shutting down Universal Motown Republic Group. In mid-2012, the label reverted to its original Republic Records name, making this label defunct.

Universal Records: 2000–2005

Universal Music Group acquired the Lipman brothers' Republic Records as a fully owned subsidiary in 2000, and named Monte Lipman as President of the newly established Universal Records label, and Avery Lipman the COO; both reporting to Doug Morris (Chairman of Universal Music Group), and Mel Lewinter, (Chairman of Universal Records Group).

Republic Records

Republic Records is an American record company that operates as a division of Universal Music Group. The label was endowed by Monte Lipman and Avery Lipman in 1995; it was later paired into the Universal Motown Republic Group in 1999. After the separation of Motown Records from Universal Motown Records, the Universal Motown Republic Group was shuttered, the label was temporarily reincarnated as Universal Republic Records in 2006, until it was revived in late 2012. The label's main offices are located in New York City, New York, United States, other offices of the record label are located at the Interscope Center in Santa Monica, California, U.S.

Since Republic's contraction to a mainly rightsholder role, Republic Records has long been a stand-alone label under UMG and is one of the group's premier labels, with Interscope Records and Island Records. According to Mediabase, Republic Records was 2012's top charting U.S. label. The label's best selling artists include Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Amy Winehouse, Drake, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, The Weeknd, Taylor Swift, Owl City and Lorde.

Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group, Inc. (legally known as UMG Recordings, Inc., abbreviated as UMG) is an American-French worldwide music corporation that operates as a subsidiary of Paris-based French media conglomerate Vivendi. It claims to be the largest music corporation in the world. UMG also owns Universal Music Publishing Group, which is cited as the second largest music publishing company in the world. Universal Music Group's global corporate headquarters are in Santa Monica, California, United States.

History

Early history

Universal Music was once the music company attached to film studio Universal Pictures. Its origins go back to the formation of the American branch of Decca Records in 1934. The Decca Record Co. Ltd. of England spun American Decca off in 1939.MCA Inc. merged with American Decca in 1962. The present organization was formed when its parent company Seagram purchased PolyGram in May 1998 and merged it with Universal Music Group in early 1999. However, the name had first appeared in 1996 when MCA Music Entertainment Group was renamed Universal Music Group. The PolyGram acquisition included Deutsche Grammophon which traces its ancestry to Berliner Gramophone making Deutsche Grammophon UMG's oldest unit. UMG's Canadian unit traces its ancestry to a Berliner Gramophone breakaway firm the Compo Company.