Interscope Records 

is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal

Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted
Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Music Group and Interscope
Communications,[2] it differed from most record labels by letting A&R staff control decisions and allowing
artists and producers full creative control.[3] Interscope's first hit records arrived in under a year, and it
achieved profitability in 1993.[4] Chair and CEO until May 2014, Iovine was succeeded by John Janick.[5]

In 1992, Interscope acquired the exclusive rights to market and distribute releases from hardcore hip
hop label Death Row Records, a decision that ultimately put the label at the center of the mid-
1990s gangsta rap controversy. As a result, Time Warner, then the parent of Warner Music Group,
severed ties with Interscope by selling its 50 percent stake back to Field and Iovine for $115 million in
1995. In 1996, 50% of the label was acquired for a reported $200 million by MCA Inc.,[4][6][7] later known
as Universal Music Group.

Interscope's artist roster includes Eminem, Lady Gaga, OneRepublic, Dermot Kennedy, Blackpink, Dr.

Dre, DaBaby, Billie Eilish, Imagine Dragons, Olivia Rodrigo, Selena Gomez, Playboi Carti, Kendrick
Lamar, Lana Del Rey, Maroon 5, Moneybagg Yo, Gwen Stefani, Rae Sremmurd, Machine Gun
Kelly, U2, Yungblud, Cuco and others.

History[edit]

1990–1995: Origins, early success, and joint ventures[edit]

In mid 1990, Ted Field began to build Interscope Records as a division of his film company, Interscope
Communications. To run it, he hired John McClain, who had played a central role in Janet Jackson's
success at A&M Records, and Tom Whalley, who had been the head of A&R at Capitol Records.
Separately, Iovine, who had produced records for U2, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks, and John Lennon,
among others, was trying to raise money to start a label. "I thought, 'Music is going to change,'" Iovine
said in 1997. "'Young bands aren't going to be asking for me.' But I love working with the new thing. I
always liked the part of the business that's the first time you hear something, and I knew I wasn't in that
business anymore."[8]

Iovine and Field were introduced by Paul McGuinness, then U2's manager. After a series of negotiations
led by David Geffen, they came to an agreement, and in 1990, Interscope Records was founded as a joint
venture with Atlantic Records. In a 1997 article in Rolling Stone, David Wild wrote: "Interscope's start-up
coincided with a period of incredible change in the music world. Nirvana had ushered in the alternative
revolution... While the major labels were packed with rosters full of expensive veteran artists who had to
redefine themselves for a new rock era, Interscope was in the business of signing new artists and could –
as Iovine puts it – 'move on a dime.'"[8][9][10][11]

Based in Los Angeles, California in the Westwood neighborhood at an office building on 10900 Wilshire

Boulevard, Interscope was run by "music men". It was a departure from the music industry practices of
the 1970s and 1980s, when labels traditionally appointed lawyers and promotion executives to senior
positions. A founding tenet of the label was that artists would have complete creative control.[4]

Interscope's first release was "Rico Suave" by Ecuadorian rapper Gerardo in December 1990; the single
reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in April 1991. Primus' Interscope debut, Sailing
the Seas of Cheese, was released in May, followed by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch's Music for the
People in July. It included the number-one single "Good Vibrations". Two days after first hearing his
demo, Whalley signed Tupac Shakur in August 1991, and by November, Interscope released 2Pacalypse
Now, Shakur's studio debut.[12]

Interscope began to develop a significant presence in the genre of alternative rock in 1992. In addition to
a second Primus album, the label released No Doubt's self-titled debut, Helmet's Meantime, 4 Non
Blondes' Bigger, Better, Faster, More!, acquired and re-released Rocket from the Crypt's Circa: Now!, and,
through a joint venture with TVT/Nothing Records, the Nine Inch Nails EP Broken. However, Interscope's
success with alternative and rock music was eclipsed by controversy which began in September 1992,
when Vice President Dan Quayle called on Interscope to withdraw 2Pacalypse Now, stating that it was
responsible for the death of a Texas state trooper, who was shot to death in April by a suspect who
allegedly was listening to the album on the tape deck of a stolen truck when he was stopped by the
officer. The trooper's family filed a civil suit against Shakur and Interscope, claiming the record's violence-
laden lyrics incite "imminent lawless action".[12][13]

Earlier in 1992, Interscope negotiated a $10-million deal with Dr. Dre and Marion "Suge" Knight to
finance and distribute their label, Death Row Records. It was initiated by McClain, who met Dre when he
was recording his solo debut, The Chronic. Original plans had called for the album to be released through
Sony, but Sony passed on The Chronic due to "the crazy things going on around Death Row" and the
contractual status of Dr. Dre. After hearing the album, Iovine agreed to put it out, although doing so
required a complicated distribution agreement with Priority Records, Dre's label as a member
of N.W.A. The Chronic was released in December 1992.[14][15]

By the end of the following year, The Chronic had sold almost 3 million copies. Snoop Dogg's
debut Doggystyle had sold more than 800,000 copies in its first week alone, and Primus and 4 Non-
Blondes had released records which hit the US Top 20. In 1993, with an estimated gross of $90 million,
Interscope became profitable ahead of projections.[16][17]

Interscope further established its strength in the alternative and rock genres in 1994. A$2.5 million
investment to establish a joint venture with Trauma Records yielded three number-one Modern Rock
tracks and a platinum-certified album with Bush's Sixteen Stone. The Nine Inch Nails album The
Downward Spiral went to number two on the US charts and was widely acclaimed. Marilyn
Manson's Portrait of an American Family, The Toadies album Rubberneck and Helmet's Betty were
commercially successful and critically embraced.[18][19]

1995–2000: Gangsta rap controversy, acquisition by MCA, Aftermath and Shady[edit]

In May 1995, the controversy related to gangsta rap and explicit lyrics intensified as U.S. Senate Majority
Leader Bob Dole accused Interscope of releasing music that glorified violence and degraded women.
Among others, the label was criticized by William J. Bennett, a former Education Secretary, and C.
DeLores Tucker, the chairwoman of the National Political Congress of Black Women. In September, Time
Warner announced it would disassociate itself from Interscope by selling its half-interest in the company
to Field and Iovine for $115 million.[16][20] Ownership in Interscope was aggressively pursued
by EMI, BMG, PolyGram and MCA. On December 1, 1995, the Los Angeles Times noted that with five
albums on that week's pop charts and sales of $350 million over the previous three years, "what may
have been a smart move politically for Time Warner is now looking like a financial fiasco."[21] In February
1996, MCA Records—then owned by Seagram—bought 50% of Interscope for a reported $200 million.
Under the agreement, Interscope retained complete creative control over the label's recordings. MCA
was not required to distribute material that it deemed offensive.[22]

Dre left Death Row in mid-1996 due to what was then reported as tension over the creative direction of
the label, and founded Aftermath Entertainment, a new joint venture with Interscope. In November that
same year, Aftermath debuted with the album Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath. The Death Row deal
remained in place until 1998, when Knight was imprisoned for parole violations.[23][24][25]

In November 1996, with records by Bush, Snoop Dogg, No Doubt, and Tupac Shakur, Interscope became
the first label in 20 years to hold the top 4 positions on the Billboard charts. Six additional Interscope
releases were in the Top 100. The label was frequently criticized for overspending on artist acquisitions
and joint ventures, however, with revenue for 1996 estimated at $250 million, it operated at a profit.[26]

In 1996, MCA Music Entertainment was renamed Universal Music Group. In 1998, the Universal Music
Group parent company Seagram acquired PolyGram Records. MCA's Geffen Records and
PolyGram's A&M Records were merged into Interscope, and in early 1999, Interscope Records began
operating under the umbrella of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, with Iovine and Field serving as co-
chairmen.[27]

Iovine's assistant (and former intern) Dean Geistlinger saw Eminem perform at the Rap Olympics in Los
Angeles in 1997 and passed Eminem's CD on to Iovine; Iovine, in turn, passed it on to Dre. In February
1999, Interscope and Aftermath released The Slim Shady LP.[28] The album entered the charts at number
two, and won two Grammy Awards.[29] Later in 1999 Eminem and his manager, Paul Rosenberg,
founded Shady Records.[30]

By the close of the decade, Interscope sales accounted for nearly one-third of Seagram's 27% share of
the U.S. music market. Records by Eminem, Dre, Eve, Nine Inch Nails, Enrique Iglesias, Limp
Bizkit, Blackstreet, Smash Mouth and others generated an estimated $40 million in profit during the final
six months of 1999.[31]

2000–2010: Departure of Field, DreamWorks, Cherrytree Records and Beats[edit]

Interscope/Shady released Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP on May 23, 2000. The fastest-selling rap
album in history, it sold 1.76 million copies in its first week.[32] In October, Limp Bizkit's 2000
album Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water would shift 1.05 million copies in its first week
in the United States, cementing Nu Metal's status in the pop culture as a top genre in the music industry
at the time. Also Interscope began its relationship with U2 after it acquired the US rights to market and
distribute the album All That You Can't Leave Behind. Iovine had been trying to sign U2 since 1990.[4]

In 2001, Field resigned as co-chairman of Interscope to start a new label.[33] Described as an amicable

parting, Field said he was "anxious to become an entrepreneur again." An agreement with Universal
allowed Field to resign a year before his contract was set to expire.[34][35] Conversely, Whalley, Interscope's
president since 1998, accepted the position of chairman of Warner Bros. Records in May 2000 and was
not released from his Interscope contract until it expired in August 2001.[36]

Interscope/Shady released The Eminem Show, in May 2002 and the soundtrack for Eminem's semi-
autobiographical film 8 Mile in October; the two titles combined sold more than 11,000,000 records
before the end of the year.[37][38] In 2002, New York City rapper 50 Cent signed to Interscope through
Shady and Aftermath with a $1 million advance.[39] 50 Cent's major-label debut album Get Rich or Die
Tryin' was released on February 6, 2003, through Interscope. The album sold 872,000 copies in six days,
and the album went on to be certified 9× platinum in America. In April, it was announced that 50 Cent
would sign and develop artists for release on G-Unit Records, which would be marketed and distributed
through Interscope.[40] 50 Cent's success allowed G-Unit artists to release their own projects. G-
Unit's Lloyd Banks released his debut studio album, The Hunger for More in June 2004 through
Interscope and G-Unit. Anchored by the success of the single, On Fire, the album debuted at number 1
on the Billboard top 200 and achieved platinum status in America.

In November 2003, Universal Music Group acquired DreamWorks Records and in 2004 it was merged
into Interscope Geffen A&M. The DreamWorks A&R staff was retained, and the label's artists were
divided between Geffen and Interscope. Among others, Interscope inherited Blink-182, The All-American
Rejects, and Nelly Furtado.[41]

In March 2005, Interscope launched Cherrytree Records with Martin Kierszenbaum, its head of

international operations. Kierszenbaum, also a producer and A&R executive, focused initially on
developing artists from outside the United States. Feist and Robyn were among Cherrytree's first artists.
[42][43]

Four of Interscope's releases were in the top 10 of the year end sales charts in 2005: The Massacre (50
Cent) at number one, Encore (Eminem) at number two, Love.Angel.Music.Baby. (Gwen Stefani) at
number six, and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (U2) at number eight. The Game's The
Documentary appeared at number 16, and The Black Eyed Peas album Monkey Business charted at
number 18.[44]

In 2006, Dre and Iovine established Beats Electronics. Dre had been approached by his attorney to start a
line of sneakers, and when he told Iovine about the idea, Iovine said: "You know speakers, not sneakers."
'Beats by Dr. Dre Studio Headphones' were introduced in January 2008 at the annual Consumer
Electronics Show. "It took us two years to get them right, but when I heard I knew it was going to be
big," Iovine said in 2010. "It's just like listening to a hit record." The marketing for Beats integrated
endorsements from Interscope artists including Gwen Stefani, M.I.A. and Pharrell, Lady Gaga,
and will.i.am. [45][46]

Lady Gaga's studio debut The Fame was released in August 2008; it was re-released with eight new songs
as The Fame Monster in November 2009. Interscope held the top four positions on the 2009 year-end
Hot 100 charts with The Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow" (number one) and "I Gotta Feeling"
(number four); Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" charted at number two and "Just Dance" was at number three.
[47]

2010–present: Lady Gaga, Madonna, departure of Iovine and appointment of John Janick[edit]

In June 2010 Eminem's Recovery entered the Billboard 200 at number one, his sixth album to do

so. Born This Way by Lady Gaga was released in May 2011, and debuted at number one in 23 countries.
In the US, with more than one million copies sold in its first week, it had the highest first-week album
sales in five years. Four of the album's singles—"Born This Way", "Judas", "The Edge of Glory", and "You
and I"—charted in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100.[48][49]
Interscope signed Madonna and Van Halen in 2011. Both artists were previously signed to Warner Bros.
Records; both released their first records for Interscope in 2012.[50]

In October 2012, John Janick was named president and COO of Interscope Geffen A&M. The founder
of Fueled By Ramen, Janick had previous success with artists including Jimmy Eat World, Fall Out
Boy, Panic! at the Disco and Paramore. At the time of his appointment, it was reported that Iovine had
chosen Janick as his eventual successor—Iovine's attention had increasingly turned to Beats, which
dominated the headphone market with 2012 revenues of $512 million.[51][52] In May 2014, following
Apple's acquisition of Beats, Iovine resigned. As anticipated, Janick was named chairman and CEO of
Interscope Geffen A&M.[53][54]

Six Interscope releases appeared in the Billboard year end album charts in 2014: The Marshall Mathers
LP 2 by Eminem, Ultraviolence by Lana Del Rey, V by Maroon 5, Native from OneRepublic, Lady
Gaga's ARTPOP, and Oxymoron by Schoolboy Q.[55] In December 2014 it was announced that Selena
Gomez, previously signed to Hollywood Records, had signed with Interscope.[56]

Imagine Dragons' Smoke + Mirrors debuted on the Billboard album charts at number one in March 2015.

A week later, Kendrick Lamar's album To Pimp a Butterfly appeared at number one, a position it held for
two consecutive weeks.[57] Lamar won five Grammys in 2016.[58] In August 2017, JoJo announced she had
re-signed to Interscope, in a joint venture deal to launch her own music imprint, Clover Music.[59]

In October 2018, YG Entertainment teamed up with Interscope Records in a global partnership

for Blackpink. Interscope and Universal Music Group would represent the girl group worldwide, outside
of Asia.[60]

In May 2019, Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer signed with Interscope Records, following
their departure from Capitol Records. On March 27, 2020, the band released their fourth studio
album Calm. The album was a commercial success and received generally positive reviews from critics
who praised the band's artistic growth and maturity.[61] The album charted in more than 25 countries on
several charts,[citation needed] the album peaked in the top 10 on 17 charts and debuted atop the charts at
number one in Australia,[62] the UK[63] and Scotland.[64]

Criticism and controversies[edit]

Album delays[edit]

Several artists have criticized Interscope for delaying albums. The label was embroiled in controversy
over delaying the release of the singer Bilal's second album, Love for Sale, because of its creative
direction.[65] Dr. Dre had assisted Bilal's production for the album in a limited role.[66] After it leaked in
2006, Interscope notoriously shelved the release indefinitely,[67] giving rise to rumors that the label had
leaked it on purpose.[68]

In 2013, M.I.A. said her album Matangi was held because the label felt the record she turned in was "too
positive" for her fans.[69] In 2010, rapper Eve left Interscope after a three-year delay of her album Lip
Lock.[70] Blink-182, All Time Low, and 50 Cent have similarly criticized Interscope.[71]

Elton John[edit]
In discussing his 2006 album The Captain & the Kid with Cameron Crowe in Rolling Stone, Elton
John said: "I was so furious with Interscope Records because they put it out and they dropped it. I had
meetings in the South of France, and I said, 'I know this isn't a commercial album, I just want you to do
your best,' and they dropped it like a fucking turd. It's probably why I didn't make another solo record. It
was pure heartbreak."[72] John would later return to Interscope in the US in 2019.

Nine Inch Nails[edit]

In 2007, Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor criticized Universal Music Group for the inflated price
of Year Zero in Australia. In an interview with the Herald Sun in Melbourne, he said that an employee of
UMG stated that NIN had "a core audience that's gonna buy whatever we put out, so we can charge
more...True fans will pay whatever."[73] Nine Inch Nails signed with Columbia Records in 2013.[74]

Die Antwoord[edit]

On November 7, 2011, it was reported that the South African hip hop/rave group Die Antwoord was
leaving Interscope Records over a dispute with the label wanting their second studio album Tension to be
re-worked for "mainstream appeal".[75][76] Problems with Interscope first arose when the group decided
the lead single for their second album would be "Fok julle naaiers" (loosely translated to "Fuck you
fuckers"). Tension was ultimately released through Zef Recordz in early 2012.[77]

Kendrick Lamar and Top Dawg Entertainment[edit]

On March 15, 2015, Kendrick Lamar's album, To Pimp a Butterfly, was released

on iTunes, Spotify and Google Play eight days ahead of its scheduled release date (March 23). The CEO
of Top Dawg Entertainment, Anthony Tiffith, blamed Interscope for the album's unintentional release,
and tweeted: "I would personally like to thank Interscope for fucking up our release. Somebody has got
to pay for this mistake. #TOP!"[78][79] The tweet was later deleted. On the following day, the option to
purchase the album was removed from iTunes. The album debuted at number one when it was officially
released.[80]

Alleged knowledge of Marilyn Manson sex abuse[edit]

In January 2023, a sex abuse lawsuit was filed alleging that Interscope and its now defunct
subsidiary Nothing Records knew about sex abuse committed by Marilyn Manson against a girl in the
1990s when he was signed with Nothing Records.[81][82]

Legal issues[edit]

Rockit Cargo[edit]

In September 2011, it was reported by federal prosecutors that the Interscope Geffen A&M Records
building was used by a drug-trafficking ring as a transport center.[83] The Drug Enforcement
Administration inspected the year-long case and stated that the Los Angeles offices of Interscope
Records were used for pickups and deliveries of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine in 2010 and 2011.
Rock-It Cargo, a shipping company which has an immense list of musical clients, shipped music cases that
allegedly contained drugs to New York City studios.[84] [85] Interscope Geffen A&M responded to the
claims with a statement that read: "There is no evidence that any employee of UMG or Interscope
Records had any involvement in the drug trafficking ring being prosecuted by that office, nor any
knowledge of the contents of any of the packages that were purportedly shipped to its offices. Further,
neither UMG nor Interscope Records are a subject or target of the investigation. UMG and Interscope
will continue to cooperate with the United States Attorney’s Office regarding this matter".[86]

Trauma and JCOR[edit]

In 1997, Trauma Records filed a $100 million lawsuit against Interscope that charged the company with
fraud and the unfulfillment of a two-year promise to assign No Doubt to Trauma's roster. After a four-
month dispute, the partnership was dissolved in an out-of-court agreement. Trauma Records principals
reportedly received an additional $3 million; No Doubt remained with Interscope.[87]

In 2002, JCOR founder Jay Faires filed a $30 million breach-of-contract suit that alleged that Interscope
had withheld millions of dollars in an effort to drive it out of business. Interscope responded that JCOR
had hid its true financial position at the time it signed its distribution contract and had attempted to use
Interscope's money to finance its business.[88]

Associated labels and imprints[edit]

 222 Records (2014–present)

 A&M Records (1999–present; back catalog/credited)

 Aftermath Entertainment (1996–present)[89]

 Amaru Entertainment (1997–present)[90]

 Aswang Birthday Cake (2020–present)

 AWGE (2016–present)

 Billion Dollar Baby (2018–present)

 Blockberry Creative (2016–present)

 C9 Entertainment (2012–present)

 Darkroom Records (2016–present)

 Dirty Hit (2013–present)

 Dreamville Records (2014–present)[91]

 EarDrummers Entertainment (2013–present)

 HighUp Entertainment (2017–present)

 Interscope Films (2022–present)

 Interscope Miami (2021–present)[92]

 Kidinakorner Records (2011–present)

 Konichiwa Records (2007–present)

 LoveRenaissance (2017–present)
  Mad Love Records (2014–present)

 Opium (2020-present)

 Panda Funk (2015–present)

 PGLang (distribution for Kendrick Lamar releases) (2020–present)[93]

 Rule #1 Music (2017–present)

 Shady Records (1999–present)[94]

 Streamline Records (2007–present)[95]

 The Black Label (distribution for Jeon Somi's Korean releases) (2020–present)[96]

 Top Dawg Entertainment (distribution for Jay Rock and Schoolboy Q releases; formerly for

Kendrick Lamar releases) (2012–present)[97]

 YG Entertainment (distribution for Blackpink's Korean releases) (2018–present)[98]

Formerly associated labels and imprints[edit]

 19 Recordings (2011–2014)

 A&M Octone Records (2007–2014)[99]

 Alamo Records (2016–2021; later acquired by Sony Music)[100]

 Almo Sounds (1998–2000; distribution and promotion[101] and then acquired the label, their
roster and catalogue, from 2000)

 Atlantic Records (1990–1996; Distribution was ceased when MCA Inc. acquired the label's stake)

 Bad Boy Records (distribution for Last Train to Paris, Excuse My French, and Machine Gun

Kelly releases) (2009–2015; later distributed by Epic Records)

 eastwest Records (1990–1996; a subsidiary of Atlantic, distributed Interscope until MCA acquired

the label)

 Cherrytree Records (2005–2016)

 Clover Music (2017–2018)[59]

 Downtown Records (2016–2021; transferred to Geffen)

 DreamWorks Records (1999–2004; merged into Geffen and Interscope)[102]

 Death Row Records (1992–1997)[103]

 DGC Records (2007–2013)

 El Cartel Records (1997–2019)

 Kickball Records (2005–2006)[104]

  Insomniac Records (2014–2018; originally a joint-venture label between Interscope and
Insomniac,[105] later spun-off into Insomniac Music Group[106])

 Interscope Latino Records (2009–2021)

 MediaPro Music (2011–2014; Lala Band releases only)

 Star Trak Entertainment (2005–2015)

 Rockland Records (1998–2004)

 G-Unit Records (2003–2010)[107]

 Mosley Music Group (2006–2014)

 Nothing Records (1992–2007)

 Ruff Ryders Entertainment (1999–2010)

 Trauma Records (1993–2004)[108]

 will.i.am Music Group (1998–2021)

Artists