Background The label as a whole has its origins in the Canadian music distributor Records on Wheels, which was acquired by the Canadian retail chain CD Plus in 2001 to expand its wholesale business. Darren Throop joined the company after CD Plus acquired his record store chain Urban Sound Exchange. The combined company later became known as ROW Entertainment, with Throop as president and CEO. From 1999 to 2005, Koch operated a
Nashville, Tennessee, division dedicated to
country music, originally known as Audium Records. The Nashville division's roster included
Restless Heart,
David Lee Murphy,
Daryle Singletary,
Cledus T. Judd, and
the Tractors. This division was closed in October 2005. In 2008, Koch launched HipHopCanada Records, in partnership with the publication
HipHopCanada.
As eOne Music Koch was renamed
E1 Music in 2009. E1 acquired IndieBlu Music, parent of
Artemis Records and
V2 Records North America, in 2010. In 2013, eOne acquired the library of defunct hip-hop label
Death Row Records. In January 2016, eOne acquired
Dualtone Records. In March 2016, eOne acquired Canadian label
Last Gang Records, and hired its founder, music industry lawyer
Chris Taylor, as global president of eOne Music. In November 2016, eOne Music hired Ted May, the former senior international marketing manager of Universal Music UK, as director for its UK division, operating from eOne's offices in London. In March 2018, eOne Music acquired the live event production company Round Room Entertainment. In 2019, Amelia Artists partnered with eOne's management division. Later in 2019, eOne partnered with the Latin management and marketing group Entotal. In November 2020, it signed AMPED Distribution as its new physical distributor in North America.
Sale and rebrand as MNRK In April 2021, following the acquisition of its parent company by toy and entertainment company
Hasbro, eOne announced that it would divest its music business to the private equity firm
The Blackstone Group for $385 million, in order to focus more on its film and television entertainment businesses. The sale was completed in June, and the unit continued to use the eOne branding until September 2021; On February 9, 2022, MNRK sold the rights to the Death Row Records brand and catalogue to hip-hop rapper
Snoop Dogg. •
List of MNRK Music Group artists (list includes artists signed to or distributed by Koch) •
MNRK Music Group discography •
Entertainment One == References ==