Apple Records

Apple Records is a record label founded in 1968 as a division of Apple Corps by the British rock group The Beatles. Until 1975, EMI and Capitol Records agreed to distribute Apple-published material; While Apple retained the rights to the albums of the signed artists, EMI retained the ownership rights to The Beatles' albums.

In addition to serving as a record label for the works of The Beatles starting in 1968 and the albums published by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr until 1975, once the group separated, Apple hired a good number of artists.

History

Apple Records was founded in 1968 as part of The Beatles' Apple Corps project. During this time, the Beatles were signed to Parlophone in the United Kingdom and Capitol Records in the United States. In a new agreement, EMI and Capitol proposed distributing Apple Records records until 1975. Apple reserved the rights to albums released under the label, while EMI maintained its power with the rights to The Beatles' albums released under the label. Apple with the catalog number prefixed by EMI.

The image of Apple, a Granny Smith apple, served as a method of distinction on the company's singles and albums, with an image of the whole apple being printed on side A of the vinyl records and a broken apple on the side. half on side B.

Apple hired a good group of artists, related to a greater or lesser extent to The Beatles: some of the most commercially successful artists were Badfinger, Mary Hopkin and Billy Preston. James Taylor's first album was published by Apple. Likewise, Roger McGough and Mike McGear's first album was agreed to be published by Apple, although legal problems caused Parlophone to finally release it. Peter Asher, director of Apple, was asked by George Harrison in 1969 to take a look at the American group Raven and offer them a contract.

Outside the pop music scene, several Beatles would hire or sponsor publications by various artists spread across wide ranges of music, including the jazz band The Modern Jazz Quartet or the avant-garde artist and later wife of John Lennon Yōko Ono. Indian musician Ravi Shankar and classical music composer John Tavener would also sign with Apple.

During the dissolution process of The Beatles as an entity in 1974, a jury agreed that eighty percent of the profits of The Beatles as a group would be managed by Apple Records, while the remaining twenty percent would be distributed among its members. Although the publication of compilation and themed albums related to The Beatles would generate money, Apple Records, as a subsidiary of Apple Corps, would soon enter financial problems.

The record label Apple Records would reappear on the music scene with the publication of The Beatles' discography on the newly created compact disc. From then on, control over editions related to The Beatles would become more rigorous, especially due to the interest shown by Neil Aspinall. Such control would lead to the publication of albums such as Live at the BBC or the series The Beatles Anthology. In 2006, the label would be in the news again due to the legal dispute with Apple Inc..

In 2007, chief executive Neil Aspinall would retire from his duties, being replaced by Jeff Jones. These changes gave rise to rumors about the possible publication of The Beatles' musical catalog on iTunes, to this day without any confirmation, as well as a remastering and reissue program for the group's albums. On November 17, 2010, iTunes launched a music catalog with The Beatles' studio albums.

Associated stamps

Zapple Records

Zapple Records, a subsidiary of Apple Records, was founded by Barry Miles, friend and last biographer of Paul McCartney, in 1968. The goal of the label was the publication of spoken word or avant-garde works. It was active from October 1968 to June 1969, constituting The Beatles' second business failure after Apple Boutique.

Zapple Records would release only two albums: the John Lennon and Yoko Ono experimental music album Unfinished Music No.2: Life with the Lions and the George Harrison album Electronic Sound i>.

An album with readings by Richard Brautigan would be planned for publication with the Zapple catalog number 3, with some copies being released on acetate, although, as Miles would later recall, "Zapple would be closed by Allen Klein before the album could be released. Zapple's first two albums would be released. The problem was that we didn't have Brautigan's album ready before Klein closed it. None of the Beatles ever heard it.".

Brautigan's album would be released under the title Listening To Richard Brautigan by EMI subsidiary Harvest Records, only in the United States. According to Miles, an album by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, recorded and released, it had Zapple catalog number 4, while another work by Michael McClure was also planned for release on the label. Among the company's plans was the publication of a spoken word work by British comedian Lenny Bruce, although the closure of the label by Allen Klein, apparently with the support of John Lennon, would prevent its development.

Rapple Records

Rapple Records was the name given to a single business venture between Apple and RCA Records for the publication of the soundtrack to the Apple Films film Son of Dracula. The feature film featured Ringo Starr and RCA Records artist Harry Nilsson. In the United States, the album was distributed by RCA and assigned with the RCA catalog.

List of musicians who recorded for Apple Records

Members of The Beatles

• The Beatles
• John Lennon
• Paul McCartney
• George Harrison
• Ringo Starr

Other artists

• Badfinger
• Brute Force
• Elastic Oz Band
• Elephant's Memory
• Chris Hodge
• Mary Hopkin
• Hot Chocolate
• Jackie Lomax
• Modern Jazz Quartet
• Yoko Ono
• David Peel
• Billy Preston
• Radha Krishna Temple
• Ravi Shankar
• Ronnie Spector
• The Sundown Playboys
• John Tavener
• James Taylor
• White Trash
• Doris Troy
• Lon and Derek Van Eaton

They were also edited under the Apple Records label, the soundtracks of the films Come Together, The Top, Son of Dracula and The Concert for Bangla Desh.

Discography