Warner Bros. Label Rebrands As Warner Records

In 2004, Time Warner sold Warner Bros. Records to a private equity company, with the understanding that the record label would continue to use the name for 15 years. Now, the 15-year deal has expired, and the international music conglomerate — which formerly signed the likes of Madonna, Prince, the Grateful Dead, Fleetwood Mac, Muse, Nile Rodgers, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Van Halen and others — has announced that it has rebranded as Warner Records after 61 years under the banner Warner Bros. Records.

The new branding comes on the heels of the appointment of Tom Corson as the US Co-Chairman/COO and Aaron Bay-Shuck as the Co-Chairman/CEO last year. As explained in a statement:

For the first time in the label’s history, we’ve had the opportunity to create a distinct, modern identity entirely of our own. The timing couldn’t be better, since we all feel the label is at a moment of reinvention that builds on our legacy, while moving into a future driven by fearlessness and creativity. We have a growing roster of world-class artists, a rejuvenated team, and an incredible new location. It’s a new day for Warner Records, an iconic label that was born in the California sun, and is at home everywhere on earth.

Phil Christie, the president of the UK chapter of the company, added:

We’re signing and developing the next generation of British artists to move global culture, so we wanted the Warner Records brand to have the power and freedom to mean different things to different people around the world. A new logo isn’t meaningful on its own, and our label will always be defined by the originality of our artists, our music and our people.

In addition to dropping the “Brothers” from its name, the label has rolled out a new minimalist logo developed by Emily Oberman and Pentagram, a design studio. The company explains that the logo offers “artful simplicity and impactful typography that are ideally suited to the digital world. The circular icon—suggesting a record, a sun, and a globe—is a nod to the label’s past, present and future. The openness of the design gives it the flexibility to embrace all Warner Records artists and all genres of music around the world.”

[Hat Tip – Hypebot]