Atlantic Records

Background

Atlantic Records is a music label and a division of the Warner Music Group. It was founded by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson in 1947 as an independent recording label, before it was acquired by Warner Bros.-Seven Arts in late 1967. Between 1969 and 1970, WBSA was acquired by the Kinney National Company and Warner Music Group was formed alongside WEA as a parent company for its music division. In 1972, WBSA was renamed Warner Communications, bringing WMG along with it (including Atlantic).

In 1990, Warner Communications was merged with Time Inc. to become Time Warner (later WarnerMedia in 2018 and again Warner Bros. Discovery in 2022). Warner Music Group was included in the acquisition. Even so, Atlantic then after acquired labels like East West, Big Beat and Interscope Records. Atlantic later ended their partnership with Interscope in 1995 out of spite over controversy surrounding gangster rap. Then, in 1997, they transferred East West to its sister label, Elektra Records.

In the summer of 2000, AOL announced its intentions to acquire Time Warner and its many subsidiaries. A year later, in January 2001, the deal was closed. However, it financially suffered by 2002. In 2003, AOL Time Warner was reverted back to its old name and another year later, in February 2004, the company decided to sell off Warner Music to recently-fired Vivendi CEO Edgar Bronfman, Jr. Thus, Atlantic and its sister labels were no longer affiliated with Warner Bros., in any way.

Today, Atlantic Records and its divisions or subsidiaries are now under the Atlantic Records Group, which is still a part of the now-divested Warner Music Group.

Atlantic Video was once used as a home video logo for music video releases from 1987 to 1990 as was Atlantic DVD once in 2003. Since then, music video releases have been handled independently under this very imprint.

1st Logo (1987-1990)

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Visuals: On a black background, a flash brings forth four spheres of light which move to all 4 sides of the screen. They move to form a box, which reveals the letter "A" and a "fan" via a Venetian blind effect. Another sphere of light places a line under the "A" and the "fan". As the word "ATLANTIC" appears via another Venetian blind effect, the background turns into a blue-black gradient and a (R) trademark symbol appears to the upper right of the "fan". A small flash of light brings forth the word "V I D E O", colored in tan.

Variant: On Debbie Gibson: Out of the Blue, the formation of "V I D E O" is delayed for a few seconds.

Technique: 2D computer animation.

Audio: None.

Availability: Seen on releases of the period. One of the more notable releases was Phil Collins: The Singles Collection. It appeared on PAL print of Led Zeppelin: DVD.

2nd Logo (November 17, 1998)

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Visuals: On a black-blue gradient background, a black-and-white Atlantic Records logo (in its 1966 appearance) slides down from the top of the screen to the middle, rotating counterclockwise a little as it does so.

Technique: 2D computer animation.

Audio: None.

Availability: It was spotted on Tori Amos: The Complete Videos 1991-1998. It may be seen on some other Atlantic tapes from the period.

3rd Logo (2003)

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Visuals: On what appears to be the inside of a turbine with smoke and some lights, there is a rectangle shadow. A flash occurs and the rectangle is revealed to be the Atlantic logo in red, with a (R) trademark at the bottom-right. More shadows flip and place themselves at the right, reveling themselves to be the letters "D V D" stacked on top of each other. The logo slightly zooms out.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: None.

Availability: It was seen on a DVD release of INXS, as well as a NTSC print of Led Zeppelin: DVD.