Interscope

Records

By: Franki Gjoza

AICE Media Studies

History

Interscope Records was founded in 1989 by

entrepreneurs Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field
The record label is based out of Santa Monica, California
and is part of a division of Universal Music Group.
The company was first funded through Fields own
inheritance, a sum estimated to be about $15 million
dollars. Not only was Interscope Records born, but also a
partner film company named Interscope
Communications, which ended up ceasing in 2003.
While Field supplied a majority of the finances,
Interscope Records became successful through Jimmy
Iovines proficiency and reputation in the music industry.
Moreover, one of Iovines most successful acts before
the birth of Interscope Records was famous rock band
U2.

History

Later in 1992, a small label named Death Row Records

was founded by former football player Marion Knight.
Furthermore, Death Row produced famous rapper
Dr.Dres album The Chronic; however, the album
featured highly explicit content and established record
labels did not want to take a chance on distributing the
album.
Interscope Records then pounced on the opportunity
and distributed Dres album The Chronic. This risk
payed off because the album became the 30th top selling
rap album with 4.6 million copies sold.
After Dres album was distributed, this was a turning
point in Interscopes history and they began to build a
reputation in the music industry by signing multiple
artists that would soon become popular throughout the
2000s.

History
Key Dates:
1990: Interscope founded by Ted Field and Jimmy Iovine.
1992: Company has its first breakthrough with Dr. Dre's 'The
Chronic.
1995: Time Warner buys stocks from Interscope; however,
sells fifty percent back to the company.
1996: Edgar Bronfman's Seagram Co. buys that percentage
at a great profit to Interscope.
1998: Interscope breaks its ties with Death Row Records.
1999: Geffen and A & M record labels are folded into
Interscope operations, following Seagram's purchase of

Production Practices

Before Interscope Records, Jimmy Iovine had produced

multiple different bands and artists including New York-based
singer Patti Smith to the highly successful rock band U2.
From that point on, Interscope went on to produce many
unique artists under different genres.
One of the most popular genres under Interscope Records is
rap/R&B. Some famous artists that fall under this genre
include Dr.Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tupac, Kendrick Lamar, P Diddy,
etc.
Moreover, another popular genre under Interscope is pop and
some artists include Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, Madonna,
Katy Perry, Gwen Stefani, etc.
Interscope does not randomly choose artists to publicize,
rather they have followed the interests of the public. For
example, in the 90s rap was very popular amongst the
public, so Interscope pushed out prestigious rappers such as
Tupac.

Production Practices

Interscope Records uses high end recording studios and

hires experienced and qualified mixing engineers to
produce the best audio quality possible.
Songs can have as little as 2 producers to an amount of
10+.
Another famous and reputable producer who is currently
signed with Interscope Records is Dr.Dre. Although he is
mostly know for his former headphone company, Beats,
Dr.Dre has produced many popular songs, mostly
rap/R&B, that still remain as greats and classics today.
He is also responsible for finding and developing rapper
Marshall Mathers, Eminem, who went on to become one
of the most widely known and successful rappers of the
21st century.

Distribution

In the past, Interscope would not usually distribute

individual songs, rather they would wait until an artist
had accumulated multiple songs and then release an
album; however, today artists release new songs on the
daily. These songs are distributed electronically through
platforms such as YouTube, Vevo, Apple Music, etc.
Nevertheless, physical copies of albums are very rare in
todays time because people prefer music to be portable.
Interscope frequently adapts to the publics opinion and
modern music distribution methods.
Recently, in the summer of 2016, Interscope and parent
company Universal Music Group signed an agreement
with an independent record label named Downtown
Records. By partnering with multiple companies,
Interscope increases their network and allows for a
variety of distribution resources to be available.

Distribution

Furthermore, Interscope has made it possible for

independent artists to distribute their individual songs or
albums. This is done through Interscope Digital and it
gives independent artists the opportunity to distribute
songs to the public and potentially earn a signing with
larger record labels. An album distribution costs $29.99
while an individual song costs $9.99; the deal has over
900 partners and songs are released digitally worldwide.
There are three main distribution companies for
Interscope that are all location based.
Distributions in:
The United States- Interscope Geffen A&M,
Internationally- Universal Music Distribution
Europe- Polydor Limited.

Marketing

One of the most widely used marketing techniques for artists and
songs is through the radio. Even though radio is getting less and less
popular as technology advances, many artists have gained their
popularity through radio shows and song billboards.
Top 100 Billboard is a ranking list that shows the popularity of songs
and its main purpose it to market certain artists and songs so that
when an album is released electronically, sales can increase. Many
Interscope artists have had success through the Top 100 Billboard
including Lady Gaga, 50 Cent, Selena Gomez, Enrique Iglesias, etc.
This success also accounts for an increase in album downloads and
sales.
Other ways Interscope markets songs and albums is through social
media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Artists can post songs, album previews, and other information that
directly reaches the public. When artists and the public have
personal interactions, such as on Twitter, this increases the artists
fan base, thus accounting for more sales.
Interscope have also adapted to digital marketing by stating, Digital
marketing moves too fast for slow moving suites and clouds from

Consumption by Audience

Interscope has a broad range of audiences that usually correspond to

different genres of music. It can be argued that males are usually
inclined to rap/R&B because of the rhythm and heavy bass load.
Nonetheless, it is rare to find a female rapper, so male rappers act as
role models for the male audience. A study done by MusicMachinery
shows that the top listened artist for males is Eminem, while for
females it is Rihanna. To take advantage of this gap, Interscope
markets new songs to specific groups of people.
Songs produced by Interscope also make there way to international
audiences through Universal Music Distribution and Polydor Limited.
An example of this is 50 Cents hit song In Da Club. The song
reached a peak position in multiple international countries including
Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, The United
Kingdom, Germany, and Switzerland. This specific song was an
international hit, and this was a foreshadow to the other artists that
produced internationally know songs under Interscope Records.

Work Cited
"Interscope Records History."Funding Universe. N.p., n.d.
Web. 16 Nov. 2016.
"Dr Dre Biography."Bio.com. A&E Networks Television,
n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.
"Artists."Interscope Records. Interscope, n.d. Web. 16
Nov. 2016.
Universal Music Group and Interscope Records forge
multitier pact with Downtown Records."UMG. N.p., 20 July
2016. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.
"In Da Club Facts."Song Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov.
2016.