After 61 Years, Warner Bros. Records Rechristened as Warner Records
5/28/2019 by Gail Mitchell
Venerable label also adopts new logo in wake of its recent move to L.A.’s Arts District
Iconic label Warner Bros. Records boasts a new moniker after 61 years: Warner Records. The global rebranding also comes with a new logo and is part of the label’s continuing evolution under the leadership of U.S. co-chairman/CEO Aaron Bay-Schuck, who joined in October 2018; U.S. co-chairman/COO Tom Corson, appointed in January 2018; and Phil Christie, named president of the U.K. label in 2016.
In a release announcing the modern brand identity and logo, the latter’s circular design is described as “suggesting a record, a sun and a globe -- 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.”
The change follows the company’s recent move to state-of-the-art headquarters in downtown Los Angeles’ burgeoning Arts District and the unveiling two weeks ago of a new, slash-less brand identity and logo for its sister company, the publisher Warner Chappell Music.
Founded in March 1958 as a division of Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Records adopted its parent company’s shield logo and used it ever since. Then in 2004, Warner Music Group became the world’s largest standalone major music company when it was sold by Time Warner. At the time of the sale, it was agreed that Warner Bros. Records would continue to use its name and logo for 15 years.
"For the first time in the label’s history, we’ve had the opportunity to create a distinct, modern identity entirely of our own," said Corson and Bay-Schuck in a joint statement. "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."
Added Christie: "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."
The new Warner Records brand identity and logo were developed in partnership with Pentagram. The design studio also worked with Warner Chappell Music on its new brand identity and logo and has collaborated with Rolls Royce, Sotheby’s and the Rolling Stones, among other clients.