The Most Valuable Record Companies in the World

Cash Money Records

Record labels are some of the most successful companies in the world. They’re the people who produce the music of our favorite artists, and they make a lot of money off the people that sing, dance and perform. There are always new labels popping up and signing new artists, but not all of them can be the richest record companies in the world. Read on to find out which ones are the richest.

Cash Money Records

Cash Money is a record label that was started back in 1991 by two brothers from the New Orleans  projects. They spent years selling albums from their trunk after allegedly borrowing nearly $100,000 from their drug dealing stepbrother before they hit it big and became one of the most successful music labels in the world.

Epic Records

Epic has been around since 1953 and it’s one of the most successful record labels in the world. This is a company that began as a jazz label but it is now a label that signs artists from all over the music industry. It is the record label that has signed artists such as Michael Jackson and Pearl Jam, two of the most successful musical talents in the world.

Aftermath

Technically, Aftermath is a subsidiary of Universal, but that’s all right. It’s one of the most successful labels in the world and it was started by Dr. Dre. He began the company with the idea of creating quality music rather than quantity, and 15 or the 19 albums it has produced have gone platinum. There are only six producers, so this is definitely a “Family” business.

Def Jam Records

It’s the second most valuable record companies in the world. The label was formed in 1983, and it’s been run by some of the biggest names in music, including Jay-Z until 2007. The label has signed artists and created careers for Rihanna, Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, Kanye West and Justin Bieber. It’s not a public company, so their financial information is kept relatively quiet, but it’s one of the most successful and most valuable labels around.

Warner Brothers

It might come as a surprise to many to see Warner Bros. on the list of most successful and valuable record companies in the world, but they are. They’re not just a movie production company. They’re the driving force behind artists such as Metallica and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They have more than $2.7 billion in revenue each year, making them the most successful record label around.

(Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)

Written by Tiffany Raiford

Tiffany Raiford is a lifelong Floridian, wife to my high school sweetheart and mother of four littles (two girls and boy/girl twins...no, they are not identical and yes, I'm sure). My kids love to whine, so I love to wine. My loves include nap time, bed time, date night, travel and evenings and weekends when my husband is home because he handles all diaper changes.