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Hansa Records

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Hansa Records
Parent companySony Music Entertainment
Founded1962
Defunct2009
Distributor(s)Self-distributed (1972–1979)
Ariola Records (1979–1987)
Bertelsmann Music Group (1987–2002)
Sony BMG (2002–2008)
Sony Music Entertainment (2008–2009)
GenreVarious
Country of originGermany

Hansa Records (also known as Hansa, Hansa Musik Produktion or Hansa International) was a record label based in Berlin, Germany founded in 1962.

History

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In the early 1960s, brothers Peter and Thomas Meisel, grandchildren of Will Meisel, who was the founder of German music publisher Edition Meisel & Co. GmbH, assumed responsibility of the family's publishing company upon their grandfather's retirement, and founded Hansa Musik Produktion company and the Hansa record label in 1962.[1] The label's name (and the name of the related recording studio) was inspired by the Hanseatic League, a medieval Northern European maritime trade network.

Initially, the label focused on German artists and Schlager music,[1] later finding commercial success with artists such as Frank Farian's Boney M., Amii Stewart, Aneka, Modern Talking, Milli Vanilli, and others.

In 1977, the label signed an early lineup of The Cure (known at that time as Easy Cure),[2] but wasn't happy with the band's demos and refused to release "Killing an Arab",[3] suggesting that the band record cover songs instead. The band refused, and Hansa dropped them.[4]

In the mid-1980s, after a decline in sales both domestically and internationally, Hansa Records was eventually purchased by Bertelsmann Music Group, who merged them with several other labels like Ariola-Eurodisc to form BMG Berlin Musik GmbH/BMG-Ariola, later to become part of international conglomerate Sony Music Entertainment, under which it was phased-out in 2009. It is used today only for reissues of its previous releases.[5][6]

Recording studios

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See also: Hansa Tonstudio

When it became difficult for Hansa to book sufficient recording studio time at the Ariola-Eurodisc studio to keep up with their growing production schedule, the Meisel brothers built Hansa Studio One in Tiergarten in West Berlin. In 1972, the Meisel brothers acquired Ariola's historic building at Köthener Strasse 38, home of the historic Meistersaal concert hall, naming it Hansa Tonstudio Two. Initially intended to record only Hansa Records projects, Hansa's studios gradually started booking non-Hansa clients, most notably Iggy Pop and David Bowie, who in 1977 recorded their respective albums Lust for Life and Low at the studio. In the late 1970s they closed the first studio and consolidated operations to the second, simplify referring to it as Hansa Tonstudio.[6] The Meisel family retained ownership of Hansa Tonstudio, who run it as part of the Meisel Music group.[7]

Selected list of Hansa label artists

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Selected list of Hansa label releases (by year)

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The original 7 inch label of one of the best selling Hansa Records singles, Boney M.'s "Rivers of Babylon".

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Maiolo, Alex (May 2013). "Hansa Tonstudio: Berlin's Famous Studio w/ Alex Wende, Tony Visconti, Edu Meyer and more..." Tape Op. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  2. ^ Barbarian, L.; Sutherland, Steve; Smith, Robert (1988). Ten Imaginary Years. Zomba Books. ISBN 0-946391-87-4.
  3. ^ Frost, Deborah (1 October 1987). "Taking The Cure with Robert". Creem.
  4. ^ Barbarian, L.; Sutherland, Steve; Smith, Robert (1988). Ten Imaginary Years. Zomba Books. ISBN 0-946391-87-4.
  5. ^ Spahr, Wolfgang (7 October 2010). "German Industry Veteran Peter Meisel Dies". Billboard. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  6. ^ a b Bieger, Hannes (June 2012). "Studio File: Hansa Tonstudio, Berlin". Sound On Sound. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Meisel Music: History". Meisel Music. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
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