Croatia Records
Croatia Records is the largest record label in Croatia. It is a record label that sells mainstream music, and often a target of public criticism. The company was founded in 1947 as Jugoton Records, but it changed its name in 1991 to Croatia Records. CEO of Croatia Records is Miroslav Škoro.
Controversy
Azra
When the popular rock band Azra disbanded in the 1980s, the band's leader Branimir "Johnny" Štulić was upset at the mismanagement of the band by Jugoton (now Croatia Records). Shortly after starting a solo career, he has left Zagreb for Utrecht, Netherlands, which he claims was due to the mismanagement of his band and the subsequent royalties which he believes he is owed. When Jugoton became Croatia Records, the company claimed that they had the song rights for his songs. However, in the view of Branimir "Johnny" Štulić, they do not have rights to his songs; which he claims Jugoton only had rights to for a certain period of time. He therefore argues that Croatia Records continues to exploit the legacy of Azra, and his subsequent work, without his permission. He also claims that the debt toward him by Croatia Records is 12,000,000 Euros, but he is refusing to take legal action against the company due to the financial costs of a lawsuit against a major record label. [1]. As the band's vocalist and sole songwriter, Štulić receives one kuna for every record sold (ca. 1/5 of a US dollar), despite the fact that they are still one of the most popular bands from the 1980s in Croatia. He claims that he has yet to cash a single cheque, as this would imply he has a contract with Croatia Records (which Štulić denies).