65 years ago today, Elektra Records was born in 19-year-old Jac Holzman’s college dorm room. On that day, the seeds were planted for what would become one of the most influential labels in music history, and a pillar of the Warner Music Group. Over the next 23 years, Jac guided the label from its eclectic early adventures in traditional folk, ethnic music, blues, and sound effects records into a golden age of contemporary folk, rock, and pop. The company’s independent, pioneering culture was born out of Jac’s taste, intelligence, passion, risk-taking, and audio expertise.
The term “visionary” is pretty overused these days, but in Jac’s case it is absolutely on the money. He has not only been a musical visionary, but he’s been a technological visionary as well – playing a seminal role in everything from the launch of the CD to starting the first all-digital label, not to mention his advances in the film world. To this day, Jac remains ahead of the curve, and it’s a privilege to continue to have him on our team and to be able to draw on his sage wisdom and experience as we chart the future of WMG.
The title of Jac’s book, Follow The Music, is a perfect summary of what Elektra has represented for the past 65 years – a label that has always put the artist first and followed the music into groundbreaking territory. The company has released some of the most important music of the past half century, building one of the industry’s most prestigious catalogs, from the Doors to Carly Simon, Jackson Browne to Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman to Missy Elliott, Anderson East to Saint Motel. Today, under the guidance of Atlantic’s Craig Kallman and Julie Greenwald, with Gregg Nadel serving as Elektra’s GM, the label is being reinvented for a new era, with artists that are marching to the beat of a different drummer and making music that stands apart from the crowd.
Please join us in congratulating Jac on 65 years in this business of music, and toasting Elektra Records on six decades of releasing music that has continued to reflect and shape popular culture.
