Arista Records

Arista Records is a recently sacked in 1974 by Columbia Records' Clive Davis founded record label as a sub - label of Columbia Pictures ( that have nothing to do with Columbia Records), who signed him as a consultant. He united in the previous Columbia Picture sub-label Bell Records ( this name led Arista until 1975, the British sub-labels even longer ), Colpix Records, Colgems Records. Davis himself held a small proportion of Arista. The focus was initially in jazz fusion and avant-garde jazz. Also, reissues of the Savoy label appeared there. It was purchased in the late 1970s by Ariola and is now part of Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

Over the years, Arista Northwest Side Records, Deconstruction Records, First Avenue Records and Dedicated Records took over. Arista LaFace Records in 1999 became completely by Antonio "LA" Reid, who was CEO in 2000, and started a joint venture with Bad Boy Records P. Diddy. It was for the distribution of Heavenly Records. "LA" Reid brought, among others, Avril Lavigne to the label, but also undertook large expenditures for artists and promotion, so that the label came in 2003 with heavy losses. With the merger with Sony he was deposed in 2004. Sony BMG handed over the management of the label to J Records, whose CEO Clive Davis today is 2005.

Among the artists from Arista include Al Stewart, Pink, Barry Manilow, Billy Ocean, Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston, Carly Simon, Annie Lennox, Prince, Dionne Warwick, Patti Smith, Manfred Mann, Alan Jackson, The Alan Parsons Project, The Kinks, Bay City Rollers. Usher brought the successful album Confessions out on Arista Records. Alicia Keys is just like the legendary Aretha Franklin on Arista Records.