Editing Jive Records (section)

==History==
===1970s: Beginnings===
In 1971, South African businessmen [[Clive Calder]] and [[Ralph Simon]] began a publishing and management company. It was named [[Zomba Group of Companies|Zomba Records]] and relocated to [[London]], England, four years later; their first client was a young [[Robert "Mutt" Lange]]. Zomba originally wanted to avoid record labels to instead focus on their songwriters and producers while allowing other established labels to release the material.<ref name="knopper1">{{cite book|title=Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age|url=https://archive.org/details/appetiteforselfd00knop_0|url-access=registration|last=Knopper|first=Steve|year=2009|publisher=Free Press|location=New York|isbn=978-1-4165-5215-4|pages=[https://archive.org/details/appetiteforselfd00knop_0/page/80 80–104]}}</ref> Later that decade, the company opened offices in the US, where Calder began a business relationship with [[Clive Davis]], whose [[Arista Records]] began releasing material by Zomba artists.<ref name="knopper1" />

===Formation and early distribution at Arista and RCA (1981)===
In 1981, Zomba formed Jive Records, whose operations began with the release of British dance and pop music from groups such as [[Q-Feel]], [[A Flock of Seagulls]], and [[Tight Fit]].<ref name="Malan1">{{cite magazine|last=Malan|first=Rian|date=25 July 2002|title=The $3 Billion Man: Clive Calder|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|volume=901|pages=26, 28}}</ref> Its name was inspired by [[Jaiva|township Jive]], a type of music that originated in South Africa.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/zomba-records-ltd-history/|title=History of Zomba Records Ltd. |website=Fundinguniverse.com|access-date=22 June 2021}}</ref> Clive Davis had hoped that Zomba's connection with Mutt Lange would help alleviate the difficulties Arista was having with launching rock acts to success.

=== Hip hop sprawl and rise in popularity (1982–1995) ===
[[File:Dj jazzy jeff-mika.jpg|thumb|200x200px|[[DJ Jazzy Jeff]] pictured in 2002. The [[hip hop]] duo [[DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince]] sold over 5.5 million records with the label, and became the first hip hop act to win a [[Grammy Award]] for "[[Parents Just Don't Understand]]" in [[31st Annual Grammy Awards|1989]].|left]]
By 1982, Calder was introduced to [[Barry Weiss]], a young college graduate who took Calder out to [[hip-hop]] clubs in New York City for his job interview with Zomba.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Newman |first=Melinda |date=2008-04-25 |title=BMG's Weiss brings in business savvy |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-weiss25apr25-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125210020/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-weiss25apr25-story.html |archive-date=25 January 2021 |access-date=2021-09-28 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Weiss and Calder began grooming musicians for what would eventually become the hip hop group [[Whodini]].<ref name="knopper1" /> After two days, the group created and recorded its hit single "Magic's Wand." While the group would eventually leave Jive, the early success allowed the label to focus on hip-hop artists throughout the 1980s.<ref name="Malan1" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Goldstein |first=Patrick |date=1988-06-19 |title=A Rappin' Big Year for Little Jive Records |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-06-19-ca-7788-story.html |access-date=September 28, 2021 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 1987, Jive cut distribution ties with Arista, effectively separating them from Davis, who eschewed hip hop music at his label.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Seabrook |first=John |title=The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory |publisher=[[W. W. Norton & Company]] |year=2015 |isbn=9780393241938 |chapter=6 {{!}} Martin Sandberg’s Terrible Secret |access-date=2021-10-02 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kOdwBgAAQBAJ&pg=PT55}}</ref> As the 1980s drew to a close, the label entered a distribution deal with Arista's sister label [[RCA Records]], and it continued to sign hip hop acts including [[DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince]], [[Boogie Down Productions]], [[Too $hort]], [[Schoolly D]], and [[Kid Rock]].<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Kid Rock |url=https://www.biography.com/musician/kid-rock |access-date=2021-09-28 |website=Biography |date= December 5, 2019|language=en-us}}</ref>
[[File:Aaliyah Dana Haughton-05.jpg|thumb|[[Aaliyah]] pictured in 2000. Her debut studio album ''[[Age Ain't Nothing but a Number|Age Ain't Nothing But a Number]]'' sold over 6 million copies and became a multi-[[Platinum record|platinum]] record for the label.]]
In 1990, Calder bought Simon’s stake in Zomba and became the sole owner of Jive Records.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=White |first1=Adam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BBQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA1 |title=The Untold Saga of the Zomba Group |last2=Newman |first2=Melinda |date=5 May 2001 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |volume=113 |pages=1, 98–100 |access-date=2021-10-02 |issue=18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=19 March 2001|title=Jive Talking|url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2001/0319/138.html|access-date=|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref> Jive's distribution deal with RCA expired in 1991. At this time, [[Bertelsmann Music Group]] acquired a minority share of the label and began to distribute its records directly.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Holson |first=Laura M. |date=2002-06-12 |title=BMG to Buy Rest of Zomba, The Home Of Pop Stars |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/12/business/bmg-to-buy-rest-of-zomba-the-home-of-pop-stars.html |access-date=2021-10-02 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Weiss became chief executive of Jive Records that year.<ref name=":2" /> Jive opened branches in [[Chicago]] and had also become a premier label in the genres of hip hop and [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] with the success of acts like [[D-Nice]], [[E-40]], [[UGK]], [[A Tribe Called Quest]], [[Hi-Five]], [[KRS-One]]/[[Boogie Down Productions]], [[R. Kelly]]<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=McAdams |first=Janine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QhAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA20 |title=Jive Records Jibing in R&B Arena |date=14 November 1992 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |volume=104 |pages=20, 23 |access-date=2021-10-02 |issue=46}}</ref> and [[Aaliyah]].

=== Teen pop acts (1996–2001) ===
In 1996, BMG deepened its relationship with the label by purchasing a 20-percent stake of Jive.<ref name=":5" /> By the late 1990s, Jive began signing pop acts [[Backstreet Boys]], [[NSYNC]] and [[Britney Spears]]. All three acts achieved massive success as the 2000s dawned, becoming the three best-selling acts in the label's history.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Paoletta |first=Michael |date=30 October 1999 |title=Jive Rides Teen-pop Wave: Trend-savvy Label Looks Beyond Legal Tangles |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eAgEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Jive+Rides+Teen-pop+Wave%22&pg=PA7 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |pages=1, 72}}Retrieved September 28, 2021.</ref>

===2000s: Acquisition by BMG and Sony===
In 2002, Calder sold Zomba to BMG for US$2.74 billion,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Leeds |first=Jeff |date=2007-07-23 |title=Oops! ...They Did It Again |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/23/business/media/23music.html |access-date=2021-09-28 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Arango |first=Tim |date=2002-11-27 |title=BMG GETS FLEECED – SHELLS OUT $2.74B FOR ZOMBA, WITHOUT CALDER |url=https://nypost.com/2002/11/27/bmg-gets-fleeced-shells-out-2-74b-for-zomba-without-calder/ |access-date=2021-09-28 |website=[[New York Post]] |language=en-US}}</ref> which at the time was the largest-ever acquisition of an independent label with major-label distribution.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Green|first=Tim|date=2020-03-03|title='This business is about what's coming next. It always has been.'|url=https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/ralph-simon-this-business-is-about-whats-coming-next-it-always-has-been/|access-date=|website=Music Business Worldwide|language=en-US}}</ref> Calder then announced his resignation from Zomba, but continued to stay on at Jive in a temporary advisory role as Zomba was integrated into BMG.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Benz |first1=Matthew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Og0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA3 |title=BMG's New Task: Maintaining Zomba's Culture, Creativity |last2=Horwitz |first2=Carolyn |date=7 December 2002 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |volume=114 |pages=3, 4 |access-date=2021-10-02 |issue=49}}</ref> Weiss succeeded Calder as the new head of Zomba.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Christman|first=Ed|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5BIEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA68|title=Sony BMG|date=7 August 2004|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|volume=116|issue=32|pages=68}}</ref> In 2004, BMG merged with Sony Music Entertainment to form [[Sony BMG]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Willis |first=Barry |date=2004-08-09 |title=Done Deal: Sony BMG |url=https://www.stereophile.com/news/080904sonybmg/index.html |access-date=2021-09-28 |website=Stereophile |language=en}}</ref> During this time, Jive's management and distribution were restructured under the newly formed [[Zomba Label Group]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Dansby |first=Andrew |date=14 January 2004 |title=L.A. Reid Exits Arista |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/l-a-reid-exits-arista-242799/ |url-status=dead |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190906104637/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/l-a-reid-exits-arista-242799/ |archive-date=6 September 2019}} Retrieved September 28, 2021.</ref> Artists who had previously been on LaFace and Arista Records were subsequently absorbed under the Zomba group and placed under the purview of Jive Records’ staff. Thus, artists such as [[Pink (singer)|Pink]], [[Usher (musician)|Usher]], and [[Outkast]] became de facto Jive artists. Though both physical record sales and teen pop had steadily declined since the early 2000s, the output from Jive’s newer artists — particularly Usher’s [[Confessions (Usher album)|''Confessions'']] album and Outkast’s ''[[Speakerboxxx/The Love Below]]'' — would prove to be profitable successes for Jive. In addition to releasing Spears’ 2007 album ''[[Blackout (Britney Spears album)|Blackout]]'',<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ollison|first=Rashod D.|date=27 October 2007|title=Britney's back, breathy as ever|work=[[Baltimore Sun]]}}</ref> Jive was now also the home of a solo [[Justin Timberlake]], whose ''[[FutureSex/LoveSounds]]'' also saw high sales.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 September 2006 |title=Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds Enters the Billboard Top 200 as the #1 Album in the Country |url=https://www.sony.com/en_us/SCA/company-news/press-releases/sony-music-entertainment/2006/justin-timberlakes-futuresexlovesounds-enters-the-billboard-top-200-as-the-1-album-in-the-country.html |access-date=2021-09-28 |website=[[Sony Music Entertainment]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Other Jive artists at that time included [[Ciara]]<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=15 February 2011 |title=Ciara Pleas To Be Released From Jive |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2494996/ciara-pleas-to-be-dropped-from-jive/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514183700/http://www.mtv.com/news/2494996/ciara-pleas-to-be-dropped-from-jive/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 14, 2016 |access-date=2021-09-28 |website=MTV News |language=en}}</ref> and [[Chris Brown]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hildebrand |first=Lee |date=2006-10-01 |title=Brown runs with it |url=https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Brown-runs-with-it-2550485.php |access-date=2021-09-28 |website=[[SF Gate]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Wang |first=Amy X. |date=2020-03-06 |title=At Work With Barry Weiss, CEO of RECORDS |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/features/barry-weiss-music-records-at-work-958876/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |language=en-US |access-date=}} Retrieved September 28, 2021.</ref>

By early 2008, the BMG Label Group was said to include [[RCA Records]], [[J Records]], [[LaFace]], [[Arista Records|Arista]], [[Volcano Entertainment]], [[Verity Records|Verity]], [[GospoCentric]] and Fo Yo Soul  — all overseen by Weiss.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Christman |first=Ed |date=26 April 2008 |title=Barry's Big Day |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2008/BB-2008-04-26.pdf |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |page=10}} Retrieved September 28, 2021.</ref> Later that year, Sony and BMG dissolved its merger, with the former buying out shares of the latter.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hefflinger |first=Mark |date=5 August 2008 |title=Bertelsmann Sells Stake in Sony BMG for $1.2 Billion |url=http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2008/08/05/bertelsmann-sells-stake-sony-bmg-$1.2-billion |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081122124830/http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2008/08/05/bertelsmann-sells-stake-sony-bmg-$1.2-billion |archive-date=22 November 2008 |access-date=2021-09-28 |website=Digital Media Wire}}</ref> As a result of Sony's buyout, Jive (along with its BMG sisters RCA and Arista) became a wholly owned unit of a refreshed [[Sony Music|Sony Music Entertainment]]. Starting in 2008 Jive was all capital (e.g. JIVE Records), this change started when BMG Label Group was renamed [[RCA/Jive Label Group|RCA/JIVE Label Group]].

===2010s: Dormancy===
After two decades as president of Jive, Barry Weiss left for [[Universal Music Group]]<ref name=":4">{{Cite magazine|last=Perpetua|first=Matthew|date=7 October 2011|title=RCA Folds Arista, Jive and J Records|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/rca-folds-arista-jive-and-j-records-236750/|access-date=22 June 2021|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref> in March 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 March 2011 |title=Barry Weiss Exits RCA/Jive |url=https://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=291609&title+Barry-Weiss-Exits-RCA-Jive |access-date=2021-09-28 |website=HITS Daily Double |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Universal Music Hires Sony Executive Barry Weiss|url=http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-12-07/universal-music-hires-sony-executive-barry-weiss.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 December 2010|access-date=22 June 2021|website=[[Bloomberg Businessweek]]|date=7 December 2010|author-first1=Andy|author-last1=Fixmer|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101211051824/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-12-07/universal-music-hires-sony-executive-barry-weiss.html}}</ref> On October 7, 2011, it was announced that Jive, along with Arista and [[J Records]], would be retired to refresh and re-brand [[RCA Records]] by not confusing or diluting it with other labels.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Halperin |first=Shirley |date=2011-10-07 |title=RCA Execs Confirm Jive and Arista Labels Shut Down |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/rca-execs-confirm-jive-arista-245392/ |access-date=2021-09-28 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |language=en-US}}</ref> All retained artists on those labels were then moved to RCA Records.<ref>{{cite web |last=Szalai |first=Georg |date=8 August 2011 |title=Peter Edge Named CEO of Sony's RCA Music Group |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/peter-edge-named-ceo-sonys-220328/ |access-date=2021-10-02 |work=[[Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Halperin |first=Shirley |date=12 July 2011 |title=L.A. Reid's First Week at Epic Has Some Staffers Feeling 'Energized' |url=http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/record-labels/l-a-reid-s-first-week-at-epic-has-some-staffers-1005272002.story |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715194815/http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/record-labels/l-a-reid-s-first-week-at-epic-has-some-staffers-1005272002.story |archive-date=15 July 2011 |access-date=2021-09-28 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref><ref name=":4" />

The label is currently in hibernation, with the distribution of its back catalog handled by Sony Music's [[Legacy Recordings]]. Previously, the Jive brand was being exclusively used under the Sony Music France division under the name Jive [[Epic Records|Epic]] in [[France]] until 2019, when it was absorbed into RCA Records France.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonymusic.fr/labels/|title=Labels - Sony Music - France|work=Sony Music France|access-date=January 28, 2015|archive-date=May 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524030404/http://www.sonymusic.fr/labels/|url-status=dead}}</ref>