Editing David Geffen (section)

=== Geffen Records ===
In 1980, he founded [[Geffen Records|his eponymous record label]] and recruited [[Warner Records|Warner Bros. Records]] executive Ed Rosenblatt as president. The Geffen label's meteoric rise to prominence within the year proved a bittersweet success. Geffen's first artist to sign on was [[Donna Summer]], who was anxious to leave [[Casablanca Records|Casablanca]]/[[PolyGram|PolyGram Records]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/donna-summer-death-barbra-streisand-duet-enough-is-enough-326744|title=How Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand's Famous Duet 'Enough Is Enough' Came Together|author= Degen Pener|publisher=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=May 18, 2012}}</ref> Geffen shortly after released her ''[[The Wanderer (Donna Summer album)|The Wanderer]]'' album, the lead single of which reached No. 3 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], and the album certified gold. Casablanca countered by releasing more singles off her 1979 ''[[Bad Girls (Donna Summer album)|Bad Girls]]'' album such as the song [[Walk Away (Donna Summer song)|Walk Away]] and a similarly named hits compilation to compete, but by then [[new wave music|New Wave]] sound was dominating the airwaves.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/articles/cb922cbf-49fe-4853-9e21-f61e9822a5d1|title=How New Order invented the 1980s - BBC Music|date=2015-09-11|website=BBC|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-02-14}}</ref>

The November 1980 release of [[John Lennon]]'s album ''[[Double Fantasy]]'' seems an impressive feat for a new label, but at the time Lennon stated that Geffen was the only one with enough confidence in him to agree to a deal without hearing the record first. [[Yoko Ono]], Lennon's wife and partner, stated that Geffen was the only label head to pay attention to her. In December 1980, Lennon was [[Death of John Lennon|murdered]] and ''Double Fantasy'' became a massive seller. Over the years Geffen Records/DGC has released recordings by artists including [[Olivia Newton-John]], [[Asia (band)|Asia]], [[Siouxsie and the Banshees]], [[Elton John]], [[Cher]], [[Sonic Youth]], [[Aerosmith]], [[Whitesnake]], [[XTC]], [[Peter Gabriel]], [[Weezer]], [[Lone Justice]], [[Blink-182]], [[Guns N' Roses]], [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]], [[the Simpsons]], [[Lifehouse (band)|Lifehouse]], [[Tyketto]], [[Pat Metheny]], [[Sloan (band)|Sloan]], [[the Stone Roses]] and [[Neil Young]].

The label had been distributed by Warner Bros. Records since its inception, but in 1990 the label was sold to [[MCA Records]] with Geffen receiving shares in MCA worth $550 million.<ref name=mca>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Daily Variety]]|date=January 12, 1995|page=16|edition=61st anniversary|title=David Geffen}}</ref> A year later, [[Panasonic Corporation|Matsushita Electric]] acquired MCA and paid Geffen $670 million.<ref name=mca/> Geffen continued to run the label before leaving Geffen Records in 1995.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/david-geffen|title=David Geffen Biography &#124; The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum|publisher=Rockhall.com|access-date=2014-06-29}}</ref> In late 1996 after being sold to [[Seagram]], MCA reincorporated into its subsidiary name, [[Universal Studios, Inc.]], while MCA Music Entertainment was renamed [[Universal Music Group]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Busch |first=Anita M. |date=1996-12-10 |title=A whole new U for MCA |url=https://variety.com/1996/scene/vpage/a-whole-new-u-for-mca-1117466464/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241009012308/https://variety.com/1996/scene/vpage/a-whole-new-u-for-mca-1117466464/ |archive-date=2024-10-09 |access-date=2024-10-09 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> The Geffen label was restructured under the recently renamed company. On December 10, 1998, Seagram acquired PolyGram for $10.6 billion; the latter's music division was merged into UMG, thus, on New Year's Day 1999, Geffen Records was merged with its sister label, [[Interscope Records]], and PolyGram subsidiary, [[A&M Records]], to become [[Interscope Geffen A&M Records]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-08-ca-41565-story.html|title=The Seagram Acquisition, a Year Later|author=Geoff Boucher |work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=December 8, 1999}}</ref> Its division, DGC Records, would be absorbed into Geffen soon after, but Beck and Sonic Youth did not fulfill their contracts with the sublabel until 2003. After years of low sales and profits, Geffen laid off or vacated 110 workers,<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Hilburn |first1=Robert |last2=Boucher |first2=Geoff |last3=Philips |first3=Chuck |date=1999-01-22 |title=A & M Records Closes; Geffen Lays Off 110 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jan-22-mn-524-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002120737/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jan-22-mn-524-story.html |archive-date=2023-10-02 |access-date=2024-10-09 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> but later recovered under Interscope's supervision, which at the time, was under leadership of [[Jimmy Iovine]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2024|reason=Needs reliable sources that are not deprecated by Wikipedia.}} In 2003, Universal dissolved MCA Records and [[DreamWorks Records]]; MCA president [[Jay Boberg]] had resigned the prior spring while UMG (in October) acquired the latter label from Geffen's film label, [[DreamWorks Pictures]], with rosters from both labels transitioning to Geffen Records.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Oppelaar |first=Justin |date=2003-06-10 |title=MCA gets relabeled |url=https://variety.com/2003/music/markets-festivals/mca-gets-relabeled-1117887639/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241009013459/https://variety.com/2003/music/markets-festivals/mca-gets-relabeled-1117887639/ |archive-date=2024-10-09 |access-date=2024-10-09 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=DREAMWORKS TO UMG—UPDATE |url=https://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=277596&title=DREAMWORKS-TO-UMG |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241009014415/https://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=277596&title=DREAMWORKS-TO-UMG |archive-date=2024-10-09 |access-date=2024-10-09 |website=HITS Daily Double |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=UMG buys DreamWorks Records |url=https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2003/11/12/umg-buys-dreamworks-records/28774491007/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241009014701/https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2003/11/12/umg-buys-dreamworks-records/28774491007/ |archive-date=2024-10-09 |access-date=2024-10-09 |website=Sarasota Herald-Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> The acquisitions and later dissolutions of both imprints caused 120 staff layoffs, while some remained under Geffen; few went to work for its parent, Interscope.<ref>{{Cite magazine |author=Billboard Staff |date=2003-06-10 |title=MCA Cuts Precede Expected Geffen Merger |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/mca-cuts-precede-expected-geffen-merger-70662/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241009015524/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/mca-cuts-precede-expected-geffen-merger-70662/ |archive-date=2024-10-09 |access-date=2024-10-09 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref>

In February 2024, Universal Music Group reorganized Geffen Records and its parent label, Interscope Records, through a unit merger with sister label, [[Capitol Records]] (which they acquired from now-defunct [[EMI]] in 2012).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-09-28 |title=Universal Music completes acquisition of EMI Music |url=https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/universal-music-completes-acquisition-of-emi-music/ |access-date=2024-10-09 |website=Music Business Worldwide |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Szalai |first=Georg |date=2012-09-28 |title=Universal Music Completes $1.9 Billion EMI Recorded Music Acquisition |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/universal-music-completes-19-billion-374965/ |access-date=2024-10-09 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref> As a result, in today's time, Geffen, Interscope and Capitol now operate autonomously under a newly built music label unit, Interscope Capitol Labels Group.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Rys |first=Dan |date=2024-03-07 |title=John Janick Unveils Newly Restructured Interscope Capitol Labels Group |url=https://www.billboard.com/business/record-labels/interscope-capitol-labels-group-announced-leadership-1235626266/ |access-date=2024-10-09 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-07 |title=Interscope Geffen A&M and Capitol Music Group are now officially consolidated under the 'Interscope Capitol Labels Group'; Steve Berman and Annie Lee both promoted to new roles |url=https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/interscope-geffen-am-and-capitol-music-group-are-now-officially-consolidated-under-the-interscope-capitol-labels-group-steve-berman-and-annie-lee-both-promoted-to-new-roles/ |access-date=2024-10-09 |website=Music Business Worldwide |language=en-US}}</ref>

Despite the fact that Geffen founded and owned Geffen Records, former president Eddie Rosenblatt, who died on July 17, 2024 (aged 89), was acknowledged to have been the one who led Geffen Records during its glory years in the 1980s and 1990s.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2024/07/eddie-rosenblatt-dies-geffen-records-president-during-guns-nroses-nirvana-era-was-89-1236013459/|title=Eddie Rosenblatt Dies: Geffen Records President During Guns N' Roses, Nirvana Era Was 89|first=Bruce|last=Haring|publisher=Deadline Hollywood|date=July 17, 2024|accessdate=July 17, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2024/music/news/eddie-rosenblatt-geffen-records-president-dead-1236075556/|title=Eddie Rosenblatt, Longtime Geffen Records President, Dies at 89|first=Jem|last=Aswad|publisher=Variety|date=July 17, 2024|accessdate=July 17, 2024}}</ref>