Genre Country Country of origin United States of America | Founded 1974 Founders Tim DuBois, Clive Davis | |
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Parent company Sony Music Entertainment Distributor(s) Sony Music Nashville (US) Official website www.aristanashville.com Headquarters Nashville, Tennessee, United States Parent organizations Sony Music, Sony Music Nashville Artists Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Cam Albums Storyteller, Some Hearts, Carnival Ride, Untamed, Time Well Wasted | ||
Arista Nashville is an American record label that is a wholly owned division of Sony Music Entertainment, operated under the Sony Music Nashville division. Formed in 1989, the label specializes in country music artists, including Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood. The label used to operate three sister labels: Career Records, Arista Austin and Arista Latin. It was a subsidiary of Arista Records, but after the dissolution, it was not affected and remains a Sony Music label.
Contents
History
Arista Nashville was formed in 1989 by Tim DuBois and Clive Davis. Alan Jackson was the first artist signed to the label. Artists signed to the label within its first five years included Asleep at the Wheel, Exile, Rob Crosby, Steve Wariner, Michelle Wright, Pam Tillis, Brooks & Dunn, Diamond Rio, Lee Roy Parnell, Radney Foster, Blackhawk and The Tractors. Brooks & Dunn remained with the label for the entirety of their career.
The label founded Arista Texas in 1993, a sub-label specializing in Texas music artists. In 1997, it was split into Arista Austin, which featured Jeff Black, Robert Earl Keen and Abra Moore, and a Spanish-language label called Arista Latin. Foster also moved to Arista Austin from Arista Nashville in 1997.
In 1995, Arista Nashville founded a sister label called Career Records. Parnell was transferred to this label upon its foundation, while Brett James and Tammy Graham were newly signed to it. All three artists moved back to Arista Nashville when Career Records was disestablished. While Graham and James were dropped from it soon afterward, James re-signed to Arista Nashville between 2002 and 2003.
Arista Nashville, Arista Records and 19 Recordings promote and distribute recordings by American Idol winner Carrie Underwood.
In late 2009, Brad Paisley launched a personal label, Sea Gayle, which is distributed through Arista. The label's first signee is Jerrod Niemann.
After the dissolution of Arista Records in 2011, Arista Nashville remains Sony Music's only current label with the Arista name.