Aegean Records

Aegean Records
Parent companyNobby's Hobbies Holdings
Founded1996
FounderGeorge Michael and Andros Georgiou
StatusActive Independent
Distributor(s)Pinnacle Entertainment[1]
Genre
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Official websiteaegean.net
George Michael

Aegean Records was an independent record label founded by George Michael and Andros Georgiou in 1996.[2] The label was set up after Michael broke from Sony Music after his court case, which he eventually lost.[3] Andros Georgiou became the managing director of the label.[4]

The artists either signed or previously signed to Aegean Records include:

  • George Michael;[5]
  • Trigger;[5]
  • Primitiva;[5]
  • Joanna Bryant;[1]
  • Toby Bourke.[5]

Georgiou and Michael founded Aegean Net Ltd on 15 November 1996,[6] which was the internet business of Aegean Records. Michael and Georgiou were directors of the business, although Georgiou resigned as a director on 25 January 2000, he then became managing director of mezzmusic.com.[7] In May 1997, Aegean became the first European record label to adopt the Liquid Audio secure electronic music-delivery system via www.aegean.net, which was launched one year before BowieNet,[8] and 11 years before Spotify.

Aegean.net was the first artist-owned website to allow fans to:

  • Chat with music artists (including Michael);
  • Purchase merchandise;
  • Purchase and download music (via Liquid Audio);
  • Audio/video streaming (via RealVideo);
  • Join the first online-only fan club;
  • Receive news and updates from Michael and other Aegean Records artists.
  1. ^ a b Lorenz, Christian (22 February 1997). "Michael's Aegean Links with Pinnacle for U.K. Distribution". Billboard. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  2. ^ "Hello! – Interview with Andreas Georgiou". Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  3. ^ Smith, Giles (21 June 1994). "'Pop slave' George Michael to fight on". The Independent. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  4. ^ Weigle, Lauren (14 December 2015). "James Kennedy's Parents Jacqueline & Andros Georgiou". Heavy. Archived from the original on 19 December 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d Frieser, Mark (31 December 2016). "A Tribute to George Michael, Dot-Com Visionary". SyncSummit. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  6. ^ "Aegean Net Limited". Companies House. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  7. ^ Poaletta, Michael (15 April 2000). "Web Co Mezzmusic Jumps Into Inferno With Joint Venture". Billboard. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  8. ^ Stuart, Keith (11 January 2016). "BowieNet: how David Bowie's ISP foresaw the future of the internet". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 October 2017.