Imago Records

Imago Records (The Imago Recording Company) was an American independent record label, which was active during the early 1990s. It was started by Terry Ellis after he left his previous record label, Chrysalis Records.

In 1990 Ann Munday was hired as Vice President and General Manager in their New York office.[1]

Several influential artists released albums through Imago, including Rollins Band, Aimee Mann, Paula Cole and Love Spit Love[2] as well as alternative, gay hip-hop artist and rapper Sha-Key (aka Hanifah Walidah).[3] Despite building a slate of up and coming alternative rock artists, the company ran into serious financial difficulties when, in December 1994, the company's former financial backer Bertelsmann Music Group pulled funding.[4] This left many of their artists scrambling to find new labels.[5]

In 1996, Henry Rollins and his new label DreamWorks SKG sued Imago, alleging "fraud, deceit, undue influence and economic coercion" on the label's part.[6]

  1. ^ "Full text of "Cash Box"". Cash Box Pub. Co. 16 November 1991. Retrieved 2018-02-10.
  2. ^ "All Music - Imago Records". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 8, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
  3. ^ "Hanifah Walidah – The Oakland Artists Project". Retrieved 2023-06-12.
  4. ^ "Imago Records Sues DreamWorks". Los Angeles Times. 1996-06-12. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
  5. ^ "All Music - Paula Cole". Retrieved 2009-07-19..
  6. ^ "Henry Rollins Sues Imago Records". MTV News. Archived from the original on February 14, 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2016.