Modular Recordings | |
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Parent company | Universal Music Australia |
Founded | 1998 |
Founder | Steve Pavlovic |
Distributor(s) | Universal Music Australia Interscope Records (US) Island/Polydor Records (UK) |
Genre | |
Country of origin | Australia |
Location | Sydney |
Official website | modularpeople |
Modular Recordings (known simply as Modular) was an Australian record label founded in 1998 by Steve Pavlovic that by 2015 was owned by Universal Music Australia. It has released music from local artists such as Eskimo Joe, Ben Lee, The Avalanches, Wolfmother, Cut Copy, The Bumblebeez, Bag Raiders, Van She, Rocket Science, Ghostwood, The Presets, Pond, and Tame Impala, and local releases of international artists including Dom, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Chromeo, Colder, Klaxons, Ladyhawke, NYPC, MSTRKRFT, and Softlightes.
After its establishment, the label was first recognised by the successful releases of The Living End's eponymous debut album and Ben Lee's Breathing Tornados, with the former becoming the highest-selling rock debut, and the latter being nominated for the ARIA Award for Album of the Year. It then grew during the early 2000s, defining itself through its assortment of parties, artists, and the "electronic, rock-leaning dance music" that became known as the "Modular sound". However, in 2015, a lawsuit filed by BMG Rights Management pitied the label against UMA, with UMA originally winning in July against owner Pavlovic, but the courts overturned the decision in October towards Pavlovic's favor. Thereafter, Pavlovic resigned in March 2016, leaving the label under renovations.