Concord Records

Concord Records grew out of Concord Jazz, extending the company’s reach beyond its jazz foundation when it launched as a separate imprint in 1995. Its identity has since encompassed a broad roster of singer-songwriters, rock bands and roots-minded artists, including Sarah McLachlan, Matt Berninger, Keb’ Mo’, The Revivalists, The Offspring and Australia’s Spacey Jane.

The label’s roots trace back to jazz enthusiast Carl E. Jefferson, who founded Concord Jazz in 1972 and ran it until his death in 1995. Concord Records emerged that same year, carrying the Concord name into a wider range of contemporary music. In 1999, the company was acquired by Act III Communications, the entertainment holding company owned by Norman Lear and Hal Gaba. Its corporate headquarters moved to Beverly Hills in early 2002.

Now based in Los Angeles and owned by BMG, Concord Records has released work by artists spanning alternative rock, folk, blues and adult pop alongside its jazz lineage. Artists associated with the label have received 14 Grammy Awards and 88 Grammy nominations. Its original visual mark also kept a connection to Concord Jazz: Bay Area designer Dan Buck created a stylized eighth note incorporating the letters C and J, and contributed artwork to several albums for the company.