Island Records

Island Records began in Jamaica in 1959, founded by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, Leslie Kong and lawyer Michael Ernest David Chambers. Its name drew on Island in the Sun, the novel and film also known through Harry Belafonte’s calypso hit. Blackwell moved the operation to the United Kingdom in 1962, initially bringing Jamaican music to immigrant communities in London and Birmingham.

The label’s early identity was closely tied to Jamaican artists, before its UK catalogue took a sharper turn toward adventurous rock in the late 1960s. Many of its Jamaican acts moved to the Trojan Records offshoot, but Island returned to reggae in a major way when it signed the Wailers in 1972. In Britain during the early 1970s, Island became a major independent presence in progressive music, operating on a scale that placed it alongside A&M Records among the largest independent labels of the period.

Island developed an international profile while retaining distinct national operations. The label now operates divisions in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and France, where it was known as Vertigo France until 2014. Its history includes a long period of independent ownership before Blackwell sold the company to PolyGram in 1989. Island is now owned by Universal Music Group, and Imran Majid and Justin Eshak have served as co-CEOs since 2021.

Its contemporary roster includes Sabrina Carpenter, Demi Lovato, keshi, Medium Build, Will Linley, thirteendegrees ° and Neil Arthuro, alongside a catalogue that connects current releases to Island’s Jamaican roots, its British rock era and its long-running international reach. The Cranberries are among the artists associated with that wider Island legacy.