Wind-up Entertainment was an American independent record label founded by Alan and Diana Meltzer in 1997. It was based in New York City and was distributed by BMG Distribution. Wind-up's best-selling artists worldwide were Creed and Evanescence.
History
Wind-up Records was formed in 1997 by Alan Meltzer, former owner of CD One Stop, and his wife Diana Meltzer, following their 1996 purchase of Grass Records. The parent company Wind-up Entertainment also runs numerous publishing companies as well as a full-scale retail, online and tour merchandising company. The company's slogan was "Developing Career Artists".
Some of the successful acts on the label included Evanescence, Creed, Seether and Finger Eleven. The label has also re-released albums from bands previously associated with Grass Records, such as Toadies, the Wrens and Commander Venus.
The label's current roster includes Civil Twilight, Jillette Johnson, The Griswolds, The Virginmarys, Young Guns, Strange Talk, The Revivalists, Five for Fighting, Crobot, Filter, SPEAK, Genevieve and Aranda.
In September 2009, the label reached an agreement with EMI Music Germany and in February 2011 with EMI Music Canada. The partnership has seen EMI Music take over the marketing and distribution of artists such as Creed, Evanescence, Seether and Finger Eleven throughout the world outside of the US.
In Canada, distribution was initially with Sony Music Canada as was the distribution in the United States. However, in October 2004, distribution in Canada switched over to Warner Music Canada with the creation of Wind-up Entertainment Canada. Distribution in Canada moved again, for a third time in February 2011, this time to EMI Music Canada.
On October 31, 2011, the label's founder, Alan Meltzer, died at the age of 67.
In 2012, Universal Music Group acquired the EMI music operations, making the distribution in Canada solely distributed by Universal Music Group.
In October 2013, the Bicycle Music Company bought the rights to much of Wind-Up's back catalog, including the contracts to acts such as Seether. These artists will be distributed by Concord Music Group, which later merged with Bicycle. In May 2015, Concord bought the rest of the Wind-Up label.
In 2016, Concord retired Wind-Up as a frontline label, and transferred most of Wind-Up's artists to other labels. Wind-Up's reissues are released under Craft Recordings, Concord's reissue label.
Artist roster
Final roster
Accurate according to Wind-up's website as of October 9, 2016.
Allday
Aranda
Civil Twilight
Citizen Zero
Crobot
Eclypse Records
Feenixpawl
Filter
Five for Fighting
Genevieve
Jillette Johnson
The Revivalists - transferred to Razor & Tie
SPEAK
Spirit Animal
Ryan Star
Strange Talk
The Griswolds
Young Guns
The Virginmarys
Previous artists
12 Stones
Alter Bridge
American Pearl
Atomship
Baboon
Bayside
Ben Moody
Big Dismal
Bob Guiney
Boy Hits Car
Boysetsfire
Brainiac
Breaking Point
Bridget
Cartel
Cauterize
CFO$
Company of Thieves
The Crash Motive
Creed
The Darkness
Ditch Witch
The Drowners
Drowning Pool
Dust for Life
Edgewater
Emily Osment
Evanescence
The Exit
Finger Eleven
Godplow
Hawthorne Heights
It's Alive
James Durbin
Jeremy Fisher
John's Black Dirt
Julia Darling
Loomis
Megan McCauley
Midnight Cinema
Must
New Radiant Storm King
O.A.R. Papercut Massacre People in Planes Pilot Speed Pollen Push Play The Queen Killing Kings Scott Stapp Seether Seven Wiser Slowpoke Stars of Track and Field Stefy Stereo Fuse Strata Stretch Princess Submersed Tickle Me Pink Thriving Ivory Trickside The Wrens
Soundtracks
1080° Avalanche (video game) Daredevil: The Album Elektra: The Album Fantastic 4: The Album John Tucker Must Die The Punisher: The Album Scream 3: The Album Walk the Line: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack