With very few pop icons owning the rights to their masters, it might leave you wondering if the iconic songstress Mariah Carey owns hers. You’ve stumbled across the right post, because we have all the answers to your burning questions, starting with ‘does Mariah Carey own her masters?’
Mariah Carey owns none of her master recordings except the Glitter masters. She has signed record deals with Columbia and Virgin Records in the past, but over the years she has formed her own record labels, including MonarC Entertainment and Butterfly MC Records.
Read on to learn more about Mariah’s record labels.
Mariah’s Record Labels
Throughout the duration of her career, Mariah has worked with many record labels but this hasn’t stopped her from forming her own record labels. Let’s take a look at them.
Crave Records
Crave Records was a record label under Sony Music Entertainment that was founded by Mariah when she was six albums deep into her musical career back in 1997. The company didn’t last for very long, and shut down a year later in 1998.
It’s not all bad though, because with this label, Mariah signed some iconic stars, including Allure, who managed a top 10 hit with “All Cried Out,” as well as one other top 40-charter, “Head Over Heels.”
MonarC Entertainment
Mariah’s desire to own her own record label didn’t stop at the shutting down of Crave Records though. A few years later, Mariah founded record label, MonarC Entertainment.
This time, Mariah used the label for business purposes, instead of signing other artists she went on to release two albums that were both her own under this label.
Unfortunately, not much came from this record label as Mariah chose to ditch it when she was experiencing one of the rare rocky moments in her career where her songs were not very hot on the charts.
Butterfly MC Records
Third time lucky, right? Back in 2017, Mariah announced a new album and formed her own record label once again, called Butterfly MC Records. She announced her joint partnership with Epic Records.
Chairman and CEO of Epic Records reflected on his excitement to be continuing to work with Mariah, he said, “Mariah’s incomparable talents as a singer, with her vocal range that is nothing short of legendary, are matched by her brilliance as a songwriter, producer, and performer par excellence.”
He went on to say, “Mariah’s chart records have established her enduring place in music history, a position that is cherished and supported by her loyal fans worldwide. I look forward to building upon all of Mariah’s success for years to come.”
When she announced the formation of her third record label, Mariah expressed her anticipation of what’s to come saying, “I am putting my heart and soul into making more new music […] I am so thrilled for this next chapter and to continue working with, and for, everyone that I love.”
Mariah’s Albums
Since rising to fame in the 90s, Mariah has released a total of 15 studio albums, 7 compilation albums, 2 EPs and 1 remix album. She has sold over 200 million records across the globe, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
Mariah’s best-selling album to date is Music Box, which has sold 28 million copies worldwide, with 8 million copies sold in the US.
Conclusion
Although Mariah doesn’t own any of her master recordings except the Glitter, it hasn’t stopped her from becoming one of the best-selling music artists of all time alongside becoming a very big icon in music history. It just goes to show that you don’t necessarily need to own your master recordings to be successful, though you’re likely to make more money that way.