User:Greekboy/Cobalt Music

Cobalt Music - Helladisc, publicly known as Cobalt Music, is a Greek independent record label formed in 2013 by the sale of Universal Music Greece to a Greek investment firm headed by Vicos Antippas. Originally founded in the 1950's by Nikos Antippas as Helladisc, the label was renamed over the ensuing years to Phonogram, PolyGram Greece, and eventually Universal Music Greece until being bought in 2013.

Beginnings
The label was founded as Helladisc by Nikos Antippas in the 1950s; 50% owned by Siemens, and 50% owned by Philips, by the 1960s it had emerged to challenge dominate EMI Greece, especially in the field of international repertoire. Following the acquisition of Greece's oldest record company Phonogram House in 1970, it was believed that Helladisc controlled about 42% total of the Greek record market. By 1972, Helladisc became Phonogram and then once again changed names to PolyGram Greece in 1982 following the merger of the Philips and Polydor labels. In 1987, Philips became the sole owner of PolyGram Greece having bought out Siemens' shares. By 1997, PolyGram Greece held about 20% of the market, becoming the second largest record company in Greece. Additionally by this time, PolyGram Greece had developed a substantial Greek repertoire, because of its early inroads into the Greek music scene. In 1998 PolyGram was purchased from Philips by Seagram, owner of Universal Music Group, resulting in the Greek unit PolyGram Greece changing names to Universal Music Greece.

Change to Cobalt Music
On 11 April 2013, it was announced that a Greek investment firm headed by Vicos Antippas had purchased Universal Music Greece, and that the record label would change names to Cobalt Music. The sale follows Universal Music Group's purchase of EMI Music in 2012, in which the European Commission mandated divestment of certain assets in countries where the merged company would create a high market share. Universal Music's Greek division was chosen over EMI Music's Minos EMI as a divestment for the Greek territory to satisfy the EC. The sale also brings the ownership of the company back to the Antippas family, which originally founded the record company as Helladisc in the 1950s. The name "Cobalt" was chosen as a reflection of the color Cobalt blue which is strongly associated with Greece. The record company is headed by Anna-Maria Antippas, and retained the label imprints "Family the Label" and "My Group". In addition, Cobalt Music retained the historic music catalog associated with the company from its 1950s beginnings, including recordings from artists such as Manos Hadjidakis, Mikis Theodorakis, Nikos Gatsos, Mimis Plessas, Yannis Markopoulos, Dionysis Savvopoulos and Stamatis Kraounakis.

Current artists
A partial list of the current artists signed to Cobalt Music:
 * Alkinoos Ioannidis
 * Dimos Anastasiadis
 * Eleftheria Arvanitaki
 * Eleftheria Eleftheriou
 * Giorgos Sabanis
 * Goin' Through
 * Ilias Vrettos
 * Konstantinos Argyros
 * Melisses
 * Michalis Hatzigiannis
 * Nikos Portokaloglou
 * Nikos Vertis
 * Notis Sfakianakis
 * Panos Kiamos
 * Professional Sinnerz