Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records . Until its demise in 2011, it was a major distributor and promoter of albums throughout the United States and United Kingdom. After being fired from CBS Records, Clive Davis was hired by Columbia Pictures to be a consultant for the company’s record and music operations. Assuming the presidency of this division in late 1974, Davis would fold the various Columbia legacy... labels into a new entity named Arista Records, ultimately buying a percentage of the company from Columbia Pictures. The label was named Arista after New York City's secondary school honor society . In early 1975, most of the artists who had been signed to Bell were let go, except David Cassidy , Tony Orlando and Dawn , and The 5th Dimension .
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