Hanson

3CG Records is an independent record label started by the pop/rock group Hanson in October 2003. "3CG" is the acronym for "3 Car Garage", a reference both to the album Hanson released as a compilation of songs they had previously released independently , before they had chart success, and to the... building the band then used as a recording studio. After huge success with Mercury Records, Hanson were transferred to Island Def Jam after the merger of PolyGram and Universal in 1998. With misunderstandings arising over their third studio release, the band created their own label. Hanson released their sixth studio album and third major album, Underneath in 2004 on 3CG Records. The album went to #1 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums Chart in April 2004. The band also released their seventh studio album, The Walk, through 3CG. In the UK, the record was released under exclusive licence to Cooking Vinyl on April 30, 2007, charting at #83. The Walk was released on July 24, 2007 in the United States and debuted at #4 on Billboard Top Independent Albums Chart and #56 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
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Universal Music Group is a multinational music company. It is the largest of the "big four" record companies by its leading market share and its multitude of global operations. Universal Music Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of French media conglomerate Vivendi. Universal Music Group owns a... music publisher, Universal Music Publishing Group, which became the world's largest following the 2007 acquisition of BMG Music Publishing. The UMG corporate headquarters are located in Santa Monica, California, United States. "Universal Music" was once the music company attached to film studio Universal Pictures. Its origins go back to the formation of the American branch of Decca Records in 1934. The Decca Corporation of England spun American Decca off in 1939. MCA Inc. bought American Decca in 1962. The present organization was formed when its parent company Seagram purchased PolyGram and merged it with Universal Music Group in 1998. However, the name first appeared in 1996 when MCA Music Entertainment Group was renamed Universal Music Group.
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Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the The Island Def Jam Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal Music... Australia. In the United States, Universal Music Group Nashville administers the Mercury Records Nashville label. Mercury Record Corporation was founded in the American city of Chicago in 1945 by Irving Green, Berle Adams and Arthur Talmadge. They were a major force in jazz and blues, classical music, rock and roll, and country music recordings. Early in the label's history, Mercury opened two pressing plants, one in Chicago and the other in St. Louis, Missouri. With the use of automatic presses and providing 24-hour turnaround, they went into direct competition with major recording labels such as Columbia, Decca, and RCA Victor. By hiring two promoters, Tiny Hill and Jimmy Hilliard, they penetrated the pop market with names such as Frankie Laine, Vic Damone, Tony Fontane and Patti Page. Rather than rely on radio airplay, Mercury initially relied to jukeboxes to promote their music.
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