ABSTRACT

Although African-American artists have contributed immeasurably to the history of sound recording, few were actually able to participate in the business themselves as label owners. Nonetheless, a few pioneering executives were able to establish unique labels that came to define entire genres of music, and since the rap explosion of the 1980s, more Black-owned labels (or at least labels managed by Blacks that are marketed through the major media companies) have arisen than were previously known.