Crave Records

Crave Records was a record-label imprint established by singer-songwriter Mariah Carey in February 1997 in association with Sony Music Entertainment. It was created during Carey's commercially prominent period as a Sony recording artist and operated as a platform for developing and releasing music by artists outside her own solo catalog. The label's name was derived from “Demented,” a song Carey wrote for the 1995 alternative-rock album Someone's Ugly Daughter. According to material later discussed in Carey's 2020 memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey, the connection between the song and the label name had been kept private for many years. The imprint's recorded roster included DJ Company, the female R&B quartet Allure, and the male R&B quartet 7 Mile. Allure released a self-titled album in 1997, supported by the singles “Head Over Heels,” “All Cried Out,” and “Last Chance.” 7 Mile subsequently issued its self-titled album in 1998. These releases placed Crave within the late-1990s market for vocal R&B groups and pop-oriented urban music, with Sony providing the broader corporate distribution and label infrastructure. Crave Records had a brief operating life. The label was shut down in July 1998, roughly seventeen months after its reported formation. Its closure meant that the imprint did not develop into a long-running standalone label, although releases by its signed acts remained part of the recorded-music history associated with the late-1990s Sony ecosystem. The available reference material does not identify a separate headquarters, independent corporate leadership team, financial performance, or a successor label structure. Crave is therefore best understood as a short-lived artist-founded record-label imprint rather than a continuing music company.

Crave Records was founded by Mariah Carey in February 1997 as an imprint connected with Sony Music Entertainment. Its creation reflected the label-imprint model common in the 1990s, in which a prominent recording artist could use a major company's distribution and operational resources to introduce and promote other performers. Crave was not presented as an independent major label; rather, it functioned within the Sony Music structure while carrying Carey's chosen identity and roster. The imprint's name had a personal and creative origin. Carey had written a song titled “Demented” for the 1995 alternative-rock album Someone's Ugly Daughter. The relationship between that song and the later label name was reportedly kept secret until Carey discussed it in her 2020 memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey. This naming history gives Crave a connection not only to Carey's mainstream pop career but also to a less publicly known alternative-rock project. Crave's publicly identified artists were DJ Company, Allure, and 7 Mile. Allure, a female R&B quartet, released its self-titled album in 1997. The album was associated with the singles “Head Over Heels,” “All Cried Out,” and “Last Chance,” placing the group within the commercial R&B and vocal-group market of the period. 7 Mile, a male R&B quartet, released its own self-titled album in 1998. The available reference material names the artists and releases but does not provide a complete catalog, detailed contractual history, sales results, or information about DJ Company's specific releases. The label's operation was brief. Crave Records was shut down in July 1998, only around seventeen months after its reported launch. Its closure ended the imprint as an active label, although its albums and singles continued to form part of the recorded output associated with the artists it had signed. No later revival, successor imprint, continuing headquarters, or separately identified executive structure is documented in the supplied reference material. As a result, Crave Records is principally remembered as a short-lived Mariah Carey-founded Sony imprint that released music by several R&B-oriented acts during the late 1990s.

• 2020

  The name origin was publicly explained

  [1]Crave Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Mariah Carey's memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey revealed the previously private connection between the Crave name and her song “Demented.”

• 1998

  7 Mile released its self-titled album

  [1]Crave Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The male R&B quartet 7 Mile issued a self-titled album during the label's short operating period.

• 1998

  The imprint closed

  [1]Crave Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Crave Records was shut down in July 1998.

• 1997

  Crave Records was founded

  [1]Crave Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Mariah Carey founded Crave Records in February 1997 as an imprint of Sony Music Entertainment.

• 1997

  Allure released its debut album

  [1]Crave Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The R&B quartet Allure released a self-titled album through Crave Records, associated with three identified singles: “Head Over Heels,” “All Cried Out,” and “Last Chance.”

A late-1990s Sony-affiliated imprint focused on developing and releasing pop and R&B artists, particularly vocal groups.

• R&B vocal-group recordings · 1997

  Allure

  Allure was a female R&B quartet signed to Crave Records. The group released a self-titled album in 1997. The release was supported by the singles “Head Over Heels,” “All Cried Out,” and “Last Chance,” making it one of the imprint's principal releases and its clearest documented entry in the late-1990s commercial R&B market.

• R&B vocal-group recordings · 1998

  7 Mile

  7 Mile was a male R&B quartet associated with Crave Records. The group released a self-titled album in 1998, shortly before the imprint's closure in July of that year. The available reference material identifies the album and the group's label association but does not provide further catalog, commercial, or promotional details.

• Recorded music

  DJ Company releases

  DJ Company was among the artists identified as signed to Crave Records. The supplied reference material does not specify a particular album, single, release date, or complete discography for the act, so the documented offering is limited to its association with the label.

• 1998

  Closure of Crave RecordsOther

  Background

  The imprint had been active for roughly seventeen months and had released projects by artists on its roster.

  Action taken

  Crave Records was shut down in July 1998.

  Aftermath

  The label ceased to operate as an active imprint; no revival or successor structure is identified in the supplied reference material.

  Source

• 1997

  Launch of an artist-founded Sony imprintStrategy

  Background

  Mariah Carey created Crave Records within the Sony Music Entertainment system to release and develop music by artists other than her own solo act.

  Action taken

  The imprint signed or released acts including DJ Company, Allure, and 7 Mile.

  Aftermath

  Crave operated for a short period and released documented projects by Allure and 7 Mile before closing in 1998.

  Source

1. 1Crave Recordsen.wikipedia.org