Nonesuch Records

Nonesuch Records is an American record label founded in 1964 by Jac Holzman, the founder of Elektra Records. It began as a budget-priced classical imprint intended to make carefully selected recordings available at roughly the price of a trade paperback. Rather than funding expensive new sessions for its initial catalog, the label licensed European recordings, concentrating particularly on chamber music, Baroque repertory, organ works, and other historically informed or less commonly available material. Its inexpensive pricing, distinctive package design, and unusual repertoire gave the label a strong identity from the outset. The label was led from 1965 to 1979 by Teresa Sterne, whose responsibilities included artist and repertoire decisions as well as the visual direction of the catalog. During her tenure Nonesuch expanded beyond conventional classical releases into electronic music, experimental composition, early music, and international recordings. Important projects included Morton Subotnick's electronic work Silver Apples of the Moon, the electronic-music compilation The Nonesuch Guide to Electronic Music, recordings of Elliott Carter and George Crumb, and Charles Wuorinen's Time's Encomium, which won the 1970 Pulitzer Prize for Music. Sterne also established the Explorer Series, a pioneering program of field recordings and traditional music from Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and other regions. The series introduced many North American listeners to musical traditions that were then rarely represented in mainstream record stores. Nonesuch became part of the corporate succession that followed Holzman's sale of Elektra and Nonesuch to Kinney National Company in 1970. Kinney became Warner Communications, and the label ultimately entered the Warner Music Group structure. After Sterne's departure, Keith Holzman ran the label for several years. In 1984, Bob Krasnow appointed Robert Hurwitz to lead Nonesuch. Hurwitz transformed the imprint into a broad, artist-centered label while retaining its interest in distinctive and ambitious work. The roster expanded to include contemporary composers such as Steve Reich, John Adams, Philip Glass, and John Zorn; ensembles including Kronos Quartet; jazz artists; and international musicians such as Caetano Veloso. The label's world-music profile grew through releases including Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, the Gipsy Kings' American breakthrough, and the Ry Cooder-produced Buena Vista Social Club, which became its best-selling release and generated a wider catalog of related recordings. During the 1990s and 2000s, Nonesuch broadened further into singer-songwriters, alternative rock, folk, traditional music, theater, and film. Signings and projects associated with this period included Emmylou Harris, k.d. lang, Randy Newman, Shawn Colvin, Ry Cooder, Wilco, Laurie Anderson, David Byrne, The Black Keys, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Punch Brothers, and Sam Amidon. Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot became a defining release after its earlier label rejected it. Nonesuch also developed an important Broadway and musical-theater catalog, including recordings of works by Stephen Sondheim and Adam Guettel, as well as albums by Audra McDonald. Its soundtrack catalog has included major works by Philip Glass, Jonny Greenwood, Clint Mansell, Jon Brion, Thomas Newman, Carter Burwell, and others. Hurwitz stepped down from the presidency after a transition with David Bither in 2016 and became chairman emeritus in 2017. Bither, who had held senior roles at the label for many years, became sole president. Kris Chen joined as a senior vice president in 2016. Nonesuch remains based in New York City, operates within Warner Music Group, and continues to release recordings across genre boundaries, emphasizing distinctive artists, composers, repertoire, and high-quality physical and digital editions.

Nonesuch Records was created in early 1964 by Jac Holzman as a low-priced classical imprint associated with Elektra Records. Holzman's goal was to offer serious music at an accessible price, comparable to the cost of a trade paperback. Licensing existing European recordings made that model possible, since producing new classical sessions would have been too costly for the intended retail price. Early releases emphasized Baroque and chamber repertory, organ music, and unusual works that were not well represented in mainstream catalogs. By 1968 the catalog contained more than 200 albums. Teresa Sterne directed the label from 1965 through 1979. She shaped both its repertoire and its visual identity, and under her leadership Nonesuch became a laboratory for electronic music, contemporary composition, early music, ragtime, and global traditions. The label commissioned Morton Subotnick's Silver Apples of the Moon and released The Nonesuch Guide to Electronic Music. It recorded works by Elliott Carter and George Crumb and issued Charles Wuorinen's Time's Encomium, the first electronic composition to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Joshua Rifkin's recordings of Scott Joplin helped stimulate renewed interest in ragtime. Sterne also launched the Explorer Series, whose field recordings later became an important historical resource and helped popularize the idea of world music for a broad American audience. Sterne's abrupt departure in 1979 generated criticism from artists and composers. Keith Holzman subsequently managed the label from Los Angeles until 1984. That year Robert Hurwitz was brought in by Elektra chairman Bob Krasnow. Hurwitz built on Nonesuch's experimental reputation but made the roster substantially more contemporary and international. Within his first years, releases by Steve Reich, John Adams, Philip Glass, John Zorn, and Kronos Quartet established a strong contemporary-music identity. Jazz and international recordings became equally important, with artists such as Wayne Horvitz, World Saxophone Quartet, and Caetano Veloso joining the catalog. Releases by the Bulgarian State Television female choir and the Gipsy Kings demonstrated the label's ability to bring non-mainstream traditions to larger audiences. Nonesuch's international reputation reached a new level with Buena Vista Social Club, the Ry Cooder-led Havana recording project released in the late 1990s. Its success produced a series of related solo recordings and became the commercial high point of the catalog. At the same time, David Bither, who joined the wider Elektra organization in 1994, increasingly influenced Nonesuch's artist-and-repertoire direction. His work helped expand the label into singer-songwriters, alternative rock, folk, and roots music. Emmylou Harris, k.d. lang, Randy Newman, Shawn Colvin, Ry Cooder, Laurie Anderson, David Byrne, and Wilco became associated with the label. Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was especially significant: after being rejected by Reprise Records, it was released by Nonesuch and became one of the label's best-known alternative-rock albums. The catalog also grew through theater and screen music. Nonesuch issued Broadway and revival cast recordings of works by Stephen Sondheim, albums connected with Adam Guettel, and several recordings by Audra McDonald. Film and television projects included numerous Philip Glass soundtracks, music by Kronos Quartet and Clint Mansell, Jonny Greenwood's scores for films by Paul Thomas Anderson, and work by Jon Brion, Thomas Newman, and Carter Burwell. Contemporary folk and traditional music were represented by Carolina Chocolate Drops, Punch Brothers, and Sam Amidon, while The Black Keys brought a commercially successful blues-rock act to the roster. Corporate ownership changed around the label several times. Nonesuch passed from Elektra into the Warner corporate structure after the 1970 sale of Elektra and Nonesuch to Kinney National Company. It was later associated with Warner Music International and briefly with Atlantic before operating under Warner Bros. Records from 2004. Warner Music Group became an independent publicly traded company in 2004. In 2016 Hurwitz and Bither served as co-presidents; on January 1, 2017, Bither became sole president and Hurwitz chairman emeritus. Nonesuch continues as a New York-based Warner Music Group label with a broad, selective catalog spanning classical, contemporary, international, jazz, popular, theatrical, and screen music.

1. 2017David Bither becomes sole president

   Bither assumes sole leadership while Hurwitz becomes chairman emeritus.

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2. 2016Hurwitz and Bither serve as co-presidents

   The label begins its transition to new leadership, with David Bither sharing the presidency.

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3. 2004Warner Music Group becomes independent

   Nonesuch's corporate parent becomes an independently owned publicly traded company.

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4. 1997Buena Vista Social Club is released

   The Ry Cooder-produced Cuban recording becomes the label's best-selling release.

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5. 1984Robert Hurwitz becomes president

   Hurwitz begins a leadership tenure that expands Nonesuch into contemporary composition, jazz, world music, and popular genres.

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6. 1970Nonesuch enters the Kinney corporate group

   Jac Holzman sells Elektra and Nonesuch to Kinney National Company, the predecessor of Warner Communications.

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7. 1970Time's Encomium wins the Pulitzer Prize for Music

   Charles Wuorinen's Nonesuch electronic composition receives the Pulitzer, a landmark for electronic concert music.

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8. 1967Explorer Series begins

   Nonesuch starts issuing field recordings and traditional music from regions around the world.

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9. 1965Teresa Sterne begins leading the label

   Sterne takes responsibility for repertoire, artists, production, and the label's distinctive packaging.

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10. 1964Nonesuch Records is founded

    Jac Holzman establishes Nonesuch as an affordable classical subsidiary of Elektra Records.

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An artist-focused, curator-led label positioned around adventurous repertoire, cross-genre collaboration, contemporary composition, international music, and premium catalog presentation rather than a single commercial genre.

• Nonesuch Explorer SeriesWorld music and field recordings1967

  A pioneering series of field recordings and traditional music issued primarily between 1967 and 1984. Its geographic scope included Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Eastern Europe. The series helped expose American listeners to gamelan, regional vocal traditions, and other musical forms before world music became a standard retail category. Some recordings were selected for the Voyager Golden Record, and Music from the Morning of the World was later added to the U.S. National Recording Registry.

• Buena Vista Social ClubWorld music album1997

  A Ry Cooder-produced recording made with veteran Cuban musicians in Havana. Its international success became the largest commercial achievement in Nonesuch's history and supported a wider group of solo and ensemble releases connected with the sessions.

• Yankee Hotel FoxtrotAlternative rock album2002

  Wilco's Nonesuch release after the album had been rejected by the band's previous label. It became a landmark of 2000s alternative rock and demonstrated Nonesuch's willingness to support ambitious popular music alongside its classical and international catalog.

• Broadway and musical-theater recordingsTheater recordings1996

  Nonesuch has developed a selective theater catalog including cast recordings and related projects associated with Stephen Sondheim, Adam Guettel, Audra McDonald, and other performers and composers. Releases include productions of Gypsy, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, Company, A Little Night Music, and The Light in the Piazza.

• Film and television soundtracksSoundtracks1984

  The label's screen-music catalog includes numerous Philip Glass projects as well as scores and soundtrack recordings by Jonny Greenwood, Clint Mansell, Jon Brion, Thomas Newman, Carter Burwell, and others. The releases connect concert music, film composition, and the label's broader contemporary repertoire.

• 2002Release Wilco's Yankee Hotel FoxtrotProduct launch

  The album had been rejected by Wilco's previous label, Reprise Records, despite the band's established alternative-rock audience.

  What changed. Nonesuch acquired and released the recording as part of its expanding popular-music roster.

  Aftermath. The album became one of the label's defining rock releases and reinforced its reputation for artistically ambitious signings.

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• 1997Release Buena Vista Social ClubProduct launch

  Ry Cooder's sessions with veteran Cuban musicians offered a recording with strong historical and international appeal.

  What changed. Nonesuch released the album and supported subsequent recordings by musicians associated with the project.

  Aftermath. It became the label's best-selling disc and substantially increased Nonesuch's international visibility.

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• 1984Expand beyond budget classical recordingsStrategy

  Nonesuch needed to retain its adventurous identity while developing a modern roster with broader cultural and commercial reach.

  What changed. Under Robert Hurwitz, the label signed contemporary composers, jazz musicians, international artists, and later singer-songwriters, rock groups, folk acts, and soundtrack composers.

  Aftermath. Nonesuch became a cross-genre, artist-led label rather than a narrowly classical imprint.

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• 1967Create the Explorer SeriesStrategy

  Traditional and regional music from many parts of the world had limited exposure in the North American commercial market.

  What changed. Nonesuch commissioned, licensed, and released field recordings from multiple regions under a dedicated series.

  Aftermath. The series helped popularize global musical traditions and became an important early foundation for the label's world-music identity.

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• 1964Launch an affordable classical imprintStrategy

  New classical recordings were expensive to produce, while Holzman wanted serious music to reach listeners at a low retail price.

  What changed. Nonesuch licensed European recordings and issued them in a budget-priced format modeled around the price of a trade paperback.

  Aftermath. The model established Nonesuch's early identity and allowed it to build a large catalog of unusual classical repertoire.

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• 2017David Bither becomes sole president of Nonesuch Records

  Following a 2016 co-presidency, Bither assumed sole presidential responsibility and Hurwitz became chairman emeritus.

  Leadership change
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• 2017Fleet Foxes announce Nonesuch debut

  Fleet Foxes signed with Nonesuch for Crack-Up, their first album in six years.

  Product launch
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• 2015Bob Hurwitz announces transition from presidency

  Nonesuch announced that Hurwitz would step down after more than three decades leading the label.

  Leadership change
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• 1997Buena Vista Social Club becomes a landmark Nonesuch release

  The Ry Cooder-produced recording became the label's best-selling disc and led to successful related solo projects.

  Product launch
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• 1984Robert Hurwitz is appointed to lead Nonesuch

  Hurwitz began the long leadership period during which Nonesuch expanded decisively into contemporary composition, jazz, world music, rock, theater, and soundtracks.

  Leadership change
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• 1979Teresa Sterne leaves Nonesuch Records

  Sterne's dismissal prompted public protest from Nonesuch artists and composers, including letters to the New York Times and Warner Communications.

  Leadership change
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• 1964Nonesuch Records is founded as a budget classical label

  Jac Holzman established Nonesuch as an Elektra subsidiary focused on affordable licensed classical recordings.

  Other
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1. Nonesuch Records
2. Nonesuch Records official website