 | |
| Company type | Incentive |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music production |
| Genre | |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Founder | Beastie Boys |
| Defunct | August 31, 2001 |
| Fate | Bankruptcy |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
| Website | grandroyal.com (Archived on July 6, 2001) |
Grand Royal was a vanity record label founded in 1992 by rap group Beastie Boys in conjunction with Capitol Records after the group left Def Jam Recordings.[1] It was based in Los Angeles, California.
Grand Royal was also the name of a magazine written and published by the group.[2] Described as a publication that "came to define part of Generation X,"[3] the total distribution of the six issues of Grand Royal was estimated at 300,000 copies.[4]
Due to mounting debts, Grand Royal closed down on August 31, 2001, and formally declared bankruptcy in July 2002.[5][6][7] Its assets were sold off via auction on Bid4Assets; these assets did not include any rights to Beastie Boys music.[8] The assets and back catalog were purchased by a group of fans who in turn started GR2 Records.[9] In 2016, GR2 sold the rights and master recordings of Grand Royal's second release My Crazy Life to a member of the band Dead Fucking Last.
In 2017, Stiletto Entertainment, the company that currently owns GR2, was sued by dance-punk band Liquid Liquid for copyright infringement, breach of contract, and not paying them royalties over the unauthorized licensing of their music and sales of the 2008 reissue of their 1997 compilation Liquid Liquid, which was originally distributed by Grand Royal.[10]
The label was mentioned in the Beastie Boys Book. Some notable music executives gained their start at Grand Royal Records such as Ian Rogers, Kenny "Tick" Salcido, and Miwa Okumura. There were also established executives who were employed by Grand Royal Records in Mark Kates, Craig Aaronson, John Silva, Steve Rosenblatt, Gary Gersh.
The Jet Set Radio Future Sampler was the label's last official release featuring original music by the Mike D led production group the Latch Brothers.
Grand Royal promotions manager, "Tick's Corner" columnist, and member of the Latch Brothers, Kenny "Tick" Salcido worked closely under Mike D. "Tick" helped named the Grand Royal Hip Hop 12" Series "The Blow Up Factor" and "Tick" helped A&R the series early in his career along with naming the Beastie Boys 12" release from that series, 'Scientists of Sound' (The Blow Up Factor Vol. 1), which came from a lyric from the Beastie Boys album Hello Nasty.
- ^ "Beasties Label Grand Royal to be Distributed by Capitol". Rolling Stone. December 9, 1993. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
- ^ Woodbury, Jason P. (August 11, 2017). "The Magazine of Champions: On the Shabby Brilliance of "Grand Royal" Magazine". Flood Magazine. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
- ^ Estes, Adam Clark (May 4, 2012). "Remembering Grand Royal, the Beastie Boys' Brief, Brilliant Magazine". The Atlantic. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
- ^ Archive-Courtney-Reimer. "Beastie Boys Compiling Book Of Grand Royal Highlights". MTV News. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
- ^ NME (September 3, 2001). "GRAND ROYAL TO CLOSE". NME. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ Moss, Corey (August 31, 2001). "Beastie Boys Close Grand Royal Record Label". MTV. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- ^ Werde, Bill (January 19, 2004). "For a Record Label Founded by the Beastie Boys, the End Is Less Than Grand". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ Werde, Bill (January 19, 2004). "For a Record Label Founded by the Beastie Boys, the End Is Less Than Grand". The New York Times. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
- ^ Cross, Alan (2012). The Beastie Boys: the secret history. Joe Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-9270-0216-2.
- ^ Russell, Josh (August 17, 2017). "Disco-Punk Legends Sue for 'Chef' Film Royalties". Courthouse News. Retrieved September 15, 2022.