MNRK Music Group
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Predecessor | Koch Records, Entertainment One Music |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
| Owner | Blackstone Group |
MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch"), previously known as Koch Records and Entertainment One (eOne) Music/Records, operates as an independent American record label and music management firm based in New York City. Established in 1987 as the music branch of Koch Entertainment, it became part of Entertainment One (eOne) in 2004. In 2019, toy and multimedia conglomerate Hasbro acquired eOne, integrating its family brands division before divesting the music segment to Blackstone Group in 2021, which resulted in the adoption of the MNRK name. Subsequently, Hasbro sold the remaining eOne assets to Lionsgate, which rebranded these as eOne Canada and later Lionsgate Canada.
The company’s catalog encompasses the music collections of Artemis Records, Dualtone Records, Last Gang Records, and Prosthetic Records.
Origins
The label traces its roots back to Canadian distributor Records on Wheels, which was acquired by retail chain CD Plus in 2001 to enhance its wholesale distribution capabilities. Darren Throop joined following CD Plus’s purchase of his Urban Sound Exchange record store chain. The merged entity was renamed ROW Entertainment, with Throop appointed president and CEO.
In June 2005, ROW expanded by acquiring American independent distributor and home entertainment publisher Koch Entertainment, including its subsidiary label Koch Records. Between 1999 and 2005, Koch maintained a Nashville branch specializing in country music artists such as Restless Heart and David Lee Murphy, which was shuttered in October 2005.
In 2008, Koch introduced HipHopCanada Records through a collaboration with the publication HipHopCanada.
Transition to eOne Music
In 2009, Koch rebranded as E1 Music. The following year, E1 purchased IndieBlu Music, owner of Artemis Records and V2 Records North America. In 2013, eOne acquired the catalog of hip-hop label Death Row Records.
In early 2016, eOne expanded by acquiring Dualtone Records in January and Canadian label Last Gang Records in March, appointing Last Gang’s founder Chris Taylor as global president of eOne Music. That same year, eOne also incorporated management agencies Hardlivings and Nerve Artist Management into its operations.
November 2016 saw Ted May, formerly senior international marketing manager at Universal Music UK, appointed to lead eOne’s UK branch. In March 2018, eOne further broadened its portfolio by acquiring live event producer Round Room Entertainment.
In 2019, eOne’s management division formed a partnership with Amelia Artists and later collaborated with Latin-focused marketing and management firm Entotal. By November 2020, AMPED Distribution was signed on as eOne’s new physical distributor across North America.
Divestiture and rebranding to MNRK
Following Hasbro’s acquisition of its parent company, eOne announced in April 2021 the sale of its music division to private equity firm The Blackstone Group for $385 million, enabling Hasbro to concentrate on film and television content.
The transaction concluded in June 2021; the music unit retained the eOne branding until September when it was officially renamed MNRK Music Group.
On February 9, 2022, MNRK transferred ownership of the Death Row Records brand and catalog to hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg.