{{Short description|Defunct German record label}} {{infobox record label | name = Hansa Records | image = | parent = [[Sony Music Entertainment]] | founded = 1962 | defunct = 2009 | founder = | distributor = Self-distributed (1972–1979)<br>[[Ariola Records]] (1979–1987)<br>[[Bertelsmann Music Group]] (1987–2002)<br>[[Sony BMG]] (2002–2008)<br>[[Sony Music Entertainment]] (2008–2009) | genre = Various | country = [[Germany]] | url = }} '''Hansa Records''' (also known as '''Hansa''', '''Hansa Musik Produktion''' or '''Hansa International''') was a [[record label]] based in [[Berlin]], Germany, founded in 1962.
==History== In the early 1960s, brothers Peter and Thomas Meisel, grandchildren of [[Will Meisel]], who was the founder of German music publisher [[Meisel Music|Edition Meisel & Co. GmbH]], assumed responsibility of the family's publishing company upon their grandfather's retirement, and founded Hansa Musik Produktion company and the Hansa record label in 1962.<ref name="TapeOpMay2013">{{cite web|last=Maiolo|first=Alex|title=Hansa Tonstudio: Berlin's Famous Studio w/ Alex Wende, Tony Visconti, Edu Meyer and more...|url=https://tapeop.com/interviews/95/hansa-tonstudio/|website=Tape Op|date=May 2013|access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref> The label's name (and the name of the related recording studio) was inspired by the [[Hanseatic League]], a medieval Northern European maritime trade network.
Initially, the label focused on German artists and [[Schlager music]],<ref name=TapeOpMay2013/> later finding commercial success with artists such as [[Frank Farian]]'s [[Boney M.]], [[Amii Stewart]], [[Aneka]], [[Modern Talking]], [[Milli Vanilli]], and others.
In 1977, the label signed an early lineup of [[the Cure]] (known at that time as Easy Cure),<ref name=TIY>{{cite book |title= Ten Imaginary Years |first1= L. |last1= Barbarian |first2= Steve |last2= Sutherland |authorlink3= Robert Smith (musician) |first3= Robert |last3=Smith| year= 1988| publisher= Zomba Books | isbn=0-946391-87-4}}</ref> but was not happy with the band's demos and refused to release "[[Killing an Arab]]",<ref name="Frost">{{cite journal |last= Frost |first= Deborah |date= 1 October 1987 |title= Taking The Cure with Robert |journal= [[Creem]]}}</ref> suggesting that the band record cover songs instead. The band refused, and Hansa dropped them.<ref name=TIY />
In the mid-1980s, after a decline in sales both domestically and internationally, Hansa Records was eventually purchased by [[Bertelsmann Music Group]], who merged them with several other labels like [[Ariola-Eurodisc]] to form BMG Berlin Musik GmbH/[[BMG-Ariola]], later to become part of international conglomerate [[Sony Music Entertainment]], under which it was phased out in 2009. It is used today only for reissues of its previous releases.<ref name="BBOct2010">{{cite web|last=Spahr|first=Wolfgang|title=German Industry Veteran Peter Meisel Dies|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/german-industry-veteran-peter-meisel-dies-1199448/|website=Billboard|date=7 October 2010|access-date=5 February 2024}}</ref><ref name="BiegerH">{{cite web|last=Bieger|first=Hannes|title=Studio File: Hansa Tonstudio, Berlin|url=https://www.soundonsound.com/music-business/hansa-tonstudio-berlin|website=Sound On Sound|date=June 2012|access-date=5 February 2024}}</ref>
==Recording studios== {{See also|Hansa Tonstudio}} When it became difficult for Hansa to book sufficient recording studio time at the [[Ariola-Eurodisc]] studio to keep up with their growing production schedule, the Meisel brothers built Hansa Studio One in [[Tiergarten (Berlin)|Tiergarten]] in [[West Berlin]]. In 1972, the Meisel brothers acquired Ariola's historic building at Köthener Strasse 38, home of the historic [[Meistersaal]] concert hall, naming it Hansa Tonstudio Two. Initially intended to record only Hansa Records projects, Hansa's studios gradually started booking non-Hansa clients, most notably [[Iggy Pop]] and [[David Bowie]], who in 1977 recorded their respective albums ''[[Lust for Life (Iggy Pop album)|Lust for Life]]'' and ''[[Low (David Bowie album)|Low]]'' at the studio. In the late 1970s they closed the first studio and consolidated operations to the second, simplify referring to it as Hansa Tonstudio.<ref name=BiegerH/> The Meisel family retained ownership of Hansa Tonstudio, who run it as part of the [[Meisel Music]] group.<ref>{{cite web|title=Meisel Music: History|url=https://www.meiselmusic.de/en/about/#history|website=Meisel Music|access-date=5 April 2024}}</ref>
==Selected list of Hansa label artists== {{div col|colwidth=35em}} * [[Angletrax]] * [[Blue System]] * [[Boney M.]] * [[C. C. Catch]] * [[Child (band)|Child]] * [[Chilly (band)|Chilly]] * [[Eruption (British band)|Eruption]] * [[Gilla (singer)|Gilla]] * [[Giorgio Moroder]] (1969–1972) * [[Japan (band)|Japan]] (1978–1979) * [[La Mama (band)|La Mama]] * [[Les McKeown]] * [[Liz Mitchell]] * [[Milli Vanilli]] * [[M.C. Sar & the Real McCoy]] * [[Modern Talking]] * [[Die Prinzen]] * [[Amii Stewart]] (1979–1981) * [[The Twins (German duo)|The Twins]] {{div col end}}
==Selected list of Hansa label releases (by year)== [[Image:Boney M. - Rivers Of Babylon (label).jpg|right|thumb|The original 7 inch label of one of the best selling Hansa Records singles, Boney M.'s "[[Rivers of Babylon]]"]] {{div col|colwidth=35em}} * [[The Action]]: "[[Harlem Shuffle]]" / "Wasn't It You" (1968) * [[Xhol Caravan]]: ''[[Electrip]]'' (1969) * [[Boney M.]]: ''[[Take the Heat off Me]]'' (1976) * Boney M.: ''[[Love for Sale (Boney M. album)|Love for Sale]]'' (1977) * Boney M.: ''[[Nightflight to Venus]]'' (1978) * [[Sugar Cane (band)|Sugar Cane]]: "[[Montego Bay (song)|Montego Bay]]" (1978) * Boney M.: ''[[Oceans of Fantasy]]'' (1979) * [[Japan (band)|Japan]]: ''[[Quiet Life]]'' (1979) * [[New Celeste]]: ''On the Line'' (1979) * [[Amii Stewart]]: ''[[Knock on Wood (Amii Stewart album)|Knock on Wood]]'' (1979) * [[Nick Nicely]]: "DCT Dreams" (1980) * [[Viola Wills]]: "[[If You Could Read My Mind]]" (1980) * [[Aneka]]: "[[Japanese Boy]]" (1981) * [[The Twins (German duo)|The Twins]]: "[[Ballet Dancer (song)|Ballet Dancer]]" (1984) * [[Modern Talking]]: ''[[The 1st Album (Modern Talking album)|The 1st Album]]'' (1985) * Modern Talking: ''[[Let's Talk About Love (Modern Talking album)|Let's Talk About Love]]'' (1985) * [[C. C. Catch]]: ''[[Catch the Catch]]'' (1986) * [[Chris Norman]]: ''[[Some Hearts Are Diamonds]]'' (1986) * Modern Talking: ''[[Ready for Romance]]'' (1986) * Modern Talking: ''[[In the Middle of Nowhere]]'' (1986) * [[Milli Vanilli]]: ''[[All or Nothing (Milli Vanilli album)|All or Nothing]]'' (1988) * [[John Parr]]: "Westward Ho" (1990) * [[Bonnie Tyler]]: ''[[Bitterblue]]'' (1991) * [[The Catch (British duo)|The Catch featuring Don Snow]]: ''25 Years – The Album'' (1991) * Bonnie Tyler: ''[[Angel Heart (Bonnie Tyler album)|Angel Heart]]'' (1992) * Bonnie Tyler: ''[[Silhouette in Red]]'' (1993) * [[M.C. Sar & the Real McCoy]]: "[[Another Night (song)|Another Night]]" (1993) * Modern Talking: ''[[Back for Good (album)|Back for Good]]'' (1998) * Modern Talking: ''[[Alone (Modern Talking album)|Alone]]'' (1999) {{div col end}}
==See also== * [[List of record labels]]
== References == {{reflist}}
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[[Category:Defunct record labels of Germany]] [[Category:Rock record labels]] [[Category:Pop record labels]] [[Category:Record labels established in 1965]] [[Category:Record labels disestablished in 2009]]