# Hansa Records > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Hansa_Records > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Hansa_Records.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hansa_Records > Source revision: 1315061613 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Defunct German record label Record label Hansa Records Parent company Sony Music Entertainment Founded 1962 Defunct 2009 Distributors Self-distributed (1972–1979) Ariola Records (1979–1987) Bertelsmann Music Group (1987–2002) Sony BMG (2002–2008) Sony Music Entertainment (2008–2009) Genre Various Country of origin Germany **Hansa Records** (also known as **Hansa**, **Hansa Musik Produktion** or **Hansa International**) was a [record label](/source/Record_label) based in [Berlin](/source/Berlin), Germany, founded in 1962. ## History In the early 1960s, brothers Peter and Thomas Meisel, grandchildren of [Will Meisel](/source/Will_Meisel), who was the founder of German music publisher [Edition Meisel & Co. GmbH](/source/Meisel_Music), 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.[1] The label's name (and the name of the related recording studio) was inspired by the [Hanseatic League](/source/Hanseatic_League), a medieval Northern European maritime trade network. Initially, the label focused on German artists and [Schlager music](/source/Schlager_music),[1] later finding commercial success with artists such as [Frank Farian](/source/Frank_Farian)'s [Boney M.](/source/Boney_M.), [Amii Stewart](/source/Amii_Stewart), [Aneka](/source/Aneka), [Modern Talking](/source/Modern_Talking), [Milli Vanilli](/source/Milli_Vanilli), and others. In 1977, the label signed an early lineup of [the Cure](/source/The_Cure) (known at that time as Easy Cure),[2] but was not happy with the band's demos and refused to release "[Killing an Arab](/source/Killing_an_Arab)",[3] suggesting that the band record cover songs instead. The band refused, and Hansa dropped them.[2] In the mid-1980s, after a decline in sales both domestically and internationally, Hansa Records was eventually purchased by [Bertelsmann Music Group](/source/Bertelsmann_Music_Group), who merged them with several other labels like [Ariola-Eurodisc](/source/Ariola-Eurodisc) to form BMG Berlin Musik GmbH/[BMG-Ariola](/source/BMG-Ariola), later to become part of international conglomerate [Sony Music Entertainment](/source/Sony_Music_Entertainment), under which it was phased out in 2009. It is used today only for reissues of its previous releases.[4][5] ## Recording studios See also: [Hansa Tonstudio](/source/Hansa_Tonstudio) When it became difficult for Hansa to book sufficient recording studio time at the [Ariola-Eurodisc](/source/Ariola-Eurodisc) studio to keep up with their growing production schedule, the Meisel brothers built Hansa Studio One in [Tiergarten](/source/Tiergarten_(Berlin)) in [West Berlin](/source/West_Berlin). In 1972, the Meisel brothers acquired Ariola's historic building at Köthener Strasse 38, home of the historic [Meistersaal](/source/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](/source/Iggy_Pop) and [David Bowie](/source/David_Bowie), who in 1977 recorded their respective albums *[Lust for Life](/source/Lust_for_Life_(Iggy_Pop_album))* and *[Low](/source/Low_(David_Bowie_album))* 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.[5] The Meisel family retained ownership of Hansa Tonstudio, who run it as part of the [Meisel Music](/source/Meisel_Music) group.[6] ## Selected list of Hansa label artists - [Angletrax](/source/Angletrax) - [Blue System](/source/Blue_System) - [Boney M.](/source/Boney_M.) - [C. C. Catch](/source/C._C._Catch) - [Child](/source/Child_(band)) - [Chilly](/source/Chilly_(band)) - [Eruption](/source/Eruption_(British_band)) - [Gilla](/source/Gilla_(singer)) - [Giorgio Moroder](/source/Giorgio_Moroder) (1969–1972) - [Japan](/source/Japan_(band)) (1978–1979) - [La Mama](/source/La_Mama_(band)) - [Les McKeown](/source/Les_McKeown) - [Liz Mitchell](/source/Liz_Mitchell) - [Milli Vanilli](/source/Milli_Vanilli) - [M.C. Sar & the Real McCoy](/source/M.C._Sar_%26_the_Real_McCoy) - [Modern Talking](/source/Modern_Talking) - [Die Prinzen](/source/Die_Prinzen) - [Amii Stewart](/source/Amii_Stewart) (1979–1981) - [The Twins](/source/The_Twins_(German_duo)) ## Selected list of Hansa label releases (by year) The original 7 inch label of one of the best selling Hansa Records singles, Boney M.'s "[Rivers of Babylon](/source/Rivers_of_Babylon)" - [The Action](/source/The_Action): "[Harlem Shuffle](/source/Harlem_Shuffle)" / "Wasn't It You" (1968) - [Xhol Caravan](/source/Xhol_Caravan): *[Electrip](/source/Electrip)* (1969) - [Boney M.](/source/Boney_M.): *[Take the Heat off Me](/source/Take_the_Heat_off_Me)* (1976) - Boney M.: *[Love for Sale](/source/Love_for_Sale_(Boney_M._album))* (1977) - Boney M.: *[Nightflight to Venus](/source/Nightflight_to_Venus)* (1978) - [Sugar Cane](/source/Sugar_Cane_(band)): "[Montego Bay](/source/Montego_Bay_(song))" (1978) - Boney M.: *[Oceans of Fantasy](/source/Oceans_of_Fantasy)* (1979) - [Japan](/source/Japan_(band)): *[Quiet Life](/source/Quiet_Life)* (1979) - [New Celeste](/source/New_Celeste): *On the Line* (1979) - [Amii Stewart](/source/Amii_Stewart): *[Knock on Wood](/source/Knock_on_Wood_(Amii_Stewart_album))* (1979) - [Nick Nicely](/source/Nick_Nicely): "DCT Dreams" (1980) - [Viola Wills](/source/Viola_Wills): "[If You Could Read My Mind](/source/If_You_Could_Read_My_Mind)" (1980) - [Aneka](/source/Aneka): "[Japanese Boy](/source/Japanese_Boy)" (1981) - [The Twins](/source/The_Twins_(German_duo)): "[Ballet Dancer](/source/Ballet_Dancer_(song))" (1984) - [Modern Talking](/source/Modern_Talking): *[The 1st Album](/source/The_1st_Album_(Modern_Talking_album))* (1985) - Modern Talking: *[Let's Talk About Love](/source/Let's_Talk_About_Love_(Modern_Talking_album))* (1985) - [C. C. Catch](/source/C._C._Catch): *[Catch the Catch](/source/Catch_the_Catch)* (1986) - [Chris Norman](/source/Chris_Norman): *[Some Hearts Are Diamonds](/source/Some_Hearts_Are_Diamonds)* (1986) - Modern Talking: *[Ready for Romance](/source/Ready_for_Romance)* (1986) - Modern Talking: *[In the Middle of Nowhere](/source/In_the_Middle_of_Nowhere)* (1986) - [Milli Vanilli](/source/Milli_Vanilli): *[All or Nothing](/source/All_or_Nothing_(Milli_Vanilli_album))* (1988) - [John Parr](/source/John_Parr): "Westward Ho" (1990) - [Bonnie Tyler](/source/Bonnie_Tyler): *[Bitterblue](/source/Bitterblue)* (1991) - [The Catch featuring Don Snow](/source/The_Catch_(British_duo)): *25 Years – The Album* (1991) - Bonnie Tyler: *[Angel Heart](/source/Angel_Heart_(Bonnie_Tyler_album))* (1992) - Bonnie Tyler: *[Silhouette in Red](/source/Silhouette_in_Red)* (1993) - [M.C. Sar & the Real McCoy](/source/M.C._Sar_%26_the_Real_McCoy): "[Another Night](/source/Another_Night_(song))" (1993) - Modern Talking: *[Back for Good](/source/Back_for_Good_(album))* (1998) - Modern Talking: *[Alone](/source/Alone_(Modern_Talking_album))* (1999) ## See also - [List of record labels](/source/List_of_record_labels) ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-TapeOpMay2013_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-TapeOpMay2013_1-1) Maiolo, Alex (May 2013). ["Hansa Tonstudio: Berlin's Famous Studio w/ Alex Wende, Tony Visconti, Edu Meyer and more..."](https://tapeop.com/interviews/95/hansa-tonstudio/) *Tape Op*. Retrieved 4 April 2024. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-TIY_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-TIY_2-1) Barbarian, L.; Sutherland, Steve; [Smith, Robert](/source/Robert_Smith_(musician)) (1988). *Ten Imaginary Years*. Zomba Books. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-946391-87-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-946391-87-4). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Frost_3-0)** Frost, Deborah (1 October 1987). "Taking The Cure with Robert". *[Creem](/source/Creem)*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-BBOct2010_4-0)** Spahr, Wolfgang (7 October 2010). ["German Industry Veteran Peter Meisel Dies"](https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/german-industry-veteran-peter-meisel-dies-1199448/). *Billboard*. Retrieved 5 February 2024. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-BiegerH_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-BiegerH_5-1) Bieger, Hannes (June 2012). ["Studio File: Hansa Tonstudio, Berlin"](https://www.soundonsound.com/music-business/hansa-tonstudio-berlin). *Sound On Sound*. Retrieved 5 February 2024. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Meisel Music: History"](https://www.meiselmusic.de/en/about/#history). *Meisel Music*. Retrieved 5 April 2024. Authority control databases International VIAF National France BnF data Other MusicBrainz label --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Hansa Records](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hansa_Records) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hansa_Records?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.