Chrysalis Records

Lore & Background

Chrysalis Records was founded in 1968 by Chris Wright and Terry Ellis, starting as the Ellis-Wright Agency. It entered a licensing deal with Island Records for distribution, based on the success of bands such as Jethro Tull, Ten Years After, and Procol Harum. Jethro Tull's signing with Reprise Records in the United States led Chrysalis to an American distribution deal with Warner Bros. Records from 1972 until 1976, when U.S. Chrysalis switched to independent distribution. PolyGram handled international distribution, and Festival Records covered Australia and New Zealand. In 1973, it signed British rock band UFO, and in 1975, Rory Gallagher. Towards the end of the 1970s, the label extended its reach into punk with acts like Generation X and Stiff Little Fingers, and distributed the independent 2 Tone Records, founded by Jerry Dammers, which featured bands like the Specials and the Selecter.

Reader's Guide

Chrysalis Records played a pivotal role in the British music scene from the late 1960s through the 1980s, particularly as a home for the new romantic movement. Its success with artists like Jethro Tull, Billy Idol, and Pat Benatar demonstrated its ability to break acts internationally. The label's acquisition by Thorn EMI in the early 1990s and subsequent folding into EMI Records in 2005 marked a shift, but its legacy continued through catalogue reissues and a relaunch in 2020 under Blue Raincoat Music. The label's significance lies in its independent spirit and its roster of influential artists across rock, punk, and new wave genres.

Did You Know?

• The name Chrysalis is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis.
• In 1979, Chrysalis bought and distributed U.S. folk label Takoma Records.
• In 2020, Chrysalis relaunched as a front-line label, signing Laura Marling in partnership with Partisan Records.

Founding & Early Identity

Chrysalis Records was born in 1968 in Britain, emerging from the Ellis-Wright Agency. Its name carries a double meaning: it evokes the pupal stage of a butterfly — a period of transformation before emergence — while also stitching together the first names of its two founders, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. In those early years, the label built its reputation by promoting acts like Jethro Tull, Ten Years After, and Procol Harum. That success attracted a licensing arrangement with Chris Blackwell's Island Records for distribution. When Jethro Tull signed with Reprise in America, the connection opened a door to Warner Bros. Records for U.S. distribution, a partnership that ran from 1972 until 1976. Internationally, PolyGram handled distribution, while Festival Records covered Australia and New Zealand. By the mid-1970s, the roster had grown to include British rockers UFO and Rory Gallagher, and by the late 1970s the label was reaching into the punk world, signing Generation X and Stiff Little Fingers. Its offshoot 2 Tone Records brought in the Specials and the Selecter, broadening the label's sonic palette well beyond its original rock identity.

The 1980s Golden Era

The 1980s stand as Chrysalis's most triumphant decade. The label positioned itself at the heart of Britain's new romantic movement, championing acts like Gen X, Ultravox, and Spandau Ballet. But its reach extended far beyond that scene. In 1979, Chrysalis acquired the U.S. folk label Takoma Records, naming Denny Bruce as president — a move that brought the Fabulous Thunderbirds and T-Bone Burnett into the family. By the early 1980s, the roster had become a who's who of pop and rock: Billy Idol, Pat Benatar, Blondie, and Huey Lewis and the News all called Chrysalis home. After re-establishing its New York presence in 1983, the label broke Huey Lewis and the News, Billy Idol, and Spandau Ballet in the American market, while Pat Benatar sustained chart success across both traditional and dance formats. Chrysalis also distributed Animal Records, the short-lived imprint founded by Blondie guitarist Chris Stein. In 1984, it absorbed Ensign Records — the label Nigel Grainge had launched in 1976 — which would go on to sign The Waterboys, World Party, and Sinéad O'Connor. The Chrysalis family also encompassed Dover Records and the dance label Cooltempo, creating a sprawling multi-genre empire at the peak of its commercial power.

Corporate Ownership & Fragmentation

After its golden era, Chrysalis entered a long period of corporate ownership and institutional change. In 1989, half of the label was sold to Thorn EMI, with the remaining fifty percent following in 1991. The Chrysalis Group, which retained interests in music publishing, radio, and television production, went on to establish new independent labels like Echo and Papillon in the mid-1990s. By 2005, Chrysalis Records was folded entirely into EMI's flagship imprint, EMI Records, with its catalogue and artists — including Starsailor — absorbed into EMI's main labels. The North American catalogue had already been folded into Capitol Records in 2007, and Robbie Williams was transferred to Island Records. In 2010, BMG Rights Management purchased Chrysalis Music's publishing assets and The Echo Label. When Universal Music Group acquired EMI's record labels in 2012, the European Commission required divestiture, and Chrysalis was among the labels offered for sale. Warner Music Group completed its purchase of the Parlophone Label Group, including Chrysalis, in July 2013 for £487 million. Yet even under Warner, the label was soon divested again, as the company continued shedding independent imprints.

The 2020s Renaissance

In May 2016, Blue Raincoat Music's Jeremy Lascelles and Robin Millar led a consortium that purchased Chrysalis from Warner Music Group. The deal carried a poignant personal note: Chris Wright, the label's co-founder and original owner, returned as non-executive chairman — a reunion twenty-seven years after he had sold the company to EMI. In 2018, Blue Raincoat relaunched the Cooltempo label with new releases, and in August 2019, music rights company Reservoir partnered with Blue Raincoat to integrate Chrysalis into its global infrastructure. The true renaissance arrived in February 2020, when Chrysalis relaunched as a front-line label, releasing new music for the first time in over two decades. Its first signing was a co-branded global deal with Partisan Records for British singer-songwriter Laura Marling, whose album Song for Our Daughter debuted in April 2020 to critical acclaim and earned a Mercury Prize nomination. In September 2020, indie singer-songwriter Liz Phair joined the roster, releasing her first album in a decade, Soberish, in 2021. The label also reissued De La Soul's first six albums in early 2023 and released The Endless Coloured Ways, a Nick Drake tribute featuring thirty artists including Fontaines D.C., Feist, and Aurora.

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