Virgin Records

Virgin Records Ltd
Virgin Records Ltd
Parent company	Universal Music Group (2012–present); Previously; Thorn EMI (1992–1996); EMI (1996–2012); Warner Music Group (2013–present; European back catalogue except for UK);
Founded	Virgin Records Ltd.; 1972; Virgin France SA; 1980; Virgin Records America, Inc.; 1986;
Founder	Richard Branson; Simon Draper; Nik Powell; Tom Newman;
Defunct	2013 (original, United Kingdom/British branch)
Distributors	EMI (United Kingdom); Virgin Music Group (US and selected territories); Universal Music Group (outside the UK, the US and selected territories);
Genre	Various
Country of origin	United Kingdom

Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. They grew to be a worldwide success over time, meaning that by the time it was sold, it was regarded as a major label, alongside other large international independents such as A&M and Island Records.

Virgin Records was sold to Thorn EMI in 1992. EMI would later be acquired by Universal Music Group (UMG) in 2012 with UMG creating the Virgin EMI Records division. The Virgin Records name continues to be used by UMG in certain markets such as Germany and Japan.