Claim: Avril Lavigne was signed to a record label.

Arista Records , Inc. . -LSB- ˈɛ.rɪ.stə -RSB- was a major American record label . It was a wholly owned unit of Sony Music Entertainment and was previously handled by Bertelsmann Music Group . The company operated under the RCA Music Group until 2011 . The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis , who formerly worked for CBS Records -LRB- which would become Sony Music Entertainment -RRB- . Until its demise in 2011 , it was a major distributor and promoter of albums throughout the United States and United Kingdom .   Today , the label 's reissues and catalogue releases are handled by RCA Records and Legacy Recordings .