Warner Music Australia
Warner Music Australia Pty Limited (WMA) is the Australian division of the Warner Music Group. WMA also distributes in New Zealand. History. In 1969, Warner Bros. Records branched out and WEA was born. The first country in which it was established in was Canada, with the second being Australia. Paul Turner began the Australian operation in July 1970, with five staff members. The official opening was held at Menzies Hotel, Sydney, on 1 October 1970. The company was then based in Riley Street, Darlinghurst, and had three major labels, Warner Bros. Records, Elektra Records and Atlantic Records . A year later Warner Bros. Records worldwide (including Australia) changed its name to Kinney Music. The monopoly laws in America at the time did not allow the three labels to trade as one, and so the umbrella name of Kinney Music came into being. For the first two years, the Australian Record Company (ARC), now known as Sony Music, handled the Australian distribution. Turner's budgeted income for the first year was one million dollars. That was achieved in seven months, with the first year's sales being just under two million dollars. By the 1 October 1972, US monopoly  laws had also changed and WEA (the first initial of each of the three main labels) was born. From that time, WEA Australia had its own sales and distribution arm. Adding a warehouse to the offices forced a change of location to George Place, in the Sydney suburb of Artarmon. WEA became a major player in the Australian recording industry, through international successes of artists such as Fleetwood Mac, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin and The Doors. The company was renamed Warner Music Australia in 1990 and split into two divisions – WEA and East-West Records. More focus was  being placed on domestic signings, and phenomenal success was achieved with acts such as INXS, Cold Chisel, 1927, and Jenny Morris. In the mid-to-late 1990s, Warner Music also invested in Brisbane bands Regurgitator and Pretty Violet Stain, when Brisbane music was becoming more popular. Regurgitator became Warner Music's first direct signing and remained with the company until 2004. In 2005, Sire Records invested in Brisbane band The Veronicas, who went straight to number 2 with their debut single "4 Ever" and the album "The Secret Life of the Veronicas". Later that year, Warner Music Australia bought out  Festival-Mushroom Records for only $12 million and closed the label down, while retaining the use of the Mushroom label for a couple of acts such as Eskimo Joe and Gabriella Cilmi (who was subsequently became one of the first Australian acts to be signed to Island Records). , the company has continued with artists such as Kerser, Lisa Mitchell, the New Zealand band Evermore, Kylie Minogue, and newly signed Brisbane act, Dead Letter Circus. Warner Music also invested heavily in producers such as Brittany Coney, Cam Noble, Kill Paris, ShockOne and Matt Lange. Warner Vision Australia. "Warner Vision Australia , a company of Warner Music Australasia", released a series of VHS and DVD on the "History of the Olympic Games": "Warner Music Vision Australia" released a series of DVDs as a joint-venue with the Nine Network: