Sire Records
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Sire Records was an American record label. It was founded in 1966 by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer. After a brief period of distribution by ABC Records, Sire joined the Warner Music Group in 1976 (his owner is Warner Bros. Records). Stein left to head Elektra Records, but returned in 1998. In 2000 the label merged with London Records to form Sire London Records.
Stein is credited for starting the professional career of Madonna when he signed her in 1982. In 1987, Ice T's first album appeared on Sire Records.
The label was also home to such famous bands as The Pretenders, The Ramones, Depeche Mode, The Smiths, Talking Heads, The Distillers, The Von Bondies, and Less Than Jake.