Zoo Entertainment (record label)

Zoo Entertainment
Zoo Entertainment
Parent company	BMG (1991-1996); Volcano (1996-1997); Sony Music Entertainment (current)
Founded	1990; 35 years ago
Founder	Lou Maglia
Status	Defunct since 1997
Distributor(s)	Volcano
Genre	Alternative rock
Country of origin	United States
Location	Los Angeles (1991-1996); New York City (1996-1997)

Zoo Entertainment was an American record label formed in 1990 by Lou Maglia. Zoo released three platinum records by the group Tool, as well as gold records by Green Jellÿ and Matthew Sweet. During the record company's early years, music industry executive George Daly was the label's original Vice President of A&R.

History

The label was formed in 1990 by Lou Maglia, former president of Island Records. As early as 1993, Zoo was having financial difficulties.^[2] The record label also distributed Gamble & Huff's Philadelphia International Records for a short time. Being its distributor, the late Phyllis Hyman enjoyed a #1 R&B hit with "Don't Wanna Change The World," a song that was taken to US radio by radio promoter Jesus Garber, then a VP at Zoo.

In 1995, BMG reduced the staff at Zoo, foreshadowing problems for the label.^[3]

In August 1996, BMG sold Zoo to Kevin Czinger's newly formed Volcano Entertainment.^[1] It began as a partnership between the two labels, but by the end of 1997 the Zoo name had been phased out. All of Zoo's artists were absorbed by the new Volcano imprint. Volcano went through changes and was eventually sold to the Zomba Label Group in the spring of 1998. When Zomba was purchased by BMG in 2002, any remaining Zoo artists were returned to the BMG fold. BMG's assets were sold in 2008 to Sony Corporation of America and the back catalog is now handled by Sony Music Group through Volcano.