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Sire Records, a subsidiary of the Creator/WarnerMusicGroup, is one of the music industry's leading AlternativeRock labels.

Founded in 1966 by Seymour Stein (who ran the company until 2018; he died in 2023) and RecordProducer Richard Gottehrer, Sire's specialty during its first decade was signing British and European PsychedelicRock and ProgressiveRock bands who'd been passed over by other American record companies. The most prominent groups from this era include Music/{{Renaissance}}, Focus (who gave the label its first Top 10 hit with "Hocus Pocus") and Climax Blues Band. The company also became noted for its reissue series, "The Vintage Years" and "The Immediate Story".

However, Sire's focus started to change when they signed the Music/{{Ramones}} in 1976. By 1977, when Sire got a distribution deal with Creator/WarnerBrosRecords (Warner would purchase the label outright a year later), they'd switched their emphasis to PunkRock, NewWaveMusic and later AlternativeRock. Their roster came to include Music/TalkingHeads, Music/{{Pretenders}}, Music/TheSmiths, Music/TheReplacements and Music/{{Ministry}}; also, a licensing deal with Creator/MuteRecords gave them rights to AlternativeDance stars Music/DepecheMode, Music/{{Yazoo}} and Music/{{Erasure}} (all three of whom were co-founded by songwriter Vince Clarke) in the US and Canada. However, this didn't stop them from signing non-punkers like rapper Music/IceT -- or Music/{{Madonna}}, who soon became Sire's most successful act.

!!Sire Records performers, past and present, with Website/TVTropes pages:
[[index]]
* Music/AgainstMe
* Music/AphexTwin*
* Music/TheAssociates*
* Music/TheAvalanches*
* Music/{{Belly|Band}}*
* Creator/JulieBrown
* Music/DavidByrne[[note]]By themselves from 1981 to 1988 and in partnership with Luaka Bop from 1988 to 1994.[[/note]]
* Music/TheCult*
* Music/{{The Cure|Band}}*
* Music/{{Deadsy}}
* Music/DepecheMode*[[note]]plus Mexico[[/note]]
* Music/DinosaurJr*[[note]]rights now owned by Cherry Red Records[[/note]]
* Music/EchoAndTheBunnymen*
* Music/{{Erasure}}*[[note]]plus Mexico[[/note]]
* Music/{{Falco}}
* Music/{{Haddaway}}
* [[Music/{{Blondie|Band}} Deborah Harry]]
* Music/CoreyHart
* Music/HarveyDanger
* Music/{{Hawkwind}}*
* Music/{{HIM}}
* Music/TheHives*
* Music/HotHotHeat
* Music/IceT
** Music/BodyCount
* Music/JacksMannequin
* Music/KidCreoleAndTheCoconuts*
* Music/CyndiLauper
* Music/LessThanJake
* Music/JerryLeeLewis
* Music/{{Lights}}
* Music/{{Madness|Band}}*
* Music/{{Madonna}}
* Music/MenWithoutHats [[note]]Canada only[[/note]]
* Music/{{Ministry}}
* Music/MyBloodyValentine*
* Music/NeverShoutNever
* Music/KyaryPamyuPamyu
* Music/PetShopBoys*
* Music/{{Pretenders}}*
* Music/PrimalScream*
* Music/{{Ramones}}
* Music/TheReadySet
* Music/LouReed
* Music/{{Renaissance}}*
* Music/TheReplacements
* Music/{{Ride}}
* Music/TheSearchers
* Music/SilversunPickups [[note]]international license[[/note]]
* Music/SimpleMinds [[note]]As with Men Without Hats, Canada only[[/note]]
* Music/PattiSmith[[note]]A reissue of her self-released debut single "Piss Factory"[[/note]]
* Music/TheSmiths*
** Music/JohnnyMarr*
** Music/{{Morrissey}}*
* Music/SoftCell*
* Music/ReginaSpektor
* Music/TalkingHeads*[[note]]International distribution of their first five albums and initial live album was handled by Sire themselves, but the band shifted over to Creator/{{EMI}} in 1984; EMI would distribute the band's later material and the 2005 remasters outside of the US and Canada until their dissolution in 2012, after which the band's catalog would shift to Creator/ParlophoneRecords for international territories.[[/note]]
* Music/TeganAndSara
* Music/ThrowingMuses*[[note]]North American rights now owned by Swedish(!) indie Woah Dad![[/note]]
* Music/TomTomClub*
* Music/TheTragicallyHip
* Music/UncleTupelo
* Music/{{Underworld|Band}}
* Music/TheVelvetUnderground
* Music/TheVeronicas
* Music/{{Wilco}}
* Music/BrianWilson
* Music/{{Yazoo}}*[[note]]plus Mexico[[/note]]
[[/index]]

!!Performers that Sire reissued as part of The Vintage Years series:
[[index]]
* Music/PaulAnka
* Music/FleetwoodMac
* Music/ThePrettyThings
[[/index]]

!!Performers that Sire reissued as part of The Immediate Story series:
[[index]]
* Music/TheSmallFaces
[[/index]]

[=*=] Signed in the US and Canada only
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