RCA Records is one of the oldest, and most successful, record companies in existence.
Its origins go back to 1901, when its precursor, the Victor Talking Machine Company, went into business. Victor became a leading manufacturer of both phonographs and the records that played on them; the record label's roster included such prominent names as Enrico Caruso and Paul Whiteman. In 1929, Victor was acquired by the Radio Corporation of America, and the main pop label housed names such as Rudy Vallee and the first records of Bing Crosby as a solo singer, while Bluebird was launched as a budget label in 1932. In 1946, the Victor label was renamed RCA Victor.
In 1949, RCA introduced the 7-inch record as both a successor to older 78 rpm discs and a competitor to Columbia Records' Long Play (LP) format. RCA's attempts at pushing 7-inch albums (which collected multiple discs like 78 rpm albums) fell flat, with customers overwhelmingly preferring the LP for that niche, but the 7-inch would remain standard for single releases until the advent of 12-inch, cassette, and CD singles starting in The '80s. On the flipside, RCA would be quick to jump on the Compact Disc bandwagon that decade, releasing albums on the format as soon as it became available outside of Japan.
In The '50s, RCA helped usher in the Rock & Roll era by signing Elvis Presley. RCA's other major artists over the years include Jefferson Airplane, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Kelly Clarkson, and Foo Fighters, among many others. The RCA label is currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, along with its longtime competitor Columbia.
RCA Records performers, past and present, with TV Tropes pages:
- ABBA (Latin America, Australia/New Zealand)
- Christina Aguilera
- Alabama
- Alvin and the Chipmunks
- Paul Anka
- Anti-Flag
- Louis Armstrong
- A$AP Rocky
- Rick Astley
- Backstreet Boys
- Harry Belafonte
- Clint Black
- Bob & Ray
- Michael Bolton (released his first two albums on RCA under his real name, Michael Bolotin)
- David Bowienote
- Brandy
- Bring Me the Horizon
- BROCKHAMPTON
- Garth Brooks
- Kane Brown
- Alexandra Burke
- Tracy Byrd
- Cage the Elephant
- David Cassidy
- Childish Gambino
- CLANNAD
- Kelly Clarkson
- Sam Cooke
- Elvis Costello and the Attractions (some European releases)
- Bing Crosby
- Miley Cyrus
- Rodney Dangerfield
- Daughtry
- Deep Purple
- John Denver
- Depeche Mode (Spain only)
- Bo Diddley
- Doja Cat
- Donovan
- Hilary Duff
- Duke Ellington
- Eurythmics
- Sara Evans
- Eve 6
- The Everly Brothers
- Paloma Faith
- Marianne Faithfull
- Fergie
- Rebecca Ferguson
- Eddie Fisher
- Foo Fighters
- Lita Ford
- Jamie Foxx
- Aretha Franklin
- G-Eazy
- Vince Gill
- Dizzy Gillespie
- David Gray (US & Canada only)
- Lorne Greene
- Merv Griffin
- The Guess Who
- Daryl Hall & John Oates
- Tom T. Hall
- Coleman Hawkins
- Hawkwind
- Helloween
- Horslips
- Whitney Houston
- Jennifer Hudson
- Enrique Iglesias
- The Isley Brothers
- Etta James
- Jan and Dean
- Jefferson Airplane
- Waylon Jennings
- Jimmy Eat World
- George Jones
- Spike Jones
- The Judds
- R. Kelly
- Kesha
- Alicia Keys
- Khalid
- Carole King
- Martin Luther King Jr.note
- Kings of Leon
- The Kinks
- Eartha Kitt
- Adam Lambert
- Miranda Lambert
- Avril Lavigne
- Lead Belly
- Annie Lennox
- Little Richard
- Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit (Some European releases)
- Jeanette MacDonald
- Henry Mancini
- Barry Manilow
- Dave Matthews Band
- Martina McBride
- Sarah McLachlan
- Miguel
- Glenn Miller
- Ronnie Milsap
- Carmen Miranda
- MØ
- Monica
- The Monkees (except for the USA, where they were on the RCA-distributed Colgems label)
- Little Mix (from 2018-Onwards)
- Lorrie Morgan
- Ennio Morricone
- Giorgio Moroder
- Morrissey (UK & Europe only)
- Willie Nelson
- Harry Nilsson
- Klaus Nomi
- *NSYNC
- The Nutty Squirrels (one single in 1964)
- The Oak Ridge Boys
- Old Dominion
- Roy Orbison
- Jake Owen
- Dolly Parton
- Pentatonix
- P!nk
- Pitbull
- Iggy Pop
- Pop Will Eat Itself
- Elvis Presley
- Charley Pride
- Lou Reed
- Django Reinhardt
- Renaissance (Some European releases)
- Restless Heart
- Jimmie Rodgers (through Victor)
- Kenny Rogers
- Roy Rogers
- Mark Ronson
- Nicole Scherzinger
- Scorpions
- Gil Scott-Heron
- The Searchers
- Neil Sedaka
- The Shaggs
- Shakira
- Shenandoah
- Dinah Shore
- Sia (outside Australia and New Zealand)
- Nina Simone
- Nancy Sinatra
- Sparks
- Britney Spears
- Rick Springfield
- Ringo Starr
- Steeleye Span (UK only)
- Ray Stevens
- Al Stewart (outside the USA & Canada)
- John Stewart
- The Strokes (everywhere except the UK)
- Sweet (UK & Europe only)
- SZA
- T-Pain
- Three Days Grace
- Justin Timberlake
- Tinashe
- Aaron Tippin
- Allen Toussaint (as "Tousan")
- A Tribe Called Quest
- Bonnie Tyler
- Usher
- Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (as "The Four Lovers")
- Vertical Horizon
- Diana Vickers
- Village People
- Walk the Moon
- Fats Waller
- War (band)
- Steve Wariner
- John Wayne
- Keith Whitley
- Wolf Alice (US & Canada only)
- Wu-Tang Clan
- Peter Wyngarde
- "Weird Al" Yankovic
- Yazoo (Spain only)
- Trisha Yearwood
- Chris Young
- Zayn
- ZZ Top
RCA Records performers licensed from Dunhill Records
Between 1965 and 1970, RCA was the Canadian and European licensee for American label Dunhill Records. Artists released on RCA under that arrangement include:- Barry Gordon (Canada only)
- Richard Harris
- The Mamas & the Papas
- Steppenwolf
- Van der Graaf Generator (Canada only)
