AC/DC Record Label: Who Are They Signed To? 2024 Deal Info & Past Contracts

Curious about what record label AC/DC is signed to?

Want to know all about past deals, releases, net worth, and Their masters ownership? 

Whether you are an artist yourself, hoping to follow in AC/DC's footsteps, or you are a curious music lover…

You're in the right place!

In this post, we are exploring all of that and more, so scroll on 🙂 …

Who Are AC/DC Signed To?

Columbia Records:

AC/DC is signed to Columbia Records, which released their latest album, “Power Up” on October 7, 2020. The album was dedicated to former band member Malcolm Young, just as their previous album, “Back in Black” was dedicated to Bon Scott.

Artist Background: AC/DC's Previous Record Labels & Contracts

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In 1976, AC/DC and Atlantic Records signed a global contract. However, when the band arrived in London for their tour with Back Street Crawler, Paul Kossoff's passing meant their plans had to be postponed.

To continue building a fanbase, they returned to local venues. Eventually, the label organized the “Lock Up Your Daughters” tour, supported by Sounds magazine, the only publication still open to classic rock music.

With the emergence of punk rock, the two major British music magazines, Melody Maker and NME, changed their focus. In 2002, AC/DC and

Awards: AC/DC's Achievements

The hard rock group AC/DC was founded in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young in Sydney, Australia. Although the group is regarded as a heavy metal pioneer, its members have always referred to their music as “rock ‘n' roll.”

Before releasing their debut album, High Voltage, in 1975, AC/DC suffered a number of line-up changes. Up until Mark Evans' replacement as bassist by Cliff Williams in 1977, the lineup remained same.

The band recorded their hugely popular album Highway to Hell in 1979. “Rock ‘N Roll Train,” the album's lead song, helped AC/DC secure a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Group or Duo with Vocals.

“War Machine,” another Black Ice song, helped AC/DC win their first Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.

The music of AC/DC has been nominated for various awards events between 1982 and 1991. The band was nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group at the American Music Awards.

The group garnered numerous Grammy nominations, including Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance for “Blow Up Your Video” in 1989 and Best Hard Rock Performance for three songs over the course of three distinct years: “The Razors Edge” in 1991, “Moneytalks” in 1992, and “Highway To Hell” in 1994.

The group was nominated for Best Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Video at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards for the song “Thunderstruck.”

How Did AC/DC Get Famous?

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Prior to releasing their first album, High Voltage, in 1975, AC/DC experienced multiple lineup changes. The band was eventually comprised of the Young brothers, Bon Scott, Phil Rudd, and Mark Evans.

However, Evans was removed in 1977 and Cliff Williams took his place. Ever since 1978's Powerage, Williams has been a part of every AC/DC album. Sadly, seven months after the release of their record Highway to Hell, Scott passed away due to acute alcohol poisoning.

The band was close to breaking up, but the family of Scott urged them to continue, leading to the

Does AC/DC Write Their Own Songs?

Bon Scott was seen by many as a risk-taker due to his penchant for adding racy lyrics to the songs he wrote for ACDC. Angus and Malcolm Young would create the riffs and chords for their songs, then invite Bon to add the lyrics.

In recognition of his contribution, the composition credits on each ACDC single read B SCOTT, A YOUNG, and M YOUNG.

As an Australian, I remember buying ACDC singles in the late 1970s. Even after Bon Scott's death in February 1980, when Brian Johnson took over as lead singer, the writing credits

What is AC/DC's Net Worth?

The Australian rock group AC/DC is thought to be worth $380 million. AC/DC albums have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time.

They have completed numerous concert tours across the globe and their songs have topped the hit lists.

The only original band member who is still with the group is Angus. Malcolm, meanwhile, took a vacation from the music business in 2014 owing to illness.

Other Artists Signed To Columbia Records

• Adele
• Beyonce
• Blink-182
• Calvin Harris
• Polo G
• George Ezra
• Tyga
• Tyler The Creator
• and many more are under Columbia Records

Does AC/DC Own Their Masters?

In 2002, Sony took advantage of a unique chance. The back catalogues of the best-selling classic rock performers belong to record labels. However, AC/DC regained control of its master recordings after a contract renegotiation with Warner Music more than ten years ago, and the band has since licensed those recordings to the label.

That agreement ends at the end of this year for the majority of the songs. The band's contract was about to expire, and two officials at Sony's Epic Records who had previously dealt with AC/DC were aware of this.

Around that time, Sony secretly started contract negotiations with the group. After 20 years, this might not be the case now. However, we do not have information about their masters at this time. We will update this once we find further information about the matter.

The Wrap Up

There you have it!

I'm curious, was that what you expected from AC/DC? Let me know in the comment section…

To stay up to date with AC/DC be sure to follow the official AC/DC Twitter Page and the AC/DC YouTube Channel for all of the latest AC/DC events!

Record labels can be very complicated, and there are so many different types of record deals and contracts to be aware of.

If you are an artist yourself, exploring possible options for your career, you might wanna check out our example record deal contracts to stay in the know – record label scams are rampant in the industry, sadly.

Not surprisingly, many artists are choosing to stay independent and start an independent record label – we at Industry Hackerz are ALL for that; whatever route gets you to where you want to go!

We also have free music licensing templates that you can download and use if you do go that route; protect yourself, always.

You might also like to check out the contract status of these other prominent artists:

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