DRO Records

DRO Records (often referred to simply as DRO) was a Spanish independent record label founded in 1982 by members of the band Aviador Dro. It is one of Spain's first independent record labels. During the 1980s DRO was an important label for independent artists in Spain, especially in Madrid.

DRO
Parent company	Warner Music Group
Founded	1982
Founder	Aviador Dro
Distributor(s)	Pancoca (1982–1983) Grabaciones Accidentales (1983–1984)
Genre	alternative rock
Country of origin	Spain
Location	Madrid

Name

DRO is an acronym which stands for Discos Radioactivos Organizados (English: Organized Radioactive Records).^[1] In the 1990s, the multinational label Eastwest Records acquired DRO. Following the acquisition the label was renamed DRO EastWest.

History

DRO Records was founded in Spain in 1982 by members of the band Aviador Dro.^[2] The label, which was one of the earliest independent labels in Spain, was created in order to give the band the resources to publish their music after being rejected by major labels.^[1] At the time, alternative music was emerging in Spain, especially around Madrid. DRO and other independent labels helped alternative artists distribute their music to wider audiences in the 1980s.^[3] Because of its role as a label for important artists during this time, the label has been called a pioneer of Spanish independent music.^[4] Many of the most successful Spanish artists of the 1980s were signed to DRO.^[5]

In 1983, following the collapse of DRO's distributor, Pancoca, the independent label Grabaciones Accidentales (GASA) began handling DRO's distribution. GASA was absorbed into DRO in the following year.^[6] DRO also acquired another independent label, Twins, in 1989.^[1]

The DRO-GASA group was ultimately acquired by Warner Music Group in 1993 due to financial pressures.^[1] The label current operates as DRO EastWest, SA.

See also

• List of record labels

References

1. Manrique, Diego (12 January 1993). "Warner adquiere la discográfica independiente española DRO". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 January 2014.
2. Godes, Patricia; Arenas, Miguel Ángel (March 1983), "Independientes (II)", Rock Espezial (in Spanish), no. 18, p. 45
3. Hamilton M. Stapell (28 September 2010). Remaking Madrid: Culture, Politics, and Identity After Franco. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-230-11304-6.
4. Nieto, Antonio (18 June 2013). "La música 'indie' encumbra a Xoel López". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 January 2014.
5. Sílvia Martinez; Héctor Fouce (18 July 2013). Made in Spain: Studies in Popular Music. Routledge. p. 192. ISBN 978-1-136-46005-0.
6. Rodríguez, Jesús; Arenas, Miguel Ángel (November 1984), "Los Esclarecidos, Pop ambiental", Rockdelux (in Spanish), no. 1, p. 22