Warner Music Group (WMG) is one of the four major record labels.
Warner Music Group also has a publishing arm, Warner/Chappell Music, which dates back to 1929, when Jack Warner, president of Warner Bros. Pictures Inc., founded Music Publishers Holding Company ("MPHC") to acquire music copyrights as a means of providing inexpensive music for films. Amongst the historic compositions in which the publishing rights are controlled by WMG are the works of Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. Its printed music operation, Warner Bros. Publications, was sold to Alfred Publishing on 2005-06-01.
WMG's roots in what became Time Warner date back to the founding of Warner Bros. Records as a division of the Warner Bros. movie studio in 1958. After Warner Bros. became Warner Bros.-Seven Arts in 1967, it purchased Atlantic Records, now WMG's oldest label. When its successor Kinney National Company bought Elektra Records in 1970 and then became Warner Communications in 1972, it assembled the three labels into a group then known as WEA (Warner-Elektra-Atlantic); that name was also used as a label outside the U.S. (WMG's current logo is the former Warner Communications logo). In 1987, it was announced that Warner Communications were to merge with Time Inc. to form Time Warner.
Time Warner sold the company in late 2003 to a group of investors led by Edgar Bronfman, Jr. for $2.6 billion. Time Warner was reportedly attempting to reduce its debt load. This spinoff was completed on February 27, 2004. In the 2004 transition to independent ownership, WMG hired record industry heavyweight Lyor Cohen from Universal Music Group to attempt to reduce cost and increase performance.
On May 5, 2006, WMG apparently rejected a buyout offer from EMI[1]. Then WMG offered to buy EMI and it also rejected the offer. The two companies are still in talks about a potential merger. The headquarters are located at 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104. It is interesting to note that Time Warner may still have some ownership of Warner music because WMG does not license its trademarks from its former parent company.

List of Warner labels

143 Records—founded in 1994 by David Foster.
Atlantic Records—founded in 1947 by Ahmet Ertegün and Herb Abramson.
Bad Boy Records—founded in 1993 by Sean "Diddy" Combs.
Elektra Records—founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman.
Lava Records—founded in 1995 by Jason Flom
Roadrunner Records—founded in 1980 by Cees Wessels. Atlantic Records Group

Asylum Records—founded in 1971 by David Geffen.
East West Records—founded in 1955 (today serves as an umbrella label for various indie labels.)

• Adeline Records
  Better Looking Records
  The Bevonshire Label
  Born & Bred Records
  Broken English
  Floodgate Records
  Liberty & Lament
  Montalban Hotel
  One Eleven Records
  Perfect Game Recording Co.
  Tent Show
  Triple Crown Records
  Volcom Entertainment
  We Put Out Records
  Rhymesayers Entertainment
  Eleven: A Music Company Independent Label Group
  
  Atco Records
  Rhino Records
  Rhino Home Video
  Warner Custom Products
  Warner Music Group Soundtracks
  WMG Film, Television & Commercial Licensing Rhino Entertainment Company
  
  Rykodisc Records
  Ryko Distribution
  Cordless Recordings Ryko Corporation
  
  Warner Bros. Records—launched by Warner Bros. Pictures in 1958.
  Blacksmith Records—founded by Talib Kweli in 2005.
  Maverick Records—founded by Freddy DeMann and Madonna in 1991.
  Nonesuch Records—founded by Jac Holzman in 1964.
  Reprise Records—founded by Frank Sinatra in 1960
  RuffNation Records
  Sire Records—founded by Seymour Stein in 1966.
  Word Entertainment
  
  
  
  • Squint Entertainment
    Word Label Group
    Word Records— founded by Jarrell McCracken in 1951
    Word Publishing
    Word Distribution
    Word Music Warner Bros. Records Inc.
    WEA International Inc. has divisions worldwide such as Australia, Japan and all over Europe. These branches are usually called Warner Music followed by the name of the country. Some labels have more than one record company for example the UK has Warner Bros. UK and Atlantic UK.
    
    Warner Music UK
    
    
    
    • Warner Bros. Records UK
      Atlantic Records UK
      London Records (originally the U.S. label for Decca)
      679 Recordings
      Warner Music Gallo Africa
      
      
      
      • Gallo Record Company—the largest South African record label
        1967 Ltd
        
        
        
        • Must Destroy Records (distribution)
          The Beats (labels deal)
          WSM (warner.esp) WEA International Inc.
          
          Chiyun Records
          Vice Records
          Lightyear Entertainment
          Sub Pop
          New Line Records
          Green label records
          SaraBellum Records
          VMG Recordings
          Teleprompt Records
          Rhymesayers Entertainment
          Alternative Distribution Alliance (a joint venture with Warner Bros. Records and Sub Pop)