Virgin Records, Ltd. was a
British record label founded by English entrepreneur
Richard Branson, Simon Draper,
Nik Powell and
Tom Newman in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as
Roy Orbison,
Devo,
Genesis,
Keith Richards,
Janet Jackson,
the Human League,
Culture Club,
Simple Minds,
Lenny Kravitz,
dc Talk,
the Smashing Pumpkins,
Mike Oldfield,
Spice Girls and more on their list of artists. It was later sold to
Thorn EMI in 1992.