In celebration of the 60th Anniversary of Elektra Records, the label has launched Elektra60.com, an innovative, interactive digital experience that tells the stories of the legendary artists, the music, and the culture that have defined the label over the past six decades. Conceived and curated by Elektra founder Jac Holzman, who currently serves as a Senior Advisor to Warner Music Group Chairman and CEO, Edgar Bronfman, Jr., Elektra60.com draws on the label’s rich archives to create a unique, ever-evolving experience designed to reward deep and repeated exploration.
The launching pad and central feature of Elektra60.com is a dramatic, user-controlled Timeline that traces the history of the company from its beginnings in 1950 to the present day, highlighting nearly 100 significant artists. Searchable by year and by artist, the Timeline incorporates streaming audio, multiple images, video content, and historical information. As the viewer scrolls along the Timeline, various elements relating to each year and each artist float to the surface. The Timeline provides multiple portals into the full site, where visitors can further investigate the Elektra story. The full Elektra60.com site will feature a continually growing, expanding array of content, combined with opportunities for viewer commentary and participation.
Commenting on the launch of Elektra60.com, Jac Holzman noted: “Breaking from the valid and understandable anniversary traditions of the past, we decided to celebrate Elektra on the Web, the connective community of our age. This is a unique, ever-changing party to which everyone is invited and encouraged to participate. It was modeled on a world’s fair, where a visitor can walk down the center promenade and take in the sights and sounds, and step into multiple pavilions for more enriching experiences. Elektra60.com is a living, breathing site that will continue to evolve over the upcoming weeks and months, as fresh content is added and new paths revealed. We hope to inspire a sense of wonder and discovery, as the label itself has strived to do for the past six decades.”
At launch, among the site’s many features are areas devoted to: Essential Elektra Artists (including bios and photo galleries); Elektra Chief Executives And The Artists They Signed (a chronology); Dreams Of Vinyl – the story of the LP by Jac Holzman; Doors From The Inside – six 45-minute audio excerpts from Holzman’s acclaimed 1988 Doors radio series; Rubaiyat – Elektra’s 40th Anniversary collection (1990) featuring then-current Elektra artists covering songs from the Elektra catalog; The Zodiac: Cosmic Sounds – the legendary psychedelic concept album revolving around the signs of the Zodiac; and a Discussion Forum for comments and dialog relating to the Timeline.
