Upside Records

Upside Records was a British independent record label associated with the pop-dance group Clea. The available reference material presents the label primarily as a specially created outlet through which Clea continued releasing music after the group was dropped by 1967 Records in late 2004. This places Upside Records within the early-2000s UK independent pop ecosystem, where management companies and small labels were sometimes used to maintain releases for acts that had lost support from a larger label structure. Clea originated from the 2002 television programme Popstars: The Rivals. After the members were eliminated from the competition, Chloe Morgan, Lynsey Brown, Emma Beard and Aimee Kearsley formed the group. Their initial management arrangement was with Upside Management, while their recording contract was with 1967 Records, a Warner-affiliated label. Clea released the singles “Download It” in 2003 and “Stuck in the Middle” in 2004, followed by the album Identity Crisis in selected international territories. When the group’s commercial performance did not meet expectations, 1967 Records dropped them in late 2004. Clea remained under Upside Management and subsequently released music independently through a label created for that purpose, identified in the source material as Upside Records. The label’s best-documented release is Trinity, Clea’s second album and first album issued in the United Kingdom, released on 3 July 2006 through Upside Records. The group also released “Lucky Like That” in June 2006 and later issued a European double A-side pairing of “Stuck in the Middle” and “I Surrender.” Clea continued touring in Europe and Asia, including activity in Scandinavia and China, and later signed with EMI China for regional releases and appearances. These activities indicate that Upside Records functioned less like a broad multi-artist catalogue label and more like an artist-focused independent imprint supporting Clea’s continued recording and international promotion. No reliable information in the supplied material establishes Upside Records’ incorporation date, legal ownership, wider artist roster, distribution infrastructure, headquarters, current operations or formal closure. The label is therefore best described as a historically documented independent imprint whose public profile is closely tied to Clea’s releases during the middle of the 2000s. Its known significance lies in enabling the group to continue releasing material after departure from a Warner-associated label, rather than in a documented large-scale commercial catalogue.

The documented history of Upside Records is closely linked to Clea, an English girl group formed after the members appeared on Popstars: The Rivals in 2002. Clea initially worked with Upside Management, which was established by former BMG and Sony employees Denise Beighton and Simon Jones. The group separately signed with 1967 Records, a Warner offshoot, and released its first two UK singles through that arrangement: “Download It” in 2003 and “Stuck in the Middle” in February 2004. Clea’s debut album, Identity Crisis, was released in Russia, Eastern Europe and selected Asian markets. The group developed some interest in those territories but did not achieve sufficient commercial success to retain its contract, and 1967 Records dropped the act in late 2004. Clea remained managed by Upside Management and continued working independently. A label was created specifically to support the group’s subsequent releases, and this imprint was identified as Upside Records. The label’s main documented release was Trinity, issued on 3 July 2006. It was Clea’s second album overall and its first UK album. The release followed the group’s June 2006 single “Lucky Like That,” which reached number 55 on the UK Singles Chart according to the cited group history. Earlier, in September 2005, Clea had released a dance cover of “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off” with production group Da Playaz; that single reached number 35 in the UK, although the supplied material does not clearly identify it as an Upside Records release. After the 2006 album, Clea released a European double A-side consisting of “Stuck in the Middle” and “I Surrender,” toured Europe and Asia, and signed with EMI China for Chinese activity. The available material does not establish whether Upside Records remained involved in those later releases, nor does it document additional artists, a distribution agreement, a corporate parent or a formal end date. Consequently, Upside Records is best understood as a small, artist-centered independent imprint created to preserve Clea’s recording activity after the group’s departure from 1967 Records. Its documented catalogue and public identity are substantially narrower than those of a major multi-artist label.

• 2007

  Clea expands touring and regional activity

  [1]Clea (group)en.wikipedia.org

  Clea continued touring in Europe and Asia, including Scandinavia and China, after the label’s principal documented album release.

• 2006

  Trinity is released through Upside Records

  [1]Clea (group)en.wikipedia.org

  Upside Records issued Trinity, Clea’s second album and first album released in the United Kingdom.

• 2005

  Clea returns with an independent release

  [1]Clea (group)en.wikipedia.org

  Clea released a dance version of “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off” with Da Playaz, marking the group’s activity after its major-label departure.

• 2004

  Clea leaves 1967 Records

  [1]Clea (group)en.wikipedia.org

  After the limited commercial performance of Identity Crisis in selected international markets, Clea was dropped by 1967 Records. The group continued under Upside Management and moved toward independent releases.

Artist-focused British independent pop-dance imprint supporting Clea's post-major-label releases and international activity.

• Album · 2006

  Trinity

  Trinity was Clea’s second album overall and the first Clea album released in the United Kingdom. It was issued through Upside Records on 3 July 2006, following the group’s transition from its earlier Warner-associated recording arrangement to an independent release structure.

• Single · 2006

  Lucky Like That

  “Lucky Like That” was a Clea single released in June 2006 during the period in which the group was operating through its independent label arrangement. The track reached number 55 on the UK Singles Chart, according to the supplied reference material.

• Double A-side single · 2007

  Stuck in the Middle/I Surrender

  This European double A-side release paired Clea’s earlier song “Stuck in the Middle” with “I Surrender.” It formed part of the group’s post-album international activity, although the available source does not specify the precise label or distribution arrangements for every territory.

• 2004

  Move Clea to an independent label structureStrategy

  Background

  Clea was dropped by 1967 Records after Identity Crisis failed to achieve sufficient commercial results in its target territories.

  Action taken

  While remaining with Upside Management, the group continued releasing music independently through a specially created label identified as Upside Records.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement produced the UK album Trinity in 2006 and supported further European and Asian activity, but the supplied material does not document the label’s later status.

  Source

1. 1Clea (group)en.wikipedia.org