The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a record label were issued in 1968, distributed by London Records. From the beginning, Sire introduced underground, progressive British bands to the American market. Early releases included the Climax Blues Band, Barclay James Harvest and proto-punks The Deviants.
In the later 1970s, Sire transformed itself into a successful independent record label and went on to sign artists from the burgeoning punk rock and New Wave scenes, including the Ramones, the Dead Boys and Talking Heads. Sire switched distribution to Warner Bros. Records in 1977; in 1978, Warner would acquire Sire Records. During the 1980s, Sire achieved mainstream status after having launched the recording careers of Madonna, its biggest act; Ice-T; Depeche Mode; Echo & the Bunnymen; and The Cure in North America. Into the 1990s, the label had continued success with Seal; k.d. lang; Tommy Page; and Ministry.
