Legacy Recordings

Legacy Recordings is an American record label that is a division of Sony Music. Formed in 1990 after Sony's acquiring of CBS Records, Legacy handles the archives of Sony Music-owned labels Columbia Records, Epic Records, RCA Records, RCA Records Nashville, J Records, Windham Hill Records, Arista, LaFace, Jive, Buddah Records, and Philadelphia International Records. It also handles the catalog of recordings produced by Phil Spector.

This is not to be confused with the defunct British independent label Legacy Records.

Reissues
The Essential series are one-to-two disc compilations of an artist's extensive catalog. On occasion, albums in this series would have a limited edition third disc (Labeled Essential 3.0), or revised to include an artist's newer work (for example The Essential Bob Dylan). As of 2015, several volumes in the Essential series are also available on Vinyl LP.

Launched in 2009, Playlist is a series of single disc compilation albums based on artists' best studio work during their time on one of the Sony labels (for example, the Van Morrison Playlist only contains tracks from the BANG Records sessions), serving as a successor to the previous Super Hits series and a cheaper alternative to the Essential series. A spinoff series, Setlist, features compilations of artists' live performances.

The first several albums come in a special Eco-packet and to save paper, a PDF file is included on the disc, containing photographs, credits, and liner notes. This was met with criticism as the discs were easily scratched. Thus, in recent years, Playlist albums came packaged in standard, white-colored jewel cases.

Reception on the Playlist series varies between editions. See individual pages for more information.

Notable artists

 * Aaliyah
 * Aaron Carter
 * AC/DC
 * Adam Ant
 * Adam Lambert
 * Adele
 * Adema
 * Aerosmith
 * Alan Jackson
 * Alice Cooper
 * Alicia Keys
 * Anasol
 * Avril Lavigne
 * Andy Williams
 * Aretha Franklin
 * Babyface
 * Backstreet Boys
 * Barbra Streisand
 * Bessie Smith
 * Beyoncé
 * Billie Holiday
 * Billy Joel
 * Bing Crosby
 * Blue Öyster Cult
 * Bob Dylan
 * Bob Marley
 * Bone Thugs n Harmony
 * Bonnie Tyler
 * Britney Spears
 * Bruce Springsteen
 * Calvin Harris
 * Carly Simon
 * Cat Stevens
 * Celine Dion
 * Charles Mingus
 * The Charlie Daniels Band
 * Cheap Trick
 * Chet Atkins
 * Chris Brown
 * Christina Aguilera
 * Ciara
 * Clannad
 * Connie Francis
 * Cyndi Lauper
 * Daft Punk
 * Dan Fogelberg
 * Daniel Ingram
 * Dave Brubeck
 * David Bowie
 * David Cassidy
 * David Gilmour
 * Deborah Cox
 * Delta Goodrem
 * Depeche Mode
 * Destiny's Child
 * Diana Ross
 * Dionne Warwick
 * Dolly Parton
 * Donna Summer
 * Donovan
 * Duke Ellington
 * Duran Duran
 * Earth, Wind & Fire
 * Eddie Money
 * Electric Light Orchestra
 * Elvis Presley
 * Etta James
 * Eurythmics
 * Expose
 * Fey
 * Fifth Harmony
 * Fishbone
 * Foo Fighters
 * Frank Sinatra
 * Fred Astaire
 * George Clinton/P-Funk All-Stars
 * George Gershwin
 * George Michael
 * Glenn Miller
 * Gloria Estefan
 * Hall & Oates
 * Harry Nilsson
 * Heart
 * Iggy Pop
 * Iron Maiden
 * James Brown
 * Janis Joplin
 * Jeff Beck
 * Jeff Buckley
 * Jefferson Airplane
 * Jefferson Starship
 * Jennifer Hudson
 * Jennifer Lopez
 * Jessica Simpson
 * Jimi Hendrix
 * Joe Satriani
 * John Denver
 * John Mayer
 * Johnny Cash
 * Johnny Mathis
 * Journey
 * Justin Timberlake
 * Kansas
 * Kate Bush
 * Kelis
 * Kelly Clarkson
 * Kenny G
 * Kenny Loggins
 * Kesha
 * Kris Kristofferson
 * Lauryn Hill
 * Leona Lewis
 * Leonard Cohen
 * Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
 * Loretta Lynn
 * Louis Armstrong
 * Lou Rawls
 * Luther Vandross
 * Mahalia Jackson
 * Mariah Carey
 * Marvin Gaye
 * Mary Chapin Carpenter
 * Men at Work
 * Merle Haggard
 * Michael Jackson
 * Miles Davis
 * Molly Hatchet
 * Motörhead
 * New Kids on the Block
 * Nina Simone
 * NSYNC
 * One Direction
 * Ozzy Osbourne
 * Patti Smith
 * Paul Simon
 * Pearl Jam
 * Perez Prado
 * Peter Tosh
 * Pete Seeger
 * Pink
 * Pink Floyd
 * Poco
 * R. Kelly
 * Rage Against The Machine
 * Rogue Traders
 * REO Speedwagon
 * Ricky Martin
 * Robert Johnson
 * Rod Stewart
 * Roy Orbison
 * Sade
 * Santana
 * Sarah McLachlan
 * Scorpions
 * Shakira
 * Shannon Noll
 * Sia
 * Simon & Garfunkel
 * Slayer
 * Sly and the Family Stone
 * SOiL
 * Stevie Ray Vaughan
 * Susan Boyle
 * Switchfoot
 * System of a Down
 * Taj Mahal
 * Tammy Wynette
 * Taylor Dayne
 * Teddy Pendergrass
 * Teena Marie
 * The Allman Brothers Band
 * The Bangles
 * The Byrds
 * The Clash
 * The Derek Trucks Band
 * The Isley Brothers
 * The Jacksons
 * Thelonious Monk
 * The O'Jays
 * The Stooges
 * TLC
 * Toni Braxton
 * Tony Bennett
 * Tori Amos
 * Toto
 * Usher
 * Van Morrison
 * Vanessa L. Williams
 * Waylon Jennings
 * Weather Report
 * "Weird Al" Yankovic
 * Wham!
 * Whitney Houston
 * Will Smith
 * Willie Nelson
 * Yo-Yo Ma