Essential Records

Essential Records is a Contemporary Christian record label based in Franklin, Tennessee. It is a division of a major label, Sony Music Entertainment. It was established in 1992 and acquired by Brentwood Music in 1993. The label's first big hit release was Flood by Jars of Clay in 1996. The song was a hit on mainstream radio before hitting on Christian formats; it hit #12 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and appeared in the Hot 100. Today it is part of the Provident Label Group, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. The current roster of artists, updated November 1, 2011: