Picap > The record label
Picap record label was founded in 1984 by Joan Carles Doval, a longstanding professional with a proven track record in the music sector and the record business in particular (awarded with "Creu de Sant Jordi" [wich recognizes for their merits people or entities that have provided outstanding services to Catalonia in defense of its identity or in the civic and cultural plan, awarded by the Department of the Presidency of the Government of Catlonia] in 2022 due to this important task). The label was created with the goal of producing and releasing the work of top-quality artists in a wide variety of music genres, mainly from the Catalan-speaking world, but also from other cultures.
Picap opened for business in March 1984 and over the years it has remained faithful to its founding principle: mainly supporting artists, performers, authors and composers from this country and who express themselves in Catalan, while remaining fully open to promoting artists who do so in a different language.
The label has gained the recognition of several public media companies and institutions, and above all that of the general public, whose appetite for the music released by Picap over the years has enabled it to approach the dawn of its fourth decade in robust health.
In 2007, with the goal of preserving Catalonia’s music heritage, Picap acquired the catalogues of the Edigsa and PDI labels, which together with its previous purchase of the Als Quatre Vents back catalogue means that Picap now boasts an unrivalled catalogue of Catalan music.
The artists and groups in the Picap stable include, among others, Raimon, Maria del Mar Bonet, Sau, Sangtraït, Blaumut, 31 FAM, Sexenni, Júlia Blum, Flashy Ice Cream, Èric Vinaixa, Adrià Puntí, Pegasus, Toni Xuclà, La Dharma, Pep Sala, Núria Feliu, Sabor de Gràcia, Roger Mas, Toti Soler, Ovidi Montllor, Tomeu Penya, Maravella Orchestra, Port Bo, Eugenio, Gato Pérez, Al Tall, Lluís Llach, Peret, Los Amaya, Joan Isaac, Ramon Muntaner and Joan Baptista Humet. Moreover, the label boasts an extensive catalogue of folk music, sardanas, habaneras, progressive music, etc., and a rich catalogue of classical music featuring highlights such as the Historical Anthology of Catalan Music, a collection of 33 albums started under the presidency of Pau Casals in the 1960s, continued by Oriol Martorell and completed in the 1980s by Salvador Pueyo.
In 2019, Joan Carles Doval, the label director and founder, ushered in structural changes to the company, staying on as president while handing over the general management reins to Albert López (who until then had been responsible for the company’s promotional and communication activities), in order for the latter to lead a new era based on experience and innovation. This generational change, with the support of the entire Picap team, entails the creation of new goals, new horizons and new enthusiasm.
The key developments of this new era include the founding of the Delirics label, created to promote new alternative talent, and a return to the company’s origins with the reopening of a management department (mainly dedicated to hiring artists and booking concerts), which under the SURICAT MUSIC brand name has achieved a significant position in the market.
Picap is the record company with the largest historical catalogue of Catalan music across all genres. We’re eager to share this musical and cultural heritage with everyone, which is why we’ve made the entire catalogue available in physical and digital formats. It’s important to know where we’ve come from in order to know where we’re going. We’re keen to build on the work we’ve done, on the great artists and wonderful works of the last few decades, in order to push on by promoting, producing and giving all our support to our enormously talented young artists, performers, authors and composers.