( CNN ) -- Virgin , a leading branded venture capital organization , is one of the world 's most recognized and respected brands . Conceived in 1970 by Richard Branson , the company started out with a magazine four years before that , which Branson began while still at school . The next move was into the music industry , setting up Virgin as a music retailer and then branching out into music production . The first recording was the 1973 smash `` Tubular Bells , '' by Mike Oldfield . The Virgin Group has gone on to grow very succesful businesses in sectors ranging from mobile telephony , to transportation , travel , financial services , leisure , music , holidays , publishing and retailing . Virgin has created more than 200 branded companies worldwide , employing approximately 50,000 people , in 29 countries . Revenues around the world in 2006 exceeded £10 billion ( $ 20 billion ) . In 2002 , the combined sales of the different Virgin holding companies exceeded £4 billion ( $ 8 billion ) . The equity of Virgin Music Group -- record labels , music publishing and recording studios -- was sold to THORN EMI in 1992 in a $ 1 billion deal . E-mail to a friend .
The Virgin Group was founded by Richard Branson in 1979 . Virgin Magazine , founded by Branson at 16 , was added to the group . Today Virgin has more than 200 brands in a range of industries .