Editing Richard Branson (section)

=== 1981–1987: Package holiday industries, compilation albums, and Virgin Atlantic ===
[[File:Virgin Atlantic A340-600 (G-VWEB) arrives London Heathrow 7Jun2015 arp.jpg|thumb|[[Virgin Atlantic]] [[Airbus A340]] approaching [[London Heathrow]] in June 2015]]
Branson's first successful entry into the [[airline]] industry was during a trip to Puerto Rico. His flight was cancelled, so he decided to charter his own plane the rest of the way and offered a ride to the rest of the stranded passengers for a small fee to cover the cost.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/richard-branson-entrepreneur-visionary-2011-5/|title=Richard Branson: How a Cancelled Flight Led to the World's Greatest Travel Empire|last=Zeveloff|first=J.|website=[[Business Insider]] |date=May 2011|access-date=18 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204170124/http://www.businessinsider.com/richard-branson-entrepreneur-visionary-2011-5|archive-date=4 December 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1982, Virgin purchased the gay bar [[Heaven (nightclub)|Heaven]]. In 1991, in a consortium with [[David Frost]], Branson made an unsuccessful bid for three [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] franchises under the [[CPV-TV]] name. The early 1980s also saw his only attempt as a producer—on the novelty record "[[Baa, Baa, Black Sheep]]", by The Singing Sheep in association with Doug McLean and Grace McDonald, on which he was credited as "Jeff Mutton". The track consisted of samples of animal noises recorded at his aunt Claire Hoares' farm in Norfolk, set to a drum-machine-produced track and reached number 42 in the UK charts in 1982.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://epnofny.com/epnmag/blog/2012/12/02/entrepreneur-guru-sir-richard-branson/ |title=Entrepreneur Guru Sir Richard Branson |publisher=EPN |date=2 December 2012 |access-date=22 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129024148/http://epnofny.com/epnmag/blog/2012/12/02/entrepreneur-guru-sir-richard-branson/ |archive-date=29 November 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1983, ''[[Now That's What I Call Music!]]'' emerged from Virgin Records offices as a unique compilation series, distinct in its originality. Collaborating with [[EMI]], Peter Jamieson orchestrated the partnership on Richard Branson's boat, leading to the concise and impactful title "''Now That's What I Call Music!''," inspired by a [[Danish Bacon]] poster<ref>{{cite web |date=27 June 2012 |title=NowMusic – The Home Of Hit Music » About NOW |url=http://www.nowmusic.com/about/ |access-date=18 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120627114704/http://www.nowmusic.com/about/ |archive-date=27 June 2012 }}</ref> gifted to Simon Draper. Richard Branson's introduction to the antique shop owned by Joan Templeman,<ref name=":3" /> played a pivotal role in his growing fascination with old signs and advertisements, ultimately shaping the collection.<ref>{{cite web |title=NOW That's What I Call Music! turns 40 {{!}} Virgin |url=https://virgin.com/branson-family/richard-branson-blog/now-thats-what-i-call-music-turns-40 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201143855/https://www.virgin.com/branson-family/richard-branson-blog/now-thats-what-i-call-music-turns-40 |archive-date=1 December 2023 |access-date=18 February 2024 |website=Virgin.com }}</ref>

Branson formed [[Virgin Atlantic]] and Virgin Cargo in 1984. He formed [[Virgin Holidays]] in 1985.