They were the sounds that defined a generation, from punk to Phil Collins to the Spice Girls....and they were all on Virgin Records.br br Sir Richard Branson founded the label in 1972 -- the first album was Mike Oldfield's haunting Tubular Bells.br br Branson grew the company into a powerhouse of the music industry, helping to usher in the progressive rock movement of the 1970s and new wave in the 1980s.br br But he sold the business to EMI for a billion dollars in 1992, partly to finance his airline.br br SOUNDBITE, Sir Richard Branson, Virgin founder, saying (English):br br (Reporter: How much did you have to agonise over that decision, it must have been hard?)br br "Yes of course it was very hard - it's like selling your children.