Yesterday Once More

21 Apr 2015

Record Labels

Hi Listeners

This week we are going to attempt a short overview of record labels and the role they play in an artist’s career. A ‘record label’ is a brand or trademark derived from the circular label seen on vinyl records. They are concerned with marketing and making of music and music videos. In the early days it was absolutely essential for an artist to be ‘signed up’ to a record label. The record label much like the Hollywood studio system signed an artist to an exclusive contract with the particular record label. Ia exchange for royalties the record label took over the making, marketing and distribution of a record.

There has been a plethora of major record labels and independent record labels. In this program we will present artists who were contracted to particular record labels such as Elvis Presley’s long association with RCA Victor (It’s Now Or Never’). Other examples are Coronet Australia which distributed overseas artists such as Johnnie Ray (“Cry’) or London’s Pat Boone (‘Don’t Forbid Me’). In Australia too Lee Gordon started Leedon records (later acquired by Festival) signing artists like Johnny O”Keefe (“Don’t You Know’). There were independent labels too such as Ron Tudor’s Fable label which discovered and promoted Australian talent such as Doug Parkinson in Focus (‘Dear Prudence’).

We hope you enjoy a different slant on the music industry and, of course, enjoy the music too.

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