Editing ABC Records (section)

==History==
===Background===
In the 1940s and early 1950s, the [[Federal Communications Commission]] took action against the [[antitrust|Anti-competitive practices]] of movie studios and broadcasting companies, forcing the [[Radio Corporation of America]] (RCA) to sell the [[Blue Network]], the sister network of [[NBC Red Network]], in 1943. The Blue Network was purchased by [[Edward J. Noble]], who changed the company's name to the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in 1946. In 1953, ABC merged with [[United Paramount Theatres]], the divested former exhibition/cinema division of [[Paramount Pictures]], with the newly-merged corporation, [[American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres]] (AB-PT) chaired by former Paramount Theaters executive [[Leonard Goldenson]] and headquartered at [[1501 Broadway]] in New York City, above the Paramount Theater in [[Times Square]].<ref name="Kahn">{{cite book|last1=Kahn|first1=Ashley|title=The House That Trane Built: The Story of Impulse Records|date=2006|publisher=Granta|location=London|isbn=1-86207-646-4|pages=15–16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KsLLDAAAQBAJ&q=federal+antitrust+actions+taken+against+the+movie+studios+and+broadcasting+companies+in+the+1940s+and+early+1950s.&pg=PT585|title=The Movie Business Book|last=Squire|first=Jason E.|date=August 5, 2016|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9781317221593|language=en}}</ref>

===ABC-Paramount Records===
[[File:ABCParamount78rpmlabelandsleeve.jpg|right|thumb|ABC Paramount 78rpm record and original sleeve]]
American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres formed a records division, incorporating the Am-Par Record Corporation on {{dts|1955|6|14}} with Samuel H. Clark as its first president.<ref name=bb>{{cite news|title=ABC: Brief History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kCkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA43 |publisher=Billboard  |date=September 12, 1970 |access-date=September 9, 2011|pages=abc2–abc3}}</ref><ref name=nysc>{{cite web|title=Entity Information: ABC Records, INC.|url=http://appext20.dos.ny.gov/corp_public/CORPSEARCH.ENTITY_INFORMATION?p_nameid=125168&p_corpid=103889&p_entity_name=ABC%20Records%2C%20Inc&p_name_type=%25&p_search_type=BEGINS&p_srch_results_page=0|website=Corporation & Business Entity Database|publisher=New York State Division of Corporations|access-date=April 6, 2015}}</ref> By August 1955, the unit was organized with AMPCO ([[ASCAP]]) and PAMCO ([[Broadcast Music, Inc.|BMI]]) as subsidiary publishing units.<ref name=bb1>{{cite news |title=ABC-Paramount Through the Years |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/60s/1965/Billboard%201965-09-18.pdf |access-date=November 15, 2018 |work=Billboard |issue=38 |date=September 18, 1965 |volume=77 |page=32}}</ref> Though the record label was established as Am-Par, no records were released until after the division's name was changed to ABC-Paramount in September 1955.<ref name=":1" />

[[Eydie Gorme]] was the company's first signed artist. The company recorded its first single record, "Sincerely Yours" and "Come Home", both by Gorme. Alec Templeton's "Smart Alec" was the company's first LP recorded, also in September 1955.<ref name=bb1/>

One of Gorme's singles was its first release in January 1956.<ref name=bb1/><ref>{{cite news |title=The First Decade|url= https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/60s/1965/Billboard%201965-09-18.pdf |access-date=November 15, 2018 |work=Billboard |issue=38 |date=September 18, 1965 |volume= 77 |page=32}}</ref> "[[Chain Gang (1955 song)|Chain Gang]]" by Bobby Scott in February 1956 was the company's first national hit. George Hamilton IV's "A Rose and a Baby Ruth" single was Am-Paramount's first million-selling single in October 1956.<ref name=bb1/>

In 1957, the company had two million-selling singles: in June with "Diana" by Paul Anka and in October with "At the Hop" by 
Danny & the Juniors. Am-Paramount Records in May 1958 debuted the Apt subsidiary label with its first million-selling single, "Little Star" by the Elegants, released the same month.<ref name=bb1/>

[[Chancellor Records]] had Am-Par Record Corporation handle its distribution starting in 1957 and started a trend. 

Am-Par purchased [[Grand Award Records]] including the newly formed [[Command Records]] label, in 1959.<ref name="bb1" /> The company started a second label for jazz, [[Impulse! Records]], in November 1960.<ref name="bb1" /><ref>{{cite news| last1=Montagne |first1=Renee |title=Impulse Records: 'The House That Trane Built' |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5452186 |access-date=April 11, 2018|work=NPR.org|date=June 6, 2006|language=en}}</ref> Impulse released its first four records in January 1961.<ref name="bb1" />

The company had artists that earned three Grammy Awards in 1960.<ref name="bb1" /> While in January 1961, the company purchased Westminster Records, a classical label. Thus Am-Par Record had a label for each music genre.<ref name="bb1" />

Am-Par Record Corporation was renamed to ABC-Paramount Records, Inc. on December 7, 1961.<ref name=nysc/> The company opened a Los Angeles office in January 1962. [[Ray Charles]] formed Tangerine Records in March 1962 and arranged for ABC-Paramount to distribute Tangerine's records. The company formed Jet Record Distributors based in Long Island City, N.Y. as its local distributor. Also in 1962, the company had acquired Music Guild label and library for Westminster Records.<ref name="bb1" />

In 1965, Clark was promoted to vice-president in charge of AB-PT's non-broadcast operations. National sales manager [[Larry Newton]] was named ABC-Paramount president.<ref name=bb/> On January 4, 1965, vice-president in charge of sales Larry Newton was promoted to president of ABC-Paramount Records. The previous president, Sam Clark was promoted to director of theater operations for American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres. Newton's first action as president was to restart Apt Records as a teen-oriented West Coast base label under Irwin Garr.<ref>{{cite news |title=ABC-Paramount will Reactivate Apt Label |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E0UEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Apt+Records%22++ABC-Paramount+Records&pg=PA3 |access-date=November 15, 2018 |work=Billboard |issue=2 |date=January 9, 1965 |volume = 77|language=en}}</ref>

===Apt Records===
'''Apt Records''' was a sub-label from ABC-Paramount Records.  The label was started in 1958 and released only singles until it was shelved in 1966.  ABC briefly reactivated Apt twice, in 1969 and 1972, and also used the Apt name on a line of budget-priced 8-track and cassette tapes in 1970.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kCkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA17|title=ABC/Dunhill in Budget Mart|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=1970-09-12}}</ref> The name was derived from ABC-Paramount's parent company, [[American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres]].

Label variants included:
*1958-1966: Black label with multi-color logo at top 
*1965: Black and white label with new logo at left (in conjunction with the above label)
*1969-1972: Yellow label with orange APT logo and "abc RECORDS" logo at top

===ABC Records===
In June 1966, the label was renamed ABC Records,<ref name=":0" /> and the company acquired New Deal Record Service Corp., a rack-jobbing and record distribution company, along with its affiliates.<ref>{{cite news |title=ABC-Paramount Is Now abc Records |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0igEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22abc+records%22&pg=PA3 |access-date=January 16, 2019 |work=Billboard  |date=June 18, 1966 |page=3 |language=en}}</ref>

In 1967, [[Dunhill Records]] was purchased from [[Lou Adler]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Adler made rock history without ever picking up an instrument|url=http://www.goldminemag.com/articles/adler-made-rock-and-roll-history-without-ever-needing-an-instrument|access-date=April 11, 2018|work=Goldmine Magazine|date=June 20, 2013}}</ref> In 1970, ABC and Dunhill moved its headquarters to Los Angeles. Newton was promoted to vice-president in charge of [[ABC Pictures]]. Dunhill co-owner Jay Lasker was named president and referred to the combined operations as ABC/Dunhill. At that time ABC had another five labels: Westminster, Command, Probe, Impulse!, and Bluesway.<ref name=bb0>{{cite news|title=New Home, Face, Philosophy - ABC/Dunhill on 15th Anniversary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kCkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA43 |publisher=Billboard |via=Books.google.com |date=September 12, 1970 |access-date=September 10, 2011|pages=abc4–abc8}}</ref>

At the August 29, 1970 Directors Guild meeting, ABC/Dunhill launched a number of marketing initiatives. The company planned to have writers create a broader music for the catalog market. Imprints [[Probe Records|Probe]] and Apt were relaunched, Probe as a label which held the international rights to ABC's albums and Apt as a label which released budget cassettes and 8-track tapes. Jazz dropped from Impulse!'s cover for a new slogan: "University Series of Fine Recordings" and two new series were launched: Audio Treasury and Westminster Gold for classic and youth fare, respectively.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Tiegel|first1=Eliot|title=New Marketing Approaches Key ABC/Duill 55-LP Meet|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kCkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA17|access-date=April 11, 2018|work=Billboard|date=September 12, 1970|language=en}}</ref>

By May 1972, ABC formed the ABC Leisure Group, which included ABC Records, Anchor Records, and ABC Records and Tape Sales, plus a new retail record-store division.<ref>{{cite news|title=ABC Records 73 Sales, Earnings Up from 1972|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bwkEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22ABC+Leisure+Group%22+records&pg=PA8|access-date=April 1, 2015|work=Billboard|issue=19|date=May 11, 1974|volume = 86|pages=8, 80}}</ref> Lasker left ABC to join [[Ariola America Records]] in 1975.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/13/obituaries/jay-lasker-recording-executive-65-dies.html |title=Jay Lasker, Recording Executive, 65, Dies |work=The New York Times |date=June 13, 1989 |access-date=September 10, 2011}}</ref> He was succeeded by Jerry Rubinstein, who served as company head until 1977.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i0UEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22abc+records%22%2B+losses&pg=PA4 |magazine=Billboard |page=4 |title=ABC Records 2B Losses |date=December 10, 1977 |access-date=January 19, 2016}}</ref> In November 1972, ABC bought country music company Cartwheel Records.<ref>{{cite news|title=ABC Nove Epitomizes Expansions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QgkEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22ABC+Leisure+Group%22+records&pg=PA6|access-date=April 7, 2015|work=Billboard|date = 10 August 1974|page=70}}</ref>

In 1974, ABC switched British distribution from [[EMI]] to the EMI-distributed [[Anchor Records]], allowing ABC recordings to be issued on the ABC label in the UK, and Anchor records to be distributed by ABC on the Anchor label in the US.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uAcEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22abc+dunhill%22&pg=PT83 |title=ABC, Anchor Deal in U.K.|magazine=Billboard |date=September 21, 1974 |access-date=September 9, 2011}}</ref> Also in 1974, ABC acquired [[Famous Music|Famous Music Records Group]] including Nashville based Dot Records<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kirsch |first1=Bob |title=Famous Labels Bought By ABC |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QgkEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22famous+music%22++++%22abc+records%22&pg=PA1 |access-date=February 19, 2020 |work=Billboard  |date=August 10, 1974 |language=en}}</ref> then began releasing ABC country music under the ABC/Dot label until January 1979.<ref name="bb2">{{cite web|title=ABC Buy Boosting Power |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LiUEAAAAMBAJ&q=february+%2B+1979+%2B+billboard |work=Billboard |via=Books.google.com |date=February 10, 1979 |pages=1, 14 |access-date=January 19, 2016}}</ref>

In December 1977, [[Don Biederman (attorney)|Don Biederman]] was appointed vice president of legal affairs and administration and Richard Green was appointed vice president of business affairs at ABC Records.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1977-12-31 |title=East Coastings/Points West: 1977 In Review |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1977/CB-1977-12-31.pdf |access-date=2025-02-28 |work=CASHBOX |pages=98}}</ref>

As a cost-cutting measure, ABC Records discarded many master tapes in the 1970s to save storage space. When these recordings were reissued on [[compact disc]] in the 1980s, CD versions were often taken from master copies which had less than optimal sound quality.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bsnpubs.com/abc/abcstory.html |title=ABC-Paramount Records Story |publisher=Bsnpubs.com |access-date=September 9, 2011}}</ref> The company's last president, Steve Diener, was named to that job in 1977 after serving as head of ABC Records' international division.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aCQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT89 |magazine=Billboard|title=Inside Track  |date=June 18, 1977 |access-date=September 9, 2011}}</ref> Because of financial problems except for its Nashville office, ABC Records was sold on January 31, 1979 to MCA Records with ABC Records being its third label likely under a different name.<ref name="bb2"/> Instead, MCA discontinued ABC Records on March 5, 1979 and<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mEIfDZtsVyAC&q=%22ray+charles%22+%2B+%22abc+records%22&pg=PA194 |title=Billboard's hottest hot 100 hits |year=2003 |page=194 |isbn=9780823077380 |access-date=September 9, 2011|last1=Bronson |first1=Fred }}</ref> albums in the ABC catalog still selling well were reissued on MCA.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bsnpubs.com/abc/abcstory.html |title=ABC-Paramount Records Story |publisher=Bsnpubs.com |access-date=September 9, 2011}}</ref>

Diener died in April 2019, aged 80.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/music/news/stephen-i-diener-former-abc-records-president-dead-1203204479/|title=Stephen Diener, Former ABC Records President, Dies at 80|work=Variety|date=May 3, 2019}}</ref>