Editing ABC Records (section)

===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>