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A&M RECORDS HISTORY
You can't put out the same record someone put out yesterday. You can't belong to a movement that occurred two weeks ago.
What you're signing and what you're involved with is something original. We were putting out records that we wanted to hear but that nobody ever heard before. A lot of the stuff we came out with and believed in was stuff we really liked. We really chose those people.
I didn't sign acts just because I had to sign acts.
We didn't force releases because they were good for a particular quarter. People gave us a record when they were ready to give us a record.
--Jerry Moss
INTRODUCTION TO A&M RECORDS HISTORY
This is the history of A&M Records from its founding in 1962 through its rise to become the world's largest independent label and ending with its merger into Universal Music Group. The sale of the label and its music publishing houses made A&M worth about $1 billion.
On the perception of A&M as a classy label with a family feel, Gil Friesen told Kip Cohen, "We rarely talk about what we do. All of it is directly related to what the artist does, and you rarely hear about how many records we have on the charts. We just don't chase that kind of publicity, so whatever impression you have is a result from what we don't say about ourselves."
A&M RECORDS HISTORY 1960s
1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
A&M RECORDS FOUNDED: 1962
I want to be Columbia Records. I always liked songs. I remember great songs.... Being with a musician helped me get along with other musicians.--Jerry Moss
The musician and the promotion man. Jerry Moss began his career in the music industry promoting records. "I would find something different to say about every record." With Herb Alpert, Moss found a friend. Before there was a record label, the two would analyze records finding out what they liked.
By mid-year Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss each invested $100 to form a partnership they called Carnival Records. Carnival released two singles, "Tell It to the Birds" by Dore Alpert (a Herb Alpert vocal released in July) and "Love Is Back in Style" by Charlie Robinson.
Carnival was only able to create local distribution but "Tell It to the Birds" became a local hit. To get national distribution of the Dore Alpert single, Herb and Jerry sold it to Dot Records for $700. "Tell It to the Birds" sold between 12-15,000 copies (about 7,000 units in California) that earned the partners about $3,500.
The second single released by Alpert and Moss was by Charlie Robinson. Moss knew Robinson socially. Charlie Robinson was an actor and at the time TV actors were having hit records. "Love Is Back in Style" did not sell well.
In August, Carnival became A&M Records when Alpert and Moss learned another record company used the Carnival name first. Moss also brought his music publishing company Irving Musicto the deal. Both Carnival and A&M Records began as divisions of Irving Music. The business address was 419 Westbourne Dr., West Hollywood, California--Herb Alpert's garage. Said Jerry Moss, "We had a desk, piano, piano stool, a couch, coffee table and two phone lines. And that for the two of us worked out very well, because we could go over the songs on the piano and make phone calls to the distributors. We also had an answering service at the time. I'd do all my own billing."
Moss told Billboard, "People advised us against starting a record company with the 'Lonely Bull' single but we had faith in the sound and didn't want to lease the master, so we went for broke."
The single of "The Lonely Bull" was recorded in August-September 1962. The album version of the song was recorded in October 1962. The single was released in late September 1962. In the U.S. the single peaked at #6 on the Billboard and Cash Box charts. In Australia the song was #1 for five consecutive weeks.
Festival Records in Australia licensed the single and on December 22, 1962, "The Lonely Bull" reached #1 on the Australia singles chart. Alpert and Moss retained Festival Records as its distributor in Australia and New Zealand until they sold the label in 1989. This was the longest of all of A&M's international licensing and distribution agreements.
A&M selected Jerry Dennon's Craig Corporation as its second distributor.
September 1962 is the date attributed to the first commercial use of the A&M Records logo originally shown with the A&M typeface, trumpet and rectangle with rounded corners. The logo remained in use until March 16, 2020.
On October 27, "The Lonely Bull" entered the Billboard Pop Singles Chart. It peaked on December 8, 1962 at the #6 position. The single sold about 700,000 copies and netted about $180,000. The Lonely Bull album was released in December and on December 29, it entered the Billboard charts. In December, EMI acquired "The Lonely Bull" for its Stateside label in England.
In November, the label released "Little White Lies/Story of an Evergreen Tree" by the Kenjolairs. It showed regional sales potential in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Hartford, Connecticut according to Billboard.
The original record manufacturer of A&M products was Monarch Records. Monarch would remain one of A&M's manufacturers until 1979. A&M's interest in quality pressings started with "The Lonely Bull." At the time, monaural albums were pressed on styrene and stereo on vinyl. Alpert insisted on vinyl for his mono album.
As 1962 ended, Alpert and Moss had scored three successes: they had their first Top 10 single; their first album was on the Billboard Album Charts, and they had hired their first employee, Jolene Burton, as operations manager ensuring that records were pressed, jackets were printed, and to manage accounts received and bill payment.
Festival Records of Australia paid $500 to distribute A&M Records. Their association lasted until 1989. In the U.S. A&M used independent distributors including Schwartz Brothers (Washington, DC) and Topps (Miami, FL).
1962 BILLBOARD POP SINGLES CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (1) | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (1) |
1963
On January 12, The Lonely Bull peaked at #10 on the Billboard Album chart. On March 16, the single peaked at #6 on the Israel chart.
In January, the George McCurn single "I'm Just a Country Boy" was released. Billboard reported that the single looked like it would be a smash hit in Buffalo, New York and Seattle.
On February 1, A&M Records opened its first office at 8255 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, CA.
The second album from A&M Records, I'm Just a Country Boy by George McCurn was released.
Julius Wechter's recordings were released as The Baja Marimba Band. Like the first Tijuana Brass recordings, the early Baja Marimba Band was studio musicians. The Baja Marimba Band's singles first appeared on the >Almo International label, a division of A&M Records. Their first single "Comin' in the Back Door" sold about 150,000 copies. The Baja Marimba Band album sold about 60,000 copies.
A&M licensed several singles from Jerry Dennon. The Dave Lewis single, "David's Mood" became a breakout single in Seattle.
A&M signed an agreement with the Capitol Record Club.
"The Lonely Bull" grossed $250,000 by August and was ranked #37 on Cash Box's Top Records for the year.
ARTIST SIGNINGS
By July, Alpert and Moss had signed Julius Wechter and Waylon Jennings. They also signed and recorded Bob Regan and Lucille Starr as The Canadian Sweethearts.
1963 BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (1) George McCurn (1) |
1963 CASH BOX CHART
| SINGLES |
|---|
| George McCurn (1 Top 90) Kenjolairs (1 Top 100) Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (1 Top 100) |
1964
Most of our hits have come from left field. We search for the strange sound and we seem to have an ear for this kind of tune. You can drop dead with it or sell four million copies."
--Jerry Moss, Billboard, June 20, 1964
Gil was responsible for the look of the company; advertising, campaigns, copywriting, liner notes. Gil dealt with industry people.
I was responsible for the sound of the company. I dealt with artists and managers because I didn't have time for more.
--Jerry Moss
In April, A&M signed Waylon Jennings to a new contract.
In November, Alpert and Moss hired their second employee, Gil Friesen as their General Manager. Jerry Moss told the story of meeting Gil at Alan Freed's first day at Los Angeles radio station KDAY in 1960. Moss knew Freed from his work as a promotion man in New York where Freed was the most famous DJ. Freed was also known for his dance shows and movies. At KDAY that day Freed chose the record Friesen was promoting for Capitol Records as his Pick Of the Week. After the event, Moss sought out Friesen. Moss remembers Friesen as the first friend he made in California.
The third employee was engineer Larry Levine who was often called "the eighth member of the Tijuana Brass." Friesen's first big contribution to A&M was to talk Herb Alpert into performing. He and Alpert hired the musicians and played two performances as the opening act for Dave Brubeck in Santa Monica.
In 1964, A&M released five albums and grossed about $500,000. Two of the Tijuana Brass singles and one Baja Marimba Band album appeared on the Billboard charts. The Lonely Bull album sold 125,000 copies during the year and the Baja Marimba Band single "Comin' In the Back Door" sold over 100,000 copies. The third Tijuana Brass album South of the Border was released in October. Moss estimated that the first three TJB albums sold 60,000 copies.
A&M struck its first international licensing agreement with Festival Records in Australia. In December, A&M finalized a distribution deal with Pye Records for Great Britain and South Africa. Until then, A&M licensed its music to the British market on a per record basis. The Lonely Bull album was licensed to EMI and The Baja Marimba Band was licensed to Decca internationally. A&M also had licensing arrangements with Nippon Victor in Japan and Quality Records in Canada.
San Francisco radio station KSFO ran an early contest promoting A&M. It was called, "Why I Would Like Herb Alpert to Write a Song for Me." The winning contestant was Wincle Lamoyan Coan who was chosen for his unusual name. The song was titled "Wincle Lamoyan Coan" and was recorded by the Baja Marimba Band.
A&M signed Young Billy Beau who, at ten years old, was the youngest artist A&M would ever sign. Billy recorded one single for A&M titled "Kids." He went on to be known as Billy Burnette. "Kids" was written by Dr. Seuss.
Signed Captain Beefheart. Re-signed Waylon Jennings.
PRICE AND FORMAT HISTORY
Monaural albums retailed for $3.98 and stereo albums sold for $4.98.
1964 BILLBOARD CHARTS
BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| The Baja Marimba Band (1) | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (2) |
BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART
| SINGLES | |
|---|---|
| Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (2) |
1965
Billboard reported that in March A&M made $175,000 and did $200,000 of business in April.
In May, A&M signed with Capitol Record Club anticipating that it would bill $2 million during the year.
Tommy LiPuma was hired in July as the label's first artists and repertoire (a&r) manager and a staff producer. His duties also included working with the Irving/Almo catalog of songs and acquiring singles. Dave Hubert was the director of music publishing. Marshall Lieve was hired as a producer and Chester Pipkin as a staff writer for Irving Music.
In August, A&M Records established a second music publishing company, Almo Music.
The Alpert and Brass single "Whipped Cream" sold about 150,000 copies. In September, the Brass played its last concert as an opening act, this time for Johnny Mathis. In October, George Carlin and Astrud Gilberto opened for the TJB at Basin Street East in New York City. They played three shows a night for three weeks to sell-out crowds.
Frank Werber's Trident Productions entered an exclusive distribution deal with A&M Records. The deal brought We Five to A&M and gave the label its second top five record on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart in October. The success of the single created a rush-release for the album of the same name.
Festival Records, the A&M distributor in Australia rush-released the Tijuana Brass single "Third Man Theme" because it was expected to be the biggest selling TJB single since "The Lonely Bull."
In Europe, A&M was distributed by PYE in England; Decca in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Holland and Belgium; Pathe Marconi in France, and CGD in Italy.
On October 8, the Baja Marimba Band held its first concert at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. They appeared with comedian Bill Cosby.
For the first time the label had two hit singles--"A Taste of Honey" and We Five's "You Were on My Mind," numbers 1 and 2 respectively in Cash Box. Their albums, Whipped Cream and Other Delights and You Were on My Mind sold one million copies in one month. The TJB records were selling at a rate of 50,000 copies per day in late 1965. The company grossed about $6 million in 1965.
A&M entered the 4- and 8-track tape formats with manufacturing and distribution by ITCC.
On December 15, A&M Records received its first RIAA gold album certifications for Whipped Cream and Other Delights and Going Places!, both by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. A&M won its first four Grammy Awards for the single "A Taste of Honey" by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.
By year's end, A&M had placed five singles and one album on the Billboard Pop charts. Herb Alpert put two albums and three singles on the charts.
On Cash Box Top Records of the Year, We Five's "You Were On My Mind" was #10. Its #21 Top Album was Whipped Cream & Other Delights by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass.
ARTIST SIGNINGS
In December La Bert Ellis was signed by Tommy LiPuma. Other signings included The Grads (later renamed The Sandpipers, the New Comers.
Other signings this year were Bill Dana, The Sequins, and Sergio Mendes & Brasil '65. (Mendes changed the group's name to Brasil '66 with the release of his first album Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66.) With the signing of Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66, Alpert and Moss met Mendes' attorney, Abe Somer. Somer would go on to become A&M's general counsel and a member of its board of directors.
1965 BILLBOARD CHARTS
BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (2) | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (3) We Five (2) |
BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART
| SINGLES | |
|---|---|
| Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (4) Chris Montez (1) >We Five (1) |
1965 GRAMMY® AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Engineered Recording | Taste of Honey (a) | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (Larry Levine, Eng.) |
Won |
| Best Instrumental Arrangement | Taste of Honey (a) | Herb Alpert | Won |
| Best Instrumental Performance Non-Jazz | Taste of Honey (a) | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass | Won |
| Record of the Year | Taste of Honey (a) | Herb Alpert | Won |
| Best Vocal Group Performance | You Were on My Mind | We Five |
1966
We hired great people. We didn't stand for any corruption in any way.... The lot [A&M headquarters] was like a playground.
--Jerry Moss
Bob Fead was hired as the National Sales Director in January. He established A&M's independent distributor network. Don Graham was named A&M's first National Promotion Director. Dave Hubert joined A&M Records in International Publishing. Chuck Kaye joined A&M Records as the head of Almo/Irving Music in July. Allen Stanton was hired into the a&r department. Larry Marks was hired to work the Top 40 field. Bill Mulhern was hired as Director of Eastern Operations with an assignment to open an office in Philadelphia.
A&M Records held its first international affiliates meeting. It became an annual event.
In 1966, Almo Music/Irving Music held about 200 copyrights. It began searching for writers and songs to add to its catalog. The first hit song that was not on A&M was Ruthann Friedman's "Windy" by The Association.
A&M again turned to Jerry Dennon when it hired D. J. Distributing as its distributor for the Northwest U.S.
Tommy Boyce was signed in August. Other artist signings were The Checkmates, Ltd., Sergio Mendes & Brasil'66, the Sandpipers, and Frank Gorshin.
In September, Ampex Tapes began manufacturing 4 and 8-track tapes for A&M Records.
November 6, 1966 was the day A&M Records opened its offices in the Charlie Chaplin Studios at 1416 N. La Brea Avenue, Hollywood with 32 employees. On buying the Charlie Chaplin Studios, Jolene Burton remembers, "With absolutely no idea that we would possibly, conceivably buy it, Jerry and I went over with the real estate people and the attorney. Herb was out of town. When we drove through the gates, I took one look at Jerry and said, 'We just bought ourselves a piece of property!' Immediate enthrallment. When Herb came back he took one look in Philadelphia to handle its East Coast work.
Bob Fead said that on his first day of work (Fead was hired as the national sales director), A&M sold 278,000 records. By the end of the year, Herb Alpert sold 13.7 million albums and sales exceeded $25 million. The label started the year with about ten employees and added 20 employees through the year.
On November 18, for the first time, an album and its tape version were released on the same day. The album was S.R.O by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. The tapes were open reel, 4-track and 8-track formats.
"A Taste of Honey" was Cash Box's #30 Best Record of the Year.
Cash Box's Top Albums of 1966:
2 Whipped Cream & Other Delights--Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
3 Going Places--Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
5 South of the Border--Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
8 What Now My Love--Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
9 The Lonely Bull--Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
Cash Box 1966 DJ Poll Results included A&M artists in these categories:
Up and Coming Male Vocalist: Chris Montez
Up and Coming Vocal Group: We Five
Up and Coming Instrumentalist: Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
Up and Coming Orchestras: Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass and Baja Marimba Band
1966 BILLBOARD CHARTS
BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (3) Baja Marimba Band (2) | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (4) Chris Montez (4) Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (2) Sandpipers (2) |
BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART
| SINGLES |
|---|
| Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (4) Chris Montez (3) Baja Marimba Band (2) Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (2) Sandpipers (2) |
BILLBOARD TOP RECORDS OF 1966
TOP SINGLES
| Rank | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 75 88 92 | Guantanamera The More I See You Zorba the Greek | Sandpipers Chris Montez Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass |
TOP VINYL ALBUMS
| Rank | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1 3 5 11 14 54 | Whipped Cream & Other Delights Going Places What Now My Love South of the Border The Lonely Bull Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass Volume 2 | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass |
TOP EASY LISTENING SINGLES
| Rank | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 7 9 13 16 25 31 36 55 60 62 78 100 | Call Me The More I See You Mas Que Nada Zorba the Greek Guantanamera The Work Song What Now My Love Spanish Flea There Will Never Be Another You Flamingo Tijuana Taxi Portuguese Washerwoman | Chris Montez Chris Montez Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass Sandpipers Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass Chris Montez Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass Baja Marimba Band |
1966 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Album of the Year | What Now My Love | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass | |
| Best Instrumental Arrangement | What Now My Love | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass | Won |
| Best Instrumental Performance Other Than Jazz | What Now My Love | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass | Won |
| Record of the Year | What Now My Love | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass | |
| Photography | Guantanamera | Sandpipers (Peter Whorf photographer) | |
| Rock & Roll Group Performance | Guantanamera | Sandpipers | |
| Vocal Group Performance | Guantanamera | Sandpipers | |
| Photography | Whipped Cream & Other Delights | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (Peter Whorf photographer) |
1967
"Not having an act at Monterrey [Pop Festival] really affected me. We had to be in that business if were were going to survive in the record business.
The artists from England, that was all me because of the trips I made over there."--Jerry Moss
A&M artists opened the NARM convention. The Tijuana Brass, Baja Marimba Band, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 and Chris Montez all performed while Bill Dana served as the emcee.
In March, A&M signed up for Playtape's two-track CARtridge system. Playtape cartridges had several formats, its single had two songs and retailed for $1.00; extended plays contained four songs and sold for $1.49 and playtape albums had eight tunes and cost $2.49.
On March 15, A&M's licensing deal with Pye Records in Great Britain launched A&M under its own logo. On March 31, the first single "Casino Royale" by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass was released.
Harold Childs was hired into album promotion and Derek Taylor hired as the Artist/Public Relations writer. Guy Haines was the first Northern California promotion manager. Don Graham was hired as the National Promo Director in June. Guy Webster was hired into the graphics department in September. Chuck Beeson also came to A&M's art department. Ernie Campagna was hired as the first promotion man in Boston and was also the first east coast regional sales manager. In October, Paul Cooper joined the press information department. Derek Taylor joined A&M in November. In December, Ed Rosenblatt was named the director of merchandising and advertising in addition to his work as administrative assistant in the tape cartridge department.
For the first time, A&M began making stereo singles available for radio airplay. These included "Here, There and Everywhere" by Claudine Longet, "Live" by Merry-Go-Round, "Wade in the Water" by the TJB, "Amy's Theme" by Nick DeCaro, "Because of You" by Chris Montez and "For Me" by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66.
A&M entered into its first distribution deal with Creed Taylor to distribute his CTI Records. Jerry Moss told Record World, "Creed Taylor has built a unique reputation. Our expansion is motivated by a desire to present artists we like, produced by men we admire." The first album, Wes Montgomery's A Day in the Life was a hit.
In April, A&M had a deal with Greengrass Productions for the groups Stark Naked and the Car Thieves. No recordings were released by these groups.
It was a year for construction and new offices. In April, A&M began building its studios at 1416 N. La Brea. Larry Levine and Herb Alpert hired Howard Holzer who engineered the original recording equipment in the studio.
In June, the first New York office opened in the Steinway Building on 57th Street and the Philadelphia office closed.
A&M Records announced an agreement with Phil Spector to develop new pop-rock material.
In August, Rondor Music was established. Also in August, the label had it largest album release schedule in its history with six albums from Burt Bacharach, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Wes Montgomery, Claudine Longet, Merry-Go-Round and Jimmie Rodgers.
In October, construction on the financial center for Jolene Burton's Accounting Department began. When they moved into the first new building completed at 1416 N. LaBrea, it was state-of-the-art computers. A&M also added an IBM computer system with eight employees in its data processing department. The system gave A&M an automated inventory system with daily reports; recoupable artists costs, and royalties. Jerry Moss promoted Ms. Burton to Controller. She was A&M's first woman executive.
On November 14, 1967, the Patent and Trademark Office registered the A&M Records logo. Ampex Stereo Tapes began manufacturing cassettes for A&M.
On December 12, the Hollywood Palace television variety showed aired its all A&M Records artists evening hosted by Herb Alpert. The Tijuana Brass, Baja Marimba Band, Burt Bacharach, Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, Liza Minnelli and Wes Montgomery all performed.
The label contracted for short films that it sent to television stations of "Test Patterns" by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart and "You're a Very Lovely Woman" by Merry-Go-Round. Other films were created for the Tijuana Brass, Brasil '66 and Chris Montez. The films were used as substitutes when the artist could not appear.
Internationally, King Record Company distributed A&M in Japan. Festival Records of Australia and A&M developed a distribution contract for Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines. In Britain, Pye Records began to release A&M products with the A&M label. The first single in England to carry the A&M logo was "Casino Royale" by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. In France, Pathe-Marconi began distributing A&M Records. It created a $2 promotional album with two tracks each by Herb Alpert, the Baja Marimba Band, Chris Montez, the Sandpipers, and Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66.
1967 ARTIST SIGNINGS
In April, Burt Bacharach, with a provision that he would produce his own records. At the signing announcement, the Bond Street/Alfie single was to be the first release.
In May, Phil Ochs, Robin Wilson and Wes Montgomery.
In the July/August time frame, Ruthann Friedman, composer of the hit song "Windy" made famous by The Association. Julius Wechter was re-signed to a long-term contract.
In October, Procol Harum became the first British group signed to A&M Records followed by The Move through an American distribution agreement with Regal Zonophone Records. Moss established licensing deals with Chris Blackwell (Island Records) and Denny Cordell to distribute their albums in the U.S.
Liza Minnelli was signed in the U.S.
Other artists signed to A&M included Pete Jolly, Lee Michaels, Jimmie Rodgers, Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart and Joe Cocker.
Cash Box's Top Albums of 1967:
- 7 S.R.O.--Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
- 11 Sounds Like...--Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
- 18 Whipped Cream & Other Delights--Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
- 40 Claudine--Claudine Longet
Cash Box's Disk Jokey Poll:
- Most Programmed Album #3 S.R.O.--Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
- Most Promising Up & Coming Female Vocalist #3 Claudine Longet
- Most Programmed Orchestra #1 Herb Alpert
- Most Promising Up & Coming Orchestra #2 Baja Marimba Band
In January 28, 1967 Cash Box wrote, "It would be a safe bet that [A&M] has sold more than 18 million LP's--or an average of a million for each of its titles. And an even safer wager is that no other label in record history can make that statement."
1967 BILLBOARD CHARTS
BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (2) Claudine Longet (2) | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (4) Claudine Longet (3) |
BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART
| SINGLES |
|---|
| Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (4) Baja Marimba Band (4) Claudine Longet (4) Sandpipers (3) Jimmie Rodgers (2) |
BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Wes Montgomery (1 Top 10) |
BILLBOARD BEST SELLING JAZZ LPs
Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 Equinox peaked at #6 on August 26, 1967 and Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 peaked at #4 on September 2, 1967
1967 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Instrumental Arrangement | Alfie | Burt Bacharach | Won |
| Best Instrumental Arrangement | Casino Royale | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass | |
| Best Instrumental Performance | Casino Royale | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass | |
| Best Instrumental Theme | Casino Royale | Burt Bacharach & Hal David | |
| Contemporary Vocal Group | Whiter Shade of Pale (a) | Procol Harum | |
| Male Contemporary Vocal Solo | Child of Clay | Jimmie Rodgers | |
| Graphic Arts/Photography | Guantanamera | The Sandpipers (Peter Whorf, art director) | |
| Photography | What Now My Love | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (Peter Whorf, George Jerman photographers) |
1968
In just two years, A&M's employee roster doubled to 68. Chuck Wardman was named A&M's first full-time Production Director.
January featured songs from A&M artists on American Airlines flights.
Harold Childs was hired in January 1968 as the album field coordinator. He reported to Bob Fead.
In April, the New York office moved to 1655 Broadway. In Los Angeles, $400,000 in equipment was ordered for the new Financial Center.
Festival Records of Australia made April A&M Month. The label had radio tie-ins, newspaper and magazine advertisements, retail pamphlets and posters to support albums by the Tijuana Brass, Liza Minnelli, Claudine Longet, Boyce and Hart and the Family Portrait album of A&M artists. The albums sold for $3.95 AD ($4.45 USD).
A&M established new international affiliates:
Jamaica: Federal Records
Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru: RCA Victor Mexicana
Argentina: EMI Suppliers
Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Chile: S.A.C.
Brazil: Industria Electricia E. Musicals, Fabrica Odeon (EMI)
Germany: Deutsch-Grammophon
Venezuela: El Palacio de al Musica
France: Polydor
National Promotions Director Don Graham won the broadcasters poll for Promotion Man of the year. The award recognized the man with the best business relations between the recording and broadcast industries. In June, Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss received the Men of the Year award from the Conference of Personal Managers, West for "developing A&M Records into one of the industry's most important companies."
On May 11, Billboard reported that A&M was the first label to duplicate, distribute and market its own 4-track and 8-track tapes. All of the record companies had licensing agreements for tapes and A&M had agreements with Ampex and ITCC. Under the agreement, A&M received royalties from tape sales while Ampex and ITCC incurred manufacturing, promotion and distribution costs.
June 22, 1968 was the day A&M Records had its first #1 single, "This Guy's in Love with You" by Herb Alpert.
A&M Studios opened in August.
Gil Friesen was promoted from General Manager to vice president of A&M Enterprises which included television, motion pictures, music publishing, concert promotions and projects. Bob Fead was promoted to General Manager from his post as National Sales Manager. Ed Rosenblatt succeeded Fead as National Sales Manager. Jack Schnyder was hired as the Director of Merchandising and Advertising.
In December, Sears refused to carry The Fool on the Hill album by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 stating that it was "in poor taste graphically." The gatefold album cover showed the profile of a woman's naked torso. A sticker was placed over the breast on the back cover.
On the Billboard charts, 15 singles and 18 albums. Of the five RIAA gold records given to A&M, three were awarded to the Tijuana Brass.
Cash Box's Top Records of 1968 included This Guy's In Love With You by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass at #9. On its Top Albums of 1968,
5 Look Around--Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66
8 The Beat of the Brass--Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
19 Herb Alpert's Ninth--Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
Palacie distributed A&M Records in Venezuela.
By the end of the year the roster had grown to 42 artists and A&M sold 15 million records annually.
ARTIST SIGNINGS
February: Artie Butler
April: The Checkmates, Ltd., Pillory
May: The Strawbs, Tamiko Jones
August: Laura Modero
October: Evie Sands and John Braden
December: Deodato (to CTI Records)
Other artists signed: Sea Train, Gene Clark, The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Churls, Larry Marks, Melvin Van Peebles, and Dillard and Clark.
1968 BILLBOARD CHARTS
| BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART | |
|---|---|
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (2) Baja Marimba Band (2) Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (2) Wes Montgomery (2) Sandpipers (2) |
Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (5) Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (4) |
| BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART | |
| SINGLES | |
| Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (5) Claudine Longet (4) Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (4) Baja Marimba Band (3) Sandpipers (3) Chris Montez (2) Wes Montgomery (2) Jimmie Rodgers (2) |
|
| BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART | |
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (#10) Wes Montgomery (#4; #39) |
|
BILLBOARD BEST SELLING JAZZ LPs
Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66's Look Around album peaked at #3 on November 17, 1968 and their Fool on the Hill peaked at #1 on December 28, 1968. Burt Bacharach's Reach Out album peaked at #5 on March 16, 1968.
1968 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) |
Fool on the Hill (the) | Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (Dave Grusin, Arranger) |
|
| Contemporary Pop Vocal Group | Fool on the Hill (the) | Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 |
1969
A&M's a&r department was Herb Alpert, Jack Daugherty, Larry Marks, Chad Stuart and George Tobin.
Bernie Grossman joined A&M's New England Office as a promotion man and Louise Barnum started as an administrative assistant in the sales department.
Phil Spector had dropped out of the music business for about two years when he and A&M Records agreed to a production deal in early 1969. A&M advertised the Spector deal with several advertisements featuring the Phil Spector Production logo in them and also having the logo on all of the recordings he did under A&M. The deal brought Spector back together with engineer Larry Levine who had worked many of Phil's "wall of sound" recordings. Spector brought Perry Botkin, Jr. in to arrange the songs.
Spector's association with A&M lasted about six months. He produced The Ronettes single "You Came, You Saw, You Conquered" as well as several unreleased singles. (See the Ronettes for images of the acetates.) Spector's most successful artist for A&M was the Checkmates Ltd. with the album Love Is All We Have to Give and three singles from it. The Checkmates "Black Pearl" was A&M's biggest single of the year. The singles from both acts were recorded in A&M Studios during February.
Ike and Tina Turner's River Deep, Mountain High album was released in August. Although recorded in 1966, this was the first time the album was released in the United States. The Turners album is known as the last time Spector used his wall of sound technique.
By January 1969, A&M had contracts with all of the original members of the Byrds except David Crosby and Jim McGuinn. (Crosby would sign with A&M in the late 1980s. McGuinn remained the only Byrd not to work with A&M Records.)
In February, Aamp;M introduced the "Forget-Me-Nots" double-sided singles. The series was initially aimed at Music Operators of America for jukeboxes. A&M sent them a letter with two sample records and catalog. A&M supplemented it with divider cards to help sell the series. The first release included 40 singles.
Bob Fead was named Vice President of Sales and Distribution. Fead established a Regional Sales network with Marv Dorfman as the National Sales Manager. Bob Elliott became manager of the tape division making A&M the first record company with an executive over tapes. Dave Hubert established the International Department. Harold Childs became the director of A&M's New York Office. Jerry Sharell was named the national promotion director starting work in March 1969.
In June Tommy LiPuma resigned his job as a staff producer to become a partner in the newly created Blue Thumb Records.
A&M got the rights for the original cast recording of "The Boys in the Band." This was A&M's first Broadway cast recording and first album that was not all music.
Festival Records of Australia presented A&M with a manuscript for having attained album sales of 360,000 copies since 1962. In Australia, 10,000 copies was the equivalent of a million seller in the United States.
King Records in Japan established its A&M programming and promotion office.
Phillips licensee Litratone became the first distributor of A&M products in Israel.
A&M Records, Ltd. opened in Great Britain.
In November, Almo/Irving Music bought the Beach Boys' Sea of Tunes song catalog for $700,000.
A&M Studios added mixing/cutting rooms and reverberation chambers.
Herb Alpert released the last album by the original Tijuana Brass, "The Brass Are Comin'," starred in their fourth TJB TV special and did a world tour. In March, Alpert disbanded the Brass.
A&M released its first double album and its first original cast recording with The Boys In the Band. The label also released its first soundtrack with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Cash Box named The Fool On the Hill by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 its #21 top album of the year.
Alpert: "Could you sign these kids >Karen and Richard Carpenter]? I really think they're great."
Moss: "Who's going to produce them?"
Alpert: "Jack Daugherty."
Moss: "What's he produced before?"
Alpert: "Nothing."
Moss: "Chuck (Kaye) knows him, he does his lead sheets, you want him to produce?"
Alpert: "Yeah, he's the right guy."
The year ended with a record 18 singles and 39 albums entering the Billboard charts. This was A&M's best year for the number of albums to make the charts.
A&M Pocket Catalog Summer 1969 Catalog
ARTIST SIGNINGS
On April 22: Carpenters
August: Humble Pie
November: Sisters Love
Other A&M artist signings: Quincy Jones and Abaco Dream. Through Island Records, A&M signed Fairport Convention (including >Sandy Denny), Free, Spooky Tooth, Jimmy Cliff and Cat Stevens. All these signings gave A&M nearly 40 artists on its roster. Fairport Convention was signed in April. The announcement of the signing said the initial album would be What We Did on Our Holidays, however it was self-titled.
1969 BILLBOARD CHARTS
BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (2) Burt Bacharach (2) Baja Marimba Band (2) Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (2) | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (2) Checkmates, Ltd. (2) Joe Cocker (3) Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (3) |
BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART
| SINGLES | |
|---|---|
| Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (3) Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (3) Baja Marimba Band (2) |
BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Quincy Jones (1 Top 10) Ike & Tina Turner (1 Top 30) George Benson (1 Top 40) Melvin Van Peebles (1 Top 50) Walter Wanderley (1 Top 50) | Sonny Charles (1 Top 10) Abaco Dream (1 Top 30) |
BILLBOARD BEST SELLING JAZZ LPs CHART
Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 Fool on the Hill peaked at #1 on April 19, 1969
Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 Crystal Illusions peaked at #3 on September 6, 1969
Burt Bacharach Make It Easy on Yourself peaked at #12 on September 6, 1969.
1969 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Instrumental Jazz Performance Small Group or Soloist with Small Group | Willow Weep for Me | Wes Montgomery | Won |
| Best Original Score written for a Motion Picture or Television Special | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid | Burt Bacharach | Won |
| Contemporary Song | Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head | Burt Bacharach & Hal David | |
| Song of the Year | I'll Never Fall in Love Again | Burt Bacharach & Hal David | |
| Song of the Year | Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head | Burt Bacharach & Hal David | |
| Package | Road Song | Wes Montgomery (Sam Antupit, Pete Turner) |
1969 CASH BOX YEAR END CHARTS
| CHART | POSITION AND TITLE | ARTIST |
|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Chart Hits | 76. Black Pearl | Checkmates Ltd. |
| Best Artists on Singles Vocal Groups | 37 | Checkmates Ltd. |
| Best Artists on Singles Male Vocalists | 44 | Herb Alpert |
| Million Sellers | This Guy's In Love With You | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass |
| Best Albums | 21. Fool On the Hill 60. Warm | Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass |
| Best Artists on Albums New Male Vocalists | 4 5 | Lee Michaels Joe Cocker |
| Best Artists on Albums Orchestras & Bands | 2 | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass |
| Best Artists on Albums Vocal Groups | 10 29 | Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 Procol Harum |
| Best Artists on Albums New Vocal Groups | 22 | Spooky Tooth |
| Best Artists on Albums Instrumentals & Combos | 6 | Wes Montgomery |
| Top R&B Hits | 50. Black Pearl | Checkmates Ltd. |
| Best R&B Artists New Vocal Groups | 6 | Checkmates Ltd. |
A&M RECORDS HISTORY 1970s
1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1970
Cat Stevens was with Chris Blackwell. I bought the Mona Bona Jakon album. --Jerry Moss
A&M Records Canada was established in February.
A&M presented the National Association of Record Merchandisers (NARM) the funding for the Wes Montgomery Memorial Scholarship. Both A&M and NARM contributed $2,000 and agreed to operate the scholarship every four years.
In March, A&M promoted Gil Friesen to vice president, director of administration and creative services. Bob Fead was promoted to vice president, director of distribution that included sales, promotion, advertising and special projects coordination. Chuck Kaye was promoted to vice president, director of publishing and recorded product. He also became the head of A&M's A&R department. Harold Childs was named the director of East Coast Operations directing sales, distribution, promotion and publicity on the East Coast. Jon Echevarrieta was appointed Director of Advertising and Merchandising Art in mid-year and was succeeded by Joan Marker in the fall. Harrie Schwartz was named the head of publicity in the New York office. Risa Potter became the assistant to the Director of Publicity and Public Relations, Bob Garcia
Harold Childs hired a new promotion man, Charlie Minor. Charlie remained at A&M until 1991. Known for his charismatic and inclusive personality, and an early reputation for loving a good party, Charlie rose to be a legend in record promotion.
In the spring, A&M created the College Promotion department and promoted Lance Freed to direct it. At the time, A&M had 15 student representatives at major universities. The new department was going to build mailing lists with college radio stations and develop promotion, merchandise and advertising for the college market.
Tape sales in 1970 were a 100 percent increase over 1969 with projected sales of over $10 million. Leading the sales were Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Joe Cocker each selling over 100,000 units. Of all tape formats, cassettes were 22 percent, reel-to-reel 3 percent and 8-tracks 75 percent of sales. Cassette sales were increasing resulting in a promotion push in 1970. At this point 4-track tapes were declining and A&M decided album by album which to release on 4-track. Tape sales were 35 to 40 percent of total sales with tapes retailing at $6.98. Illegal tape duplication and sales were a large problem in 1970. A&M took steps to stop it: (1) telling its distributors that if they or their accounts were caught selling bogus tapes, A&M would cut off its music; (2) it paid increased dues to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to help offset its legal costs against illegal duplication, and (3) worked with National Association of Record Merchandisers on other solutions.
Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen became A&M's first twin pack 8-track and twin pack cassette tape with a retail price of $9.98. By October 1970, it sold over 180,000 copies in the 8-track format and 40,000 cassettes. A&M tried to release tapes on the same day as the vinyl album or within one week of the album's release.
Around June, Bones Howe signed a production deal with A&M Records. It brought Bob Alcivar to A&M to produce for the Sandpipers and Robin Wilson.
Total sales in August topped $4 million with $2.8 million in album sales and $291,000 in singles sales. Vinyl was 75 percent of the sales; four and 8-track tapes were 19.6 percent, cassettes were 4.7 percent and open reel tapes were two percent of products sold. From July through September, A&M sold over $9.9 million in products.
With about 40 artists on the roster, the A&R department was Herb Alpert, Jack Daugherty, Larry Marks, George Tobin and Chad Stuart. In November, Joan Marker became the director of advertising and merchandising and Risa Potters was appointed assistant publicity director.
A&M agreed to distribute Ode Records starting April 1. This was the first worldwide distribution of another label by A&M Records.
A&M product was expected to account for four percent of total sales in Japan during 1970.
The label released nine albums in July. Four of them were on Billboard's national charts. Sales for the month were $1.95 million. August sales were $4.16 million and September sales were $3.81 million.
August was A&M's largest sales month in its history to date netting more than $4.6M in revenue. Bob Fead told Cash Box, "This dollar volume reflects a great cross-section of artists and indicates the company's flexibility to move within all facets of the music world."
With over 1,000 still images and live action of 55 artists from "The Lonely Bull" through "Mad Dogs and Englishmen", A&M had a 10.5 minute promotional film for its fourth annual international affiliates meeting which was held in London from September 6 through 11. The meeting included A&M Canada, A&M Ltd., A&M's European director, Ode Records and 21 representatives from forelgn affiliates.
Beginning with the distribution deal for Miguel Rios' Song of Joy album, A&M wanted to increase its presence in the Latin market. A&M had made inroads with the Tijuana Brass, Baja Marimba Band, Chris Montez, Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 and the Sandpipers. Now it sought to sign Latin artists with Simpatico.
Effective August 1, Ariola-Eurodisc GMBH took over representation of A&M in Germany, Switzerland and Austria while Ariola-Eurodisc-Benelux N.V. took representation in Holland and the Benelux territories.
In October, Dishi Records began distributing A&M Records in Italy. The first albums were by Quincy Jones, Carpenters, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 and Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen. The first singles were by Carpenters, the Sandpipers, Humble Pie and Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66.
A&M placed 13 singles and 18 albums on the Billboard charts. A total of 11 RIAA gold records were given to A&M. The Carpenters, Joe Cocker and Burt Bacharach received three each.
The Tijuana Brass was disbanded however A&M hired the Film Factory to produce featurettes for the band.
Cash Box named three A&M singles into its top records for the year: #16 "Close to You" by Carpenters, #37 "The Letter" by Joe Cocker and #38 "All Right Now" by Free. In its Top albums were #8 the self-titled Joe Cocker and #11 "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" by Burt Bacharach.
ARTIST SIGNINGS
May: Ron Davies, Lambert and Nuttycombe
June: Supertramp
November: Michel Colombier
Other artists who signed with A&M were England Dan & John Ford Coley, Lani Hall, Booker T. Jones, Barbara Keith, Roger Kellaway, Brother John, Marc Benno, Luziana Band, Shawn Phillips, and Simpatico.
1970 BILLBOARD CHARTS
BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Sandpipers (2) Spooky Tooth (2) | Carpenters (4) Joe Cocker (2) Free (2) |
BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART
| SINGLES | |
|---|---|
| Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (3) Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (2) Carpenters (2) Sandpipers (2) |
BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Quincy Jones (1 Top 20) Joe Cocker (1 Top 40) Wes Montgomery (1 Top 50) |
BILLBOARD's BEST SELLING JAZZ LPs
Wes Montgomery's Greatest Hits peaked at #6 on June 27, 1970
Gula Matari by Quincy Jones peaked at #3 on October 31, 1970
Stillness by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 peaked at #4 on November 28, 1970
1970 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Album of the Year | Close to You | Carpenters | |
| Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) | Close to You | Carpenters | |
| Best Engineered Recording | Close to You | Carpenters | |
| Contemporary Vocal Group | Close to You | Carpenters | Won |
| New Artist | Carpenters | Won | |
| Record of the Year | Close to You | Carpenters | |
| Best Jazz Performance Large Group or Soloist with Large Group | Bridge Over Troubled Water | Paul Desmond | |
| Contemporary Male Vocalist | Mad Dogs and Englishmen | Joe Cocker | |
| Contemporary Song | We've Only Just Begun | Roger Nichols, Paul Williams | |
| Song of the Year | We've Only Just Begun | Roger Nichols, Paul Williams |
1971
Lance Freed was named executive assistant at A&M. He moved into this position after directing A&M's college promotion department. The new job directed the college department, A&M's video projects and A&M's Compendium. Andy Meyer was promoted to the college promotion director. Harold Childs became A&M's national promotion director. Mel Furhman succeeded Childs in the New York office.
Early in the year, Roland Young was hired as the Director of Advertising Art and Record Album Design. In July, Pat Luce was appointed as the head of East Coast publicity. In September, Kip Cohen joined A&M Records. Chuck Casell became the Director of Consumer Communications for national trade and consumer advertising, album copy and A&M's in-house Compendium. Clare Baren became the Director of Audio-Visual Communications responsible for radio commercials, film and television presentations.
Harold Childs, national promotions director, was redefining promotions people, "making the promotion man into a press relations man, a coordinator of advertising for each market he represents, and a man who has stronger interaction with retail accounts."
A&M had a small cadre of blues artists: Joe Cocker, Free, Sisters Love, Sonny Charles and Jimmy Cliff plus blues-related artists Lee Michaels, Gary Wright and Spooky Tooth. In 1971, they added Rita Coolidge, Marc Benno, Booker T. and Priscilla.
King Records, A&M's distributor in Japan, estimated that A&M would be 12% of its sales for the year.
Odeon became A&M's South American distributor in all countries except Venezuela where Palacio de Musica of Caracas had distribution. EMI had distribution rights in Latin America from 1971 until June 30, 1980.
In music industry awards, Jerry Moss was named Record Executive of the Year at the Gavin Awards, and the National Association of Record Merchandisers (NARM) Record Company of the Year award went to A&M.
A&M was the first label to venture into videotape. Until this time, video was created on the soundstage. The label decided to create a videotaping facility within the studio complex. The engineering staff was handled video recording. The idea was to pursue both business applications to introduce distributors and affiliates to new artists and new recordings and also to create a library of video that it could package when home video would become available in the coming years. And, Chuck Braverman created a promotional film featuring over 40 A&M artists.
A&M released its second twin pack tape, Humble Pie's Performance Rockin' the Fillmore. The price was $6.98, a $3 decrease from the first twin pack.
A&M used 29 independent distributors to get its recordings into retail stores.
A&M's College Promotion program had 11 campus representatives around the country. A&M met with each one to discuss goals, promotion techniques, and gave them an 80-page manual that covered concert tours, stocking bookstores, how to work with radio stations and college newspapers, working with A&M local promotion staff, store displays and more.
A&M began a company newsletter called the A&M Compendium.
RPM became the licensee for southern and central Africa effective November 1.
"Listen to Your World" was the theme of A&M's annual meeting with international affiliates from more than 30 countries and its first product roadshow. In August and September, A&M released 23 albums. The roadshow included a 20-minute promotional film of about 40 A&M and Ode artists was filmed by Braverman Productions.
A&M started construction on a 10,000 square foot office building to house sales and production on the first floor and international on the second floor.
By the fall of the year, only 65 albums had been released, fewer than 1970. The company decided that if it released fewer albums, it could more effectively market and merchandise them. The label also decided to put more time into marketing and merchandising its singles, too.
It was A&M's second best year in its history at the Grammys. Carole King, an A&M artist by Ode Records distribution agreement, won all four of the major Grammys. She was the first woman to do so. It was also A&M's fourth best year in history winning 11 RIAA gold records--four for the Carpenters, three for Carole King and two for Cat Stevens.
Jerry Moss was voted NARM's Record Company Executive of the Year.
Cash Box's top albums of the year included Cat Stevens' Tea for the Tillerman at #3, Carpenters at #8 and Close to You by Carpenters at #13.
Quincy Jones won the Billboard 1972 Trendsetter Award Based on Achievement in 1971 "for producing a fresh, contemporary sound for big band jazz albums."
ARTIST SIGNINGS
February: Paul Williams
May: Bill Medley, Earth Quake, Luziana Band, Tim Weisberg
July: Rita Coolidge, Billy Preston
Other artists who signed: Joan Baez, Chilliwack, Michael D'Abo, Sandy Denny, Hookfoot, Mimi Farina & Tom Jans, Supertramp.
PRICE AND FORMAT HISTORY
| SERIES | ALBUMS |
|---|---|
| SP 4100 | $4.98-5.98 |
| SP 3500 | $4.98-5.98 |
| SP 3000 | $4.98-5.98 |
A&M, Ode Records and Tapes December 1971 Pocket Catalog
1971 BILLBOARD CHARTS
BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Carpenters (2) Rita Coolidge (2) Free (2) Humble Pie (2) Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 and '77 (2) Cat Stevens (2) | Carpenters (3) Cat Stevens (3) Lee Michaels (2) |
BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART
| SINGLES | |
|---|---|
| Carpenters (3) Cat Stevens (3) |
BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Quincy Jones (1 Top 20) | Sisters Love (1 Top 20) |
1971 BILLBOARD TALENT IN ACTION
| CATEGORY | ARTIST | TITLE |
|---|---|---|
| Top Singles Artists | 2. Carpenters (4) 19. Cat Stevens (3) 67. Lee Michaels (2) | |
| Top Album Artists | 7. Carpenters (3) 20. Cat Stevens (4) 50. Burt Bacharach (3) 61. Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77 (2) 70. Lee Michaels (1) 92. Joe Cocker (1) | |
| Top Singles Male Vocalists | 6. Cat Stevens (3) | |
| Top Singles Duos & Groups | 2. Carpenters (4) | |
| Top New Singles Artists | 8. Cat Stevens (3) | |
| Top Singles Easy Listening Artists | 1. Carpenters (4) 12. Cat Stevens (3) | |
| Top Album Male Vocalists | 7. Cat Stevens (4) | |
| Top Album Duos & Groups | 5. Carpenters (3) | |
| Top Album Instrumentalist | 1. Burt Bacharach(3) | |
| Top New Album Artist | 7. Cat Stevens (3) | |
| Top Album Jazz Artist | 14. Paul Desmond (1) 15. Quincy Jones (2) | |
| Top Producer | 7. Jack Daugherty (4) 51. Lee Michaels (2) | |
| Top Publishers Hot 100 | 5. Irving (9) 18. Almo (5) | |
| Top Pop 100 Singles | 19. Lee Michaels 30. Carpenters 35. Carpenters 38. Carpenters 73. Cat Stevens | Do You Know What I Mean Superstar For All We Know Rainy Days and Monday Wild World |
| Top Easy Listening Singles | 4. Carpenters 7. Carpenters 8. Carpenters 13. Cat Stevens | Rainy Days and Mondays Superstar For All We Know Peace Train |
| Top Popular Albums | 3. Carpenters 8. Cat Stevens 39. Carpenters 64. Lee Michaels 85. Burt Bacharach 95. Joe Cocker | Close to You Tea for the Tillerman Carpenters 5th Burt Bacharach Mad Dogs & Englishmen |
| Top Jazz Album | 14. Paul Desmond 17. Quincy Jones | Bridge Over Troubled Water Gula Matari |
| Top Easy Listening Publisher | 3. Almo (6) 7. Irving (7) |
Paul Desmond's Bridge Over Troubled Water peaked at #4 on the Billboard Best Selling Jazz LPs chart on January 23, 1971.
1971 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Album of the Year | Carpenters | Carpenters | |
| Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) | Superstar | Carpenters | |
| Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) | Freedom & Fear | Bill Medley | |
| Best Engineered Recording | Carpenters | Carpenters | |
| Best Engineered Recording | Wings | Michel Colombier | |
| Pop Vocal Group | Carpenters | Carpenters | Won |
| Best Instrumental Arrangement | Earth | Michel Colombier | |
| Best Original Score written for a Motion Picture or Television Special | Bless the Beasts and Children | Barry DeVorzon & Perry Botkin, Jr. | |
| Best Pop Instrumental Performance | Burt Bacharach | Burt Bacharach | |
| Best Pop Instrumental Performance | Smackwater Jack | Quincy Jones | Won |
1972
A&M was the largest record and tape producer selling through independent distributors according to Billboard.
In February, A&M announced it was releasing a promotional double album and single to support voter registration in March. The album would be free to anyone with a voter registration receipt and was available at voter registration locations or through the mail. Gil Friesen noted there were 25 million unregistered voters ages 18 to 24. A&M also had a promotional single "Use the Power (18)" that was sent to radio stations across the country.
A&M created its videotape facility. In July, A&M Records ran its first television ads to support the album Remembering You by Carroll O'Connor. At the time, O'Connor starred as Archie Bunker in the television series "All in the Family" on CBS. The spots aired on CBS stations in New York, Seattle and Portland as during "All in the Family." Later in the year, 30-second spots for I Wrote a Simple Song by Billy Preston ran in southern California.
The label's first quadrophonic album was Come from the Shadows by Joan Baez.
Jeff Barry was hired as a producer.
Lance Freed was made Administrative Assistant to Jerry Moss.
A&M began price coding. The spines of vinyl albums were printed with 0598 to represent the new $5.98 price.
A&M deleted 35 titles from its catalog. In doing so, A&M requested they be returned to A&M where they were destroyed. Jerry Moss preferred product returns to cutting the price of the records.
A&M had a 20-minute film created to promote its new releases for the fall. The film was shown at five regional meetings in October after remarks by Herb Alpert, Jerry Moss, Gil Friesen and Bob Fead.
For its anniversary, A&M had Braverman Productions create "A&M 10." It won a Golden Eagle from the Council of International Nontheatrical Evens."
The ABC Movie of the Week "Trouble Comes to Town" was scored by Tom Scott. Cheryl Dilcher wrote the title song and it was sung by Paul Williams.
The Andy Meyer guide on promoting college concerts, "Dancing On the Seats" was published. Meyer also expanded the A&M Campus Promotions program from ten to 14 representatives. The program was also an entry point to working in A&M's promotion department.
In December, A&M Records renewed its distribution agreement with King Records of Japan.
RIAA gold records continued at an historic pace, 11 more. Leading the RIAA certs were Humble Pie and Cheech & Chong who each received two plaques.
Beginning in 1972, EMI replaced Phonogram as A&M Records distributor in Asia. The agreement ran until 1978. EMI also distributed A&M in South America and India.
ARTIST SIGNINGS
July: Robin & Jo
September: Humble Pie renewed its contract with A&M. Other signings included Joan Armatrading, Joan Baez and David Spinozza.
Artists who re-signed with A&M: Carpenters, Humble Pie, Quincy Jones, Cat Stevens
A&M Records April 1972 Pocket Catalog
A&M/Ode Records August 1972 Pocket Catalog
PRICE AND FORMAT HISTORY
| SERIES | ALBUMS | 8-TRACK | CASSETTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| SP 4100 | $5.98 | ||
| SP 3500 | $5.98 | $6.98 | $6.98 |
| SP 3000 | $5.98 |
1972 BILLBOARD CHARTS
BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Humble Pie (2) | Carpenters (3) Billy Preston (2) Cat Stevens (2) |
BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART
| SINGLES | |
|---|---|
| Carpenters (3) Cat Stevens (2) |
BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Billy Preston (2 Top 10) | Billy Preston (1 #1; 1 Top 20) |
1972 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Pop Instrumental Performance | Outa-Space | Billy Preston | Won |
| Best Instrumental Composition | Outa-Space | Billy Preston (Billy Preston, Joe Greene, Writers) | |
| Best Instrumental Arrangement | Flat Baroque | Carpenters (Richard Carpenter, Arranger) | |
| Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band | Age of Steam (the) | Gerry Mulligan | |
| Best Score from an Original Cast Show Album | Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death | Melvin Van Peebles | |
| Best Jazz Performance by a Soloist | Great Scott | Tom Scott |
1973
A&M created the position of Director of Talent Development. David Anderle was its first incumbent. Barry Grieff was named Merchandising director. Andy Meyer became the national director of publicity succeeding Bob Garcia upon his appointment to director of artist relations. In September, Kip Cohen became the Executive Director of A&R.
The Foursider double album series by MOR artists was released in the fall of 1973. Each one retailed for $5.98.
The label released at least 20 Q (quadrophonic) 8-track tapes.
Barry Gross and Marty Kupps formed an independent production company. A&M distributed the Gross-Kupps recordings and housed the company at 1342 N. LaBrea Avenue. Jambalaya was the first Gross-Kupps artist signed to A&M.
Miguel Rios adapted Dvorak's New World Symphony as "Cancion Para Un Nueva Mundo." It was a hit in Spain. A&M called it, "one of the most expensive and elaborate in rock history."
Japan was the top international market for A&M. King Records, A&M's distributor sponsored a weekly hour-long show of A&M's recording. King also created "A&M First Ten Years," representing ten artists, each set contained two albums by each artist. The artists were Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Burt Bacharach, Joan Baez, Carpenters, Humble Pie, Quincy Jones, Liza Minnelli, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77, and Strawbs.
Of the ten RIAA gold records, half went to the Carpenters, and two to Billy Preston.
A total of 19 singles and 20 albums were on the Billboard charts. With eight singles in the Top 10, this was one of A&M's best years on that chart.
In December, A&M announced it was discontinuing reel-to-reel tapes.
Los Angeles Advertising Women gave a first place bronze Lulu award to A&M for its spot promoting Billy Preston's Music Is My Life. Clare Baren produced the spot.
ARTIST SIGNINGS
May: Blackberries
August: Gino Vannelli
September: Jambalaya, Franklyn Ajaye
Esperanto Rock Orchestra, Daniel Valdez
PRICE AND FORMAT HISTORY
| SERIES | ALBUMS | 8-TRACK | CASSETTE | OPEN REEL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP 4100 | $5.98 | $6.98 | $6.98 | $7.98 |
| SP 3000 | $5.98 | |||
| SP 3500 | $5.98 | $6.98 | $6.98 | $7.98 |
| SP 3600 | $7.98 | $7.98 | $7.98 | $7.98 |
| SP 3700 | $7.98 | NA | NA | NA |
| SP 6000 | $9.98 | $9.98 | $9.98 | $10.98 |
| Quadrophonic | $6.98 | $7.98 | $7.98 | NA |
A&M, Ode Records & Tapes Catalog 1973
A&M, Ode Records & Tapes Pocket Catalog Fall 1973
1973 BILLBOARD CHARTS
BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Carpenters (2) | Carpenters (4) Keith Hampshire (2) Shawn Phillips (2) Stealers Wheel (2) |
BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART
| SINGLES | |
|---|---|
| Carpenters (3) Stealers Wheel (2) Paul Williams (2) |
BILLBOARD R&B CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Billy Preston (1 Top 10) Quincy Jones (1 Top 20) Booker T. & Priscilla (1 Top 50) | Billy Preston (1 #1; 1 Top 10) |
1973 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Instrumental Composition | Space Race | Billy Preston | |
| Best Pop Instrumental Performance | Space Race | Billy Preston | |
| Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) | Sing | Carpenters | |
| Pop Vocal Group | Sing | Carpenters | |
| Best Country & Western Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group | From the Bottle to the Bottom | Kris & Rita | Won |
| Best Instrumental Arrangement | Summer in the City | Quincy Jones | Won |
| Best Pop Instrumental Performance | You've Got It Bad Girl | Quincy Jones |
1973 BILLBOARD TALENT IN ACTION
| CATEGORY | ARTIS | TITLE |
|---|---|---|
| Top Pop Album Artists | 33. Carole King 70. Joe Cocker 77. Cheech & Chong& 83. Cat Stevens 87. Joan Baez 94. Ozark Mountain Daredevils 96. Quincy Jones Captain & Tennille | |
| New Album Artists | 34. Captain & Tennille 18. Henry Gross | Love Will Keep Us Together Plug Me Into Something |
1974
In January, Kip Cohen was named A&M's Vice President of a&r. Harold Childs was appointed vice president of promotion. Arnie Orleans was named the national sales manager for records. David Steffen became the Midwest sales rep and Marv Dorfman was the first national coordinator of major accounts. Jeff Ayeroff was hired as the first product coordinator. In September, Rob Wunderlich was named director of college promotion; Pete Mollica became the New York region promotional representative and John Ferrer was the promotion representative for the New Orleans region. Jeff Ayeroff joined A&M Records in November in a new position, product coordinator. In December, A&M appointed Gil Friesen as its senior vice president of administration and creative services just as Gil reached his tenth anniversary with A&M.
Beginning in January, all new album and tape releases were priced at $6.98.
A&M Records renewed its distribution agreement with Festival Records for three years. A&M made a three-year distribution deal with EMI for Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia.
Rick Wakeman's live double album was the first CD-4 discrete album released by the label. The quad albums were in the SQ format from Columbia and QS format from Sansui. Producers determined which format they wanted to use. Wakeman's album was SQ. Other early releases were in QS including the Ode albums Tommy by the London Symphony Orchestra, and Carole King's Music. Joan Baez's Come from the Shadows was also on SQ.
In June, A&M Records agreed to distribute George Harrison's Dark Horse Records worldwide for five years.
On July 12, A&M increased the distribution price of active stock and Forget-Me-Not singles from 44 cents to 57 cents and promotional singles at 15 cents. The retail price was $1.29. The increase was effective with A&M single number 1601. Older singles continued to be sold at their original price.
In August and September A&M ran a television campaign of 30-second commercials in major markets for Cat Stevens Buddha and the Chocolate Box, Quincy Jones Body Heat, Ozark Mountain Daredevils self-titled album, Rick Wakeman's Journey to the Centre of the Earth and Rita Coolidge Fall Into Spring.
A&M held its annual international sales meeting in Sydney, Australia in September. Australia's Festival Records hosted A&M, Ode and Dark Horse executives plus executives from Japan's King Record Company; Philippines' Dyna Products and EMI Far East.'
In October, the Boston sales office opened. This was the first field office that did not have stock on-hand. A&M announced it was entering the children's music market with the Zoom and The Big Blue Marble albums. Both came from educational television programs for children.
A&M restarted its campus representative program with employees based in Baltimore/Washington, Boston, New York/New Jersey, Upstate New York, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, western states, Illinois, the Carolinas, Pennsylvania, southern states, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon.
Barry Grieff, director of merchandising, told Record World, "We know the retailers well and try to provide them with materials sufficient for their individual needs. We personally go around the country visiting these people. They know our catalogue, and we tailor our merchandising tools for that retailer...we try to help them. When you spend a lot of money on a display, and ship it out, you have to take into account what type of store you are sending the display to. Some places can't use stand-ups; some stores don't use counter displays, and other retailers can only use counter displays. What we did was send out questionnaires and had each account tell us what they can use. The last thing we want to do is promote an idea that is too impractical for the retailers."
Independent distributors filed a $10.5M antitrust lawsuit against A&M and Motown. Jack Solinger claimed both labels dropped his company Independent Music Sales. The suit went to the Supreme Court in 1979. The court decided that if Solinger could prove he was ready to buy IMP in 1972, that he could pursue his case.
In the first of only three times, A&M did not win a Grammy. RIAA gold records were awarded to seven different A&M artists.
The year ended with 20 singles and 24 albums having entered the Billboard charts. Cat Stevens had four singles on the chart. Burt Bacharach, Nazareth, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils and Paul Williams each had two albums on the chart.
ARTIST SIGNINGS
In August/September, Gail Davies
October: Tubes
Other artists signed this year included Peter Allen, Chris DeBurgh and Styx.
PRICE AND FORMAT HISTORY
| SERIES | ALBUMS | 8-TRACK | CASSETTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| SP 4100 | $7.98 | $7.98 | $7.98 |
| SP 3600 | $5.98-6.98 | $6.98-7.98 | $6.98-7.98 |
| SP 3700 | $8.98 | $8.98 | $8.98 |
All $5.98 albums were raised to $6.98 with distributors paying $2.97. Quad albums were $3.02 for distributors and all tapes cost distributors $3.78.
A&M, Ode Records, Pocket Catalog Summer 1974
1974 BILLBOARD CHARTS
| BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART | |
|---|---|
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Burt Bacharach (2) Nazareth (2) Ozark Mountain Daredevils (2) Paul Williams (2) |
Cat Stevens (4) Carpenters (2) Billy Preston (2) |
| BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART | |
| SINGLES | |
| Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (2) Carpenters (2) Cat Stevens (2) |
|
| BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART | |
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Quincy Jones (#1) Billy Preston (1 Top 10) Persuasions (1 Top 30) L.T.D. (1 Top 100) |
Billy Preston (1 Top 10; 1 Top 20) Carl Graves (1 Top 20) |
The Roger Kellaway Cello Quartet album Come to the Meadow peaked at #1 on the Billboard Best Selling Jazz LPs chart on October 26, 1974.
1974 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Rhythm & Blues Instrumental Performance | Struttin' | Billy Preston | |
| Pop Male Vocalist | Nothing from Nothing | Billy Preston | |
| Best Engineered Recording | Powerful People | Gino Vannelli (Tommy Vicari, Larry Forkner, Engineers) |
|
| Song of the Year | I Honestly Love You | Jeff Barry, Peter Allen (Writers) | |
| Best Country & Western Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group |
Loving Arms | Kris & Rita | |
| Song of the Year | You and Me Against the World | Paul Williams, Kenny Ascher | |
| Best Pop Instrumental Performance | Along Came Betty | Quincy Jones | |
| Pop Vocal Group | Body Heat | Quincy Jones | |
| Best Pop Instrumental Performance | Journey to the Center of the Earth |
Rick Wakeman | |
| Best Inspirational Performance | Lord's Prayer (the) | Sister Janet Mead | |
| Best Engineered Recording | Crime of the Century | Supertramp (Ken Scott, John Jansen, Engineers) |
1975
In the New York office, Pat Luce was promoted as the first director of artist development. Her duties were to guide artists' growth in all aspects of the entertainment industry and develop British artists in the U.S. through press tours, management affiliation and record promotion. Martin Kirkup was made the east coast director of publicity.
Jerry Moss created the position of assistant to the president and hired David Dashev into it.
Iris Zurawin became the label's merchandising manager. The job involved creating the total merchandising plan for each album plus distribution and coordination of advertising and merchandising materials with distributors and field representatives.
Louise Barnum was promoted to manager of record production; Janis Imberton to manager of jacket production, and Kiki LaPorta became the national advertising manager.
In April, Martin Kirkup was named the east coast director of publicity. Lenny Bronstein became the west coast regional projects representative and Rich Galliani was the local promotion representative for San Francisco. In July, Roger Birnbaum was promoted to director of contemporary a&r. In September Kiki LaPorta was hired as the national advertising manager.
In A&M corporate dealings, Horizon Records was announced as a jazz record series, not a label in May. June 11 was the official first commercial use of Horizon logo (script style). In July, Almo Publications, a division of Almo Music, was established to develop music books for 18 A&M acts. October 29 was the first commercial use of Almo Publications logo (jack-in-the-box style). And, in December, Jolene Burton named Vice President of Financial Affairs. She had more than lived up to her nickname, The First Lady of A&M, originally a tribute to being the first employee on the label.
A&M began variable pricing on new artists albums. Love Will Keep Us Together by the Captain & Tennille was the first album to be priced at $5.98.
A&M and Motown Records formed Together Record Distributing Company that would be located near Atlanta, GA. It was effective in February to serve Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Alabama as the labels' independent distributor. David Fitch became the first southern regional sales representative to work out of the new office.
The sales, promotion and marketing executives from A&M, Ode Records and Dark Horse Records held a two-day meeting to plan the marketing and distribution for their fall 1975 releases.
A&M released three albums that were produced by Chuck Mangione and in limited release on his Sagoma label. These were Esther Satterfield's Once I Loved, Gerry Niewood's Slow, Hot Wind and Gap Mangione's She and I.
The bulk of the nine RIAA gold records--three for the Captain & Tennille and two for the Carpenters.
Some 22 singles and 34 albums entered the Billboard Pop charts. 1975 was one of three of A&M's best years with eight singles in the Top 10.
ARTIST SIGNINGS
February: Tubes
June: Ayers Rock
July: Peggy Lee
November: Styx, Shades of Blue
Vance or Towers
Hoyt Axton re-signed
PRICE AND FORMAT HISTORY
| SERIES | ALBUMS | 8-TRACK | CASSETTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| SP 4100 | $7.98 | $7.98 | $7.98 |
| SP 3400 | $6.98 | NA | NA |
| SP 3600 | $6.98 | $7.98 | $7.98 |
| SP 3700 | $8.98 | $8.98 | $8.98 |
1975 BILLBOARD CHARTS
BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Chuck Mangione (2) Cat Stevens (2) Strawbs (2) Rick Wakeman (2) Paul Williams (2) | Captain & Tennille (4) Carpenters (2) Joan Baez (2) |
BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART
| SINGLES | |
|---|---|
| Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (2) Joan Baez (2) Captain & Tennille (2) |
BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART
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| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Billy Preston (1 Top 20) Quincy Jones (1 Top 10) L.T.D. (1 Top 40 Gino Vannelli (1 Top 40) | Billy Preston (2 Top 30) Quincy Jones (1 Top 20) Bazuka (1 Top 30) |
1975 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Record of the Year | Love Will Keep Us Together | Captain & Tennille | Won |
| Pop Vocal Group | Love Will Keep Us Together | Captain & Tennille | |
| Best Instrumental Composition | Chase the Clouds Away | Chuck Mangione | |
| Best Pop Instrumental Performance | Chase the Clouds Away | Chuck Mangione | |
| Best Engineered Recording (Other than Classical) | Storm at Sunup | Gino Vannelli | |
| Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group | Lover Please | Kris & Rita | Won |
1975 BILLBOARD TALENT IN ACTION
| CATEGORY | ARTIST | TITLE |
|---|---|---|
| Top Album Artists | 33. Carole King 70. Joe Cocker 77. Cheech & Chong 83. Cat Stevens 87. Joan Baez 96. Quincy Jones 99. Captain & Tennille | |
| New Album Artists | 4. Captain & Tennille 18. Henry Gross | |
| Easy Listening Singles | 7. Captain & Tennille 16. Carpenters 21. Carpenters 40. Carpenters 98. Carole King | Love Will Keep Us Together Please Mr. Postman Only Yesterday Solitaire Nightingale |
| Easy Listening Artists | 6. Carpenters 24. Captain & Tennille 34. Carole King | |
| Easy Listening Label | 4. A&M |
1976
"An album creates an act. It's not just one cut that's popular, the public wants to hear where that artist is coming from....
A group that has no basis other than a single has little to go on."
--Billboard, June 26, 1976
On the business side, A&M Records now had over 300 employees. In January, Jolene Burton became the first vice president of financial affairs and Dave Hubert the first vice president of international. In February, A&M named John Anthony as its East Coast Director of A&R. Staffing in the New York office was increased by 40%. It had full promotion, sales, merchandising, a&r, advertising and publicity departments. A&M recognized that some of its artists had stronger airplay, audience and sales in the eastern U.S. By working from the artist's base, it helped the artists establish their national identities.
In March, A&M created a director of singles sales. Ernie Campagna was the first person to fill this position.
A&M Records create a special products division. Among its duties was the development of A&M's black music marketing with Boo Frazier (east), Robert York (Midwest), Veta Victorian (south) and Brenda Johnson (west). Frazier also led the staff. Harold Childs told Cash Box, "The entire company is involved in one promotional effort. Not only do the special projects people cover the black stations, but so do our local promotion men in every city. As a result, the black stations are likely to be contacted twice on a particular product, which further enables us to build a strong bas in each market. And the special projects people also promote all or artist.... Combined with the fact that our roster is very selective and carefully chosen, I think this helps to build our overall credibility."
A&M won compensatory and punitive damages from E-C Tapes which was found guilty of selling pirated tapes from 1971 through 1975.
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September 24 was the first commercial use of Almo Rapid Play logo for its line of music books and sheet music.
A&M created a holiday giveaway game. It printed 18 million game cards with a potential 4.5 million winners. The game cards gave winners 50 cents off the cost of an album or a free album from a group of 16 recent albums. The game was promoted with in-store displays consisting of three mobiles, two posters and two counter cards. The promotion cost $300,000. The game increased sales by 200-300,000 albums and $750,000.
Also in December, A&M Records brought suit against Dark Horse Records to dissolve distribution agreement; sought $10M in damages, and ultimately won $4 million.
Chuck Mangione won the only Grammy for the year. 1976 was A&M's second best in history for RIAA gold records. They received 13, including four for the Captain & Tennille, two for Cat Stevens, and two for Nazareth. This was also the first year that RIAA began its platinum certifications. Earlier recordings deserving of platinum status were not dated. In 1976, A&M artists received three platinum records. A&M Records led all independent record companies with the most RIAA gold and platinum record awards for the year.
Another solid year on the Billboard charts with 22 singles and 30 albums. Joan Baez and Nazareth were tops with two albums and Peter Frampton with four singles.
ARTIST SIGNINGS
March: Milton Nascimento
April: Richie Havens
June: Perry Botkin, Jr., Letta Mbulu
September: Target
Other signings: Randy Bishop, Brothers Johnson, Garland Jeffreys, Lesley Gore, Marvin Hamlish
PRICE AND FORMAT HISTORY
In the SP 4100 series albums retailed for $6.98 and 8-track and cassette tapes sold for $7.98.
1976 BILLBOARD CHARTS
BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Joan Baez (2) Nazareth (2) | Peter Frampton (4) Captain & Tennille (3) Carpenters (3) Gallagher & Lyle (2) Brothers Johnson (2) Styx (2) |
BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART
| SINGLES | |
|---|---|
| Captain & Tennille (3) Carpenters (3) Gallagher & Lyle (2) |
BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Brothers Johnson (1 #1) L.T.D. (1 Top 10) | Brothers Johnson (#1; #4; 1 Top 30) |
1976 BILLBOARD TALENT IN ACTION
| CATEGORY | ARTIST | TITLE |
|---|---|---|
| Top Pop Single | 23. Nazareth 39. Captain & Tennille 50. Peter Frampton 61. Brothers Johnson 63. Captain & Tennille | Love Hurts Lonely Night (Angel Face) Show Me the Way I'll Be Good to You Shop Around |
| Top Pop Label | 3. A&M (28) | |
| Top Pop Single Artist | 3. Captain & Tennille (4) 14. Peter Frampton (3) 40. Brothers Johnson (2) 65. Carpenters (3) 70. Nazareth (1) | |
| Top Pop New Single Artist | 5. Brothers Johnson | I'll Be Good to You Get the Funk Out Ma Face |
| Top Pop Album | 1. Peter Frampton 23. Brothers Johnson 25. Captain & Tennille 40. Captain & Tennille 73. Nazareth | Frampton Comes Alive Look Out for #1 Love Will Keep Us Together Song of Joy Hair of the Dog |
| Top Pop Label | #4. A&M (46) | |
| Top Pop Album Artist | 4. Peter Frampton (2) 13. Captain & Tennille (2) 25. George Benson (1) 49. Brothers Johnson (1) 52. Nazareth (2) 69. Joan Baez (2) 74. Cat Stevens (2) | |
| Top Pop Male Singles Artist | 3. Peter Frampton (3) | |
| Top Pop Male Albums Artist | 2. Peter Frampton (2) | |
| Top Pop Female Albums Artist | 9. Joan Baez (2) | |
| Top Pop Instrumentalist Duo-Group | 4. Barry DeVorzon & Perry Botkin, Jr. (1) | |
| Top Pop Singles Duo-Group | 2. Captain & Tennille (4) | |
| Top Pop Albums Duo-Group | 9. Captain & Tennille (2) | |
| Top Pop Instrumentalist | 1. George Benson (1) | |
| Top Pop Singles Instrumentalist | 5. Quincy Jones (1) | |
| Top Pop Producer | 14. Peter Frampton (3) 23. Quincy Jones (3) 47. Richard Carpenter (3) 53. Manny Charlton 55. Toni Tennille (3) | |
| Top Pop Publisher | 3. Almo (21) 60. Irving (7) | |
| Top Pop Singles New Duo, Group | 2. Brothers Johnson (2) | |
| Top Pop Albums New Duo, Group | 2. Brothers Johnson (1) | |
| Top Easy Listening Artists | 3. Captain & Tennille 4. Carpenters 49. Carole King | |
| Top Easy Listening Singles | 10. Carpenters 22. Captain & Tennille 37. Captain & Tennille 40. Carole King | There's a Kind of Hush Lonely Night (Angel Face) Shop Around Only Love Is Real |
| Top Easy Listening Label | #3. A&M |
1976 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Artist | Brothers Johnson | ||
| Best Instrumental Composition | Bellavia | Chuck Mangione | Won |
| Best Album Package | Bellavia | Chuck Mangione (Roland Young, art director) | |
| Best Album Package | Mirrors | Peggy Lee (Roland Young, art director) | |
| Album of the Year | Frampton Comes Alive! | Peter Frampton | |
| Best Instrumental Composition | Midnight Soul Patrol | Quincy Jones, Louis Johnson, Dave Grusin | |
| Best Album Package | End of the Beginning (the) | Richie Havens (Roland Young, art director) |
1977
By January, A&M had 23 regional and local college promotion employees who worked with campus radio stations and local retailers. The program included posters and displays as well as print ads in school and local newspapers. Artists on tour also helped by conducting workshops and seminars. Bob Frymire told Billboard, "Campus reps are the eyes and ears of the street. They are in tune with new music and what students are into. It's also a training ground for those hoping to break into the music business."
Most notorious signing and release from A&M Records--the Sex Pistols. They were signed privately to the label on March 9. The public signing was staged on March 10, and A&M was going to rush the Pistols' single God Save the Queen to promote their newest artist. The Sex Pistols, however, had another record: their reputation for offensive behavior. Their conduct at the public signing, and the reaction it caused among other A&M artists who questioned whether the Pistols could fit into the A&M "family", caused Alpert and Moss to buy out the Pistols contract. They were dropped from the artist roster on March 16. By then, some copies of the single had been printed and found their way to the public. Billboard reported that the Sex Pistols contract was for two years and 20 tracks. The group's manager, Malcolm McLaren, estimated the deal was worth about $240,000. Upon signing, Derek Green told Billboard, "Signing the Sex Pistols gives us a unique business opportunity to be involved with a new force in rock music, spearheaded by this group....I believe the group will effect some major changes in recorded music." Billboard also reported that A&M would not "exercise any control over the group's public behavior....But one thing is certain: we're not on a crash course for signing punk rock bands." Billboard subsequently reported, "Dumped by A&M for 'bad behavior after finalization of the deal.'" A&M's John Deacon said, "The decision was taken by Derek Green the managing director alone. There was no pressure from A&M in the U.S.....He also has the full support of all the staff here.....Unfortunately, the group's behavior since signing with the company compelled reconsideration of the situation."
In March and April, A&M ran a print, radio and in-store promotional campaign for its jazz catalog of more than 70 albums from its affiliation with CTI, Horizon and those released on the A&M label. The effort spotlighted the range of artists on the labels and was supported with a jazz sampler album.
Squeeze signed with A&M in July.
David Kershenbaum signed a long-term agreement to produce new and established artists
There were many promotions at A&M headquarters in April. This was the first realignment in A&M Records history. President Jerry Moss's new title was Chairman, Executive Vice President Herb Alpert became Vice Chairman, Senior Vice President Gil Friesen was now President, Vice President of Sales and Distribution Bob Fead was named the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Distribution, Andy Meyer was named vice president of special projects, Pete Mollica became the assistant national director of promotion, Ken Powell became the first director of business affairs, Chuck Kaye became President of Irving/Almo Music and Rondor Music, and Gerry Lacoursiere became President of A&M Records Canada. Thanks to this first major restructuring in the company, Moss was to spend more time with artists, producers and managers and Alpert was to focus more on producing records. Mike Ledgerwood left A&M Ltd. to move to A&M's New York Office as its director of publicity.
A&M established a national special projects coordinator position. Al Edmondson was the first to fill it. Karen Lipold was appointed merchandising manager. In the international division, Bob Brownstein was hired as a special projects coordinator. In July Louise Barnum became the director of production.
Bob Reitman became the director of advertising and merchandising; Jeff Ayeroff was the director of creative services and product managers, and Kiki LaPorta was promoted to advertising media director. Allen Levy became the first national publicity manager. Joan Dlugatch was appointed promotion coordinator.
On June 22, the Financial Center (nicknamed Jolene's building) opened at 1336 N. La Brea Avenue; Financial Affairs had over 40 employees under Jolene Burton. The building was designed by Harry Newman who also designed A&M Canada's headquarters.
A&M June 1977 National Meeting Book
The Many Faces Of A&M
A&M began running spots on the spectacolor board in New York's Times Square to promote concerts and new albums by its artists.
Between 1976 and 1977, A&M hired over 100 employees in the U.S.
The east coast publicity operation was restructured with an east coast publicity director; publicity director; publicity administrator. This was done as the entire east coast operation expanded. Michael Leon was hired as the New York local promotion man.
The sales and marketing department promoted Ernie Campagna as its national sales director and Bernie Grossman as the national singles sales manager. Both reported to Bob Fead, vice president of sales and marketing.
The merchandising staff was also expanded with a director of special marketing products, a west coast regional merchandising director, and a southern regional merchandising director. Janice Whiffen became the national advertising manager.
The promotions department established regional promotion directors with Don Tolle in the southern region; Larry Green in the western region; Steve Dunn in the midwest, and Ron Farber in the northeast.
The international department appointed an international marketing director, a publicity coordinator and an administrative coordinator. Susan Woodnick was the liaison with A&M's 45 affiliate companies and also worked on tours outside the U.S.
The publicity department appointed Lee Cadorette to the director of publicity, west coast, and Peggy King to associate in publicity, west coast; Susan Brainin to national tour press coordinator and Barbara Fisher an associate in tour press publicity. Bernard Comas was the national publicity coordinator for special markets.
The product management department was expanded. Jordan Harris became the senior product manager; Bud Scoppa as product manager/special projects; Dorene Lauer product manager, and Jamie Cohen product coordinator.
A&M started A&M Pacific, hiring its own direct sales staff to work directly with its major retailers, one-stops and rack jobbers. Headed by Les Silver, National Sales Manager, A&M Pacific had a staff of four. A&M Pacific was A&M's first step toward developing a full national sales staff.
A&M entered an agreement with Phonogram to represent its products in Nigeria, Kenya, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
It was a strong year in the r&b market. The core artists were Quincy Jones, Billy Preston, Brothers Johnson and L.T.D. The label was also successful in crossing over artists like Peter Frampton and Pablo Cruise into the r&b. The label also had a stable of potential crossover artists. Gil Friesen told Record World that the label had waited for the right artists to come along then developed them so they hit the chart when they were ready rather than making a conscious decision to enter the r&b market. At this point, Quincy had a major album with the Roots soundtrack; the Brothers Johnson's first two albums were platinum; L.T.D. had recorded two albums and had a hit single.
A&M created the first promotional picture disc with 4,000 copies of Peter Frampton's I'm in You which it sent to distributors when the album went double platinum. A&M also extended in-store display materials with 4' x 4' posters mounted on foamcore, modular displays that could be used in record bins or as mobiles or as stand-up displays.
A&M held a month-long campaign for its jazz recordings from CTI, Horizon and A&M that included radio spots; in-store mobiles and posters, and a special A&M jazz sampler album.
Horizon Records also received top attention this year. In November, Tommy LiPuma was chosen to head the division and in December he became Vice President of A&M and Creative Developer of Horizon Records, now as a contemporary music series rather than a one-record deal for jazz artists.
A&M Records Europe was established in Paris.
A&M's holiday theme display was "Give 'Em the Good Stuff" with a display that could be placed on the floor, wall or hung from the retailer's ceiling.
In December, the concert by the Brothers Johnson and L.T.D. at the Los Angeles Forum was the first national satellite broadcast of R&B artists. The concert was aired in Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans and Washington, DC. Ads, flyers, posters were placed in the cities that aired the concert.
1977 was A&M's best year ever for RIAA gold records. Nineteen certifications were given to artists. Top artists each had two certs, the Captain & Tennille, Brothers Johnson, L.T.D., Styx and Supertramp. There were also four RIAA platinum certifications, each to different artists.
It was also one of A&M's two best years on the Billboard Pop album chart with a record five albums in the Top 10, and a total of 31 A&M albums entered the Billboard chart.
Phonogram Ltd. distributed A&M Records in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Phonogram's promotional campaign for Letta Mbulu's Music In the Air imported catalog from A&M U.S. and Britain. RPM Records continued to distribute A&M in South Africa. In July, A&M entered an album and tape licensing deal with CBS for 12 European countries.
PRICE AND FORMAT HISTORY
| SERIES | ALBUMS | 8-TRACK | CASSETTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| SP 4100 | $6.98-7.98 | $7.98 | $7.98 |
| SP 3700 | $8.98 | $8.98 | $8.98 |
1977 BILLBOARD CHARTS
| BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART | |
|---|---|
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART | |
| SINGLES | |
| BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART | |
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Captain & Tennille (2) Nils Lofgren (2) Nazareth (2) Rick Wakeman (2) | Peter Frampton (3) Captain & Tennille (3) Carpenters (3) Cat Stevens (3) Rita Coolidge (2) L.T.D. (2) Pablo Cruise (2) Cat Stevens (2) |
| Captain & Tennille (3) Carpenters (2) | |
| L.T.D. (1 #1) Quincy Jones (1 Top 10) Gato Barbieri (1 Top 50) Billy Preston (1 Top 50) | L.T.D. (1 #1; 1 Top 30) Brothers Johnson (#1; #2; 1 Top 20) Quincy Jones (1 Top 40) Billy Preston (1 Top 40) |
1977 BILLBOARD TALENT IN ACTION
| CATEGORY | ARTIST | TITLE |
|---|---|---|
| Top Pop Male Artist | 3. Peter Frampton (6) | |
| Top Pop Female Artist | 4. Rita Coolidge (4) 11. Joan Baez (1) 20. Joan Armatrading (2) | |
| Top Pop Group | 14. Captain & Tennille (6) 20. Supertramp (4) 23. Pablo Cruise (4) | |
| Top Soul Artist | 20. Brothers Johnson (6) | |
| Top Pop Single | 8. Rita Coolidge 16. Pablo Cruise 42. Peter Frampton 54. Brothers Johnson 78. Supertramp 89. Captain & Tennille | Higher & Higher Whatcha Gonna Do? I'm in You Strawberry Letter 23 Give a Little Bit Muskrat Love |
| Top Pop Album | 14. Peter Frampton 33. Pablo Cruise 41. Supertramp 43. Rita Coolidge 47. Brothers Johnson 72. Peter Frampton 81. Cat Stevens Captain & Tennille | Frampton Comes Alive A Place in the Sun Even in the Quietest Moments Anytime...Anywhere Right on Time I'm in You Izitso Song of Joy |
| Top Pop Single Artist | 17. Peter Frampton (3) 29. Rita Coolidge (2) 36. Captain & Tennille (3) 48. Pablo Cruise (2) 66. Brothers Johnson (2) 87. Supertramp (1) 98. Barry DeVorzon & Perry Botkin, Jr. (2) | |
| Top Pop Album Artist | 11. Peter Frampton (3) 23. Captain & Tennille (3) 33. Supertramp (3) 45. Pablo Cruise (2) 48. Brothers Johnson (2) 51. Rita Coolidge (2) 70. Cat Stevens (4) 81. Styx (2) 87. L.T.D. (2) | |
| Top Pop Producer | 13. Peter Frampton (3) 38. Quincy Jones (3) 75. Supertramp (1) | |
| New Pop Album Artist | 15. Barry DeVorzon & Perry Botkin, Jr. | Nadia's Theme |
| New Pop Single Artist | 10. Pablo Cruise | A Place in the Sun Whatcha Gonna Do |
| Top Pop Single Female Artist | 3. Rita Coolidge (2) | |
| Top Pop Single Female Artist | 5. Rita Coolidge (2) | |
| Top Pop Single Male Artist | 6. Peter Frampton (3) | |
| Top Pop Album Male Artist | 4. Peter Frampton (3) | |
| Top Pop Single Instrumentalist Duo/Group | 2. Barry DeVorzon & Perry Botkin, Jr. (2) | |
| Top Pop Single Instrumentalist | 4. Quincy Jones (2) | |
| Top Pop Album Instrumentalist Duo/Group | 5. Barry DeVorzon & Perry Botkin, Jr. (1) | |
| Top Pop Album Instrumentalist | 2. Quincy Jones (2) | |
| Top Pop Single Label | 4. A&M (26) | |
| Top Pop Album Label | 4. A&M (48) | |
| Top Easy Listening Single | 16. Rita Coolidge Captain & Tennille 29. Carpenters | Higher and Higher Muskrat Love All You Get From Love Is a Love Song |
| Top Easy Listening Single Artist | 6. Captain & Tennille (4) 22. Rita Coolidge | |
| Top Easy Listening Single Label | 2. A&M (17) | |
| Top Pop Single Publisher | 3. Almo (27) 8. Irving (8) | |
| Top Easy Listening Single Publisher | 2. Irving (6) 37. Almo (6) | |
| Top Soul Single Publisher | 45. Irving (12) 46. Almo (4) | |
| Top Soul Single | 9. Brothers Johnson | Strawberry Letter 23 |
| Top Soul Single Artist | 24. Brothers Johnson (4) 33. L.T.D. (3) | |
| Top Soul Album | 14. Brothers Johnson 38. L.T.D. | Right on Time Something to Love |
| Top Soul Album Artist | 20. Brothers Johnson (2) 22. L.T.D. (2) 45. Quincy Jones | |
| Top Jazz Album | 7. Gato Barbieri 9. Chuck Mangione 24. Brothers Johnson 40. Quincy Jones | Caliente Main Squeeze Right on Time Roots |
| Top Jazz Album Label | 3. A&M (7) | |
| Top Jazz Album Artist | 6. Chuck Mangione (2) 8. Quincy Jones (2) 12. Gato Barbieri (2) 26. Brothers Johnson (2) |
1977 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Pop Instrumental Performance | Nadis's Theme | Barry DeVorzon | |
| Best Instrumental Arrangement | Nadia's Theme | Barry DeVorzon and Perry Botkin, Jr. (Harry Betts, Perry Botkin, Jr., Barry DeVorzon, Arrangers) | |
| Best Rhythm & Blues Instrumental Performance | Q | Brothers Johnson | Won |
| Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) | Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft | Carpenters | |
| Song of the Year | Evergreen | Paul Williams, Barbra Streisand | |
| Best Arrangement for Voices | O Lord Come By Here | Quincy Jones | |
| Best Instrumental Composition | Roots Medley | Quincy Jones (Quincy Jones, Gerald Fried, Writers) | |
| Package | Bellavia | by Chuck Mangione (Roland Young, art director) | |
| Package | The End of the Beginning | Richie Havens (Roland Young, art director) | |
| Package | Mirrors | Peggy Lee (Roland Young, art director) |
1978
Listen to A&M National AOR Radio Director Rich Totoian's national promo panel address to the A&M Convention. A brief history of FM radio and how A&M responds to it in 1978.
In January, A&M launched its Management Information Services department under Bob Housman. With six employees, it collected and reported management information, demographics, and sales by format, market, account, distributor airplay history, accounts reporting to music magazines, ad levels in each market by account and media.
On January 1, A&M opened a south-central marketing region in Dallas, TX. This was A&M's fifth region. It was staffed with a regional marketing director, promotion director, and merchandising director.
A&M Pacific launched in February with branches in San Francisco, Seattle, Denver and Phoenix plus employees in the Boston and Atlanta offices. This was the first in-house distribution effort moving away from independent distributors. The effort was short-lived because some of A&M's retail accounts were slow to pay and A&M had receivables issues with its independent distributors. The result was that A&M had a serious cash-flow problem.
A&M established its first national director of black music marketing. Derry Johnson was the first person to hold the position. A&M also created a black music publicist position. In December, A&M held a "Month in the Community" campaign with posters, divider and bin cards specially designed for stores; print media, direct mailers and radio ads highlighting the growth of music in the black community.
A&M was one of only two labels with a specialized college department. The college staff serviced about 450 radio stations and had an extensive concert committee mailing list. Bob Frymire was the director of the college division and commented on how important it was for the college department to lay the groundwork for new A&M artists.
Major artist developments included signing Joe Jackson in February. On March 22, 1978, Miles Copeland optioned the Police single Roxanne to A&M Records. In July, the band 1994 was signed.
In June Michael Leon moved from the New York office to Los Angeles to become Gil Friesen's executive assistant.
A&M opened promotional offices in CBS Records facilities in the Netherlands and Germany. In October, Alfa Records began distribution in Japan, and A&M began to release Alfa recordings in the U.S..
Billboard reported that A&M president Gil Friesen reaffirmed the label's artist oriented philosophy with the A&M staff saying he "urged artists and managers to 'sit down with any major executive and openly discuss the marketing strategy behind any one of the albums in the A&M catalog." Friesen also told the staff his objective was a "more directed marketing approach for all our music."
In July, A&M created a new position, senior vice president of promotion. Harold Childs who had been the VP for promotion was promoted into it. Gil Friesen said, "Harold's contribution to A&M Records has been invaluable over the last 10 years. His ability to break records is unequaled in the business. Through his promotion staff, Harold Childs has been directly responsible for hiring many of our executives ranks and now hold key positions in the company."
Also in July, Ernie Campagna was promoted to vice president of sales; Bob Reitman became the vice president of advertising and merchandising, and Al Moinet was named the vice president of promotion. The label also created a vice president of special projects and assistant to the chairman that was filled by Andy Meyer. Jeff Ayeroff was appointed to the newly created vice president of creative services. Ken Powell became the vice president of business affairs.
In September, A&M Records entered the cutout market hoping to get products exposed that radio would not play. A&M was the last major label to enter the cutout market. It sold more than one million units were to Pickwick International.
In December, A&M released its third direct mail catalog with recordings to clothing. The catalog included coupons for placing orders.
Meanwhile at Almo Music, the Almo Publications logo (jack-in-the-box style) was approved as a registered trademark on June 13 and the Almo Rapid Play logo approved as a registered trademark on July 18.
September 1 was the first commercial use of Horizon Records logo (3 sunrise style), and on September 12, the Horizon Records logo (script style) approved as registered trademark.
The label released three limited edition picture discs. They were Blam by the Brothers Johnson (50,000 copies); Pieces of Eightby Styx (100,000 copies), and An Evening with Groucho Marx (100,000 copies).
A&M artists won two Grammys, 12 RIAA gold records and 6 RIAA platinum records during 1978. Rita Coolidge, Chuck Mangione and Styx were the leaders as each were awarded two gold records.
A&M artists placed 22 singles and 22 albums on the Billboard Pop charts. The albums were all from different artists.
Signed The Police
PRICE AND FORMAT HISTORY
| SERIES | ALBUMS | 8-TRACK | CASSETTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| SP 4100 | $7.98 | $7.98 | $7.98 |
| SP 3000 | $7.98 | $7.98 | $7.98 |
| SP 3300 | $4.98 | $4.98 | $4.98 |
| SP 3400 | $5.98 | $6.98 | $6.98 |
| SP 3500 | $7.98 | $7.98 | $7.98 |
| SP 3600 | $7.98 | $7.98 | $7.98 |
| SP 3700 | $7.98 | $7.98 | $7.98 |
| SP 6000 | $9.98 | $9.98 | $9.98 |
| SP 6500 | $11.98 | $11.98 | $11.98 |
| Quadrophonic | $6.98 | NA | NA |
A&M, Horizon Records and Tapes Summer 1978 Catalog
A&M to the Rescue Pocket Catalog Winter 1978
1978 BILLBOARD CHARTS
BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| 21 artists with one album each | Captain & Tennille (3) Rita Coolidge (3) Pablo Cruise (3) Carpenters (2) Styx (2) |
BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART
| SINGLES | |
|---|---|
| Captain & Tennille (3) Rita Coolidge (3) Chuck Mangione (2) |
BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Brothers Johnson (1 #1) L.T.D. (1 Top 10 Quincy Jones (1 Top 10) | L.T.D. (1 #1; #8; 1 Top 20) Quincy Jones (1 #1) Atlantic Starr (1 Top 20) |
1978 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Rhythm & Blues Instrumental Performance | Streetwave | Brothers Johnson | |
| Best Pop Instrumental Performance | Children of Sanchez | Chuck Mangione | Won |
| Best Album Package | Children of Sanchez | Chuck Mangione | |
| Best Instrumental Composition | Consuelo's Love Theme | Chuck Mangione | |
| Record of the Year | Feels So Good | Chuck Mangione | |
| Pop Male Vocalist | I Just Wanna Stop | Gino Vannelli | |
| Best Arrangement for Voices | Sounds...and Stuff Like That | Quincy Jones | |
| Best Engineered Recording | Sounds...and Stuff Like That | Quincy Jones | |
| Producer of the Year | Quincy Jones | ||
| Best Pop Instrumental Performance | An Evening of Magic | Chuck Mangione |
Top
1979
Effective January 1, A&M renewed its licensing agreement with RTB Records of Yugoslavia. The deal also included concert tours. To comply with Yugoslav law, RTB could adapt cover art and titles.
In January, A&M released four albums with bar code pricing. The albums were No Mean City by Nazareth, Head East Live, The Best of Rick Roberts and Milton Nascimento's Journey Till Dawn. Kris and Rita's Natural Act which was released on January 12 was not bar coded.
On February 15, RCA began manufacturing and distributing A&M Records. Until then, Columbia Records manufactured 80 percent of A&M's albums and 100 percent of its tapes. Monarch Records manufactured the other 20 percent of albums. RCA was 3 cents to 4 cents cheaper for every album pressed than Columbia. Also, RCA advanced A&M money against the amounts owed by A&M's independent distributors. Due to the change in distributors, A&M held all of its January releases until February.
The label finished closing its in-house distribution, A&M Pacific in March. A&M was the largest and last label to stop using independent distributors, effective with the RCA deal. The deal was for the U.S. only. While distribution was no longer independent, A&M continued to operate as an independent label in all other aspects. RCA hired A&M's vice president of sales and distribution, Bob Fead, to be its vice president of sales and distribution overseeing the new RCA and A&M and Associated Labels. At A&M, Marv Bornstein was promoted to international vice president and director of quality control. This was an addition of duties for Bornstein who had directed quality control of records and tapes since 1969. He also worked with products mixed and mastered in A&M Studios.
By February, A&M had restructured the promotions department:
east coast promotions director
west cast promotions director
east coast AOR director
promotion representatives in Boston, Washington, D.C., Buffalo, Southern Ohio, Seattle
New York disco/cabaret promotion coordinator and college director
The sales department was also reorganized. Under Ernie Campagna's direction, David Steffens became national director of sales for singles, albums and tapes and directed the regional sales staff. Bernie Grossman became director of national accounts. Robert Elliot became A&M's first director of sales research and communication. John Powell was promoted to national manager of retail promotion. Jayne Neches became the west coast regional marketing director. Z Zimmerman was named the special projects coordinator. The local retail staff were located in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh area; Minneapolis; Houston; Chicago; Buffalo; Baltimore/Washington.
There was a reorganization of field merchandising staff to specific cities rather than regions. A&M had offices in ten cities plus five regional promotion directors and regional sales managers.
In November, Michael Leon became the first vice president of east coast operations to coordinate A&R there. The importance of the New York office increased as disco and new wave music first took hold in New York and continued to have their greatest popularity there. With new wave, The Police's management worked with A&M on how to market new wave artists, including working with the small cult clubs where these bands played.
Also in November, Jolene Burton was named senior vice president. Ms. Burton was A&M's first employee. Said Jerry Moss, "A&M has come a long way in our seventeen year history. I am sure this journey through time and space might not have taken place with as much reward or fun had it not been for Jolene Burton's strong contribution." Michael Parkson was appointed vice president of finance, following Burton's promotion.
Again in November, Jason McCloskey was appointed the director of international publicity/promotion and Mike Gormley was named assistant to the chairman Jerry Moss.
1979 was a difficult year for the recording industry and for A&M Records. During the year, A&M let nearly 90 employees go because of its consolidation of operations and industry economics.
On January 1, PolyGram began representing A&M Records in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Korea. CBS was the representative in Israel.
Effective August 3, the price of singles was raised to $1.49 and 12-inch singles to $4.98.
In May, Martin Kirkup was appointed to the new position of vice president for artist development. He had been the director of artist development.
In June, Jack Losmann was made the managing director of international to direct the operation, marketing and promotion of A&M product with 50 affiliates around the world plus artists' international tours. Losmann told Cash Box, "Our marketing pushes are tailored to the artist and who he appeals to. We are careful to key in on specific territories for specific artists, matching their styles with what will be accented in that particular market." He also said because of the high cost of tours, they are planned only for key international markets.
David Kershenbaum was promoted to vice president of A&R responsible for signing all artists and creative functions affecting artists and producers in June 1979.
In February, A&M released its first album priced at $8.98. The album was Supertramp's Breakfast In America.
In artist news, on March 12, the Carpenters signed a new recording contract with A&M.
A&M agreed to distribute the I.R.S. Records syndicate of labels. The pact allowed each label to maintain its identity, artist roster and artistic control. Initial releases happened in August.
On May 18, a Police concert was broadcast to two college radio stations in the Los Angeles area via telephone lines. Art director Roland Young designed a collector edition poster (1,000 copies) that was placed around the city. Flyers were sent to retail and radio stations ran promotions. Total cost of the company was under $1000.
On July 26, A&M made history by broadcasting three live performances in New York City on a consecutive radio station presentation, WNEW-FM/New York. The show opened with Joan Armatrading at the Beacon Theatre. Squeeze followed at Club 57 and Tim Curry's midnight show at the Bottom Line closed the evening.
In November, the label released five 10-inch albums. The Reds was 10,000 copies. The Police's Reggatta de Blanc, a double album with poster in a gatefold cover was between 35,000 and 50,000 copies. Joe Jackson's Look Sharp! double album sold over 50,000 copies. The Joe Jackson box set of I'm the Man was an initial run of 10,000 copies but A&M planned for up to 50,000 copies. Squeeze's 6 Squeeze Songs on a 10" Record was between 35,000 and 50,000 copies.
Six RIAA gold and two platinum records went to different artists.
Still strong on the charts with 21 singles and 34 albums for the year. Six artists had two albums on the charts.
PRICE AND FORMAT HISTORY
| SERIES | ALBUMS | 8-TRACK | CASSETTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| SP 4100 | $7.98-8.98 | $7.98 | $7.98 |
| SP 3000 | $7.98 | $7.98 | $7.98 |
| SP 3300 | $4.98 | $4.98 | $4.98 |
| SP 3400 | $4.98-5.98 | $6.98 | $6.98 |
| SP 3500 | $7.98 | $7.98 | $7.98 |
| SP 3600 | $7.98-8.98 | $7.98 | $7.98 |
| SP 3700 | $8.98 | $8.98 | $8.98 |
| SP 6000 | $9.98 | $9.98 | $9.98 |
| SP 6500 | $11.98 | $11.98 | $11.98 |
| SP 6700 | $8.98 | $9.98 | $9.98 |
| SP 12000 | $4.98 | NA | NA |
A&M Records and Tapes Fall 1979 Catalog
1979 BILLBOARD CHARTS
| BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART | |
|---|---|
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART | |
| SINGLES | |
| BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART | |
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Bell & James (2) Head East (2) Joe Jackson (2) Pablo Cruise (2) Police (2) Sad Café (2) | Styx (3 Supertramp (3) Herb Alpert (2) Rita Coolidge (2) Pablo Cruise (2) Police (2) |
| Herb Alpert (2) Rita Coolidge (2) Supertramp (2) | |
| Herb Alpert (1 Top 10) Bell & James (1 Top 20) L.T.D. (1 Top 10) | Herb Alpert (#6; 1 Top 20) Bell & James (#7,1 Top 20; 1 Top 30) L.T.D. (2 Top 20) |
1979 BILLBOARD TALENT IN ACTION
| CATEGORY | ARTIST | TITLE |
|---|---|---|
| Top Overall Male Artists | 9. Supertramp (5) 18. Chuck Mangione (3) 40. Gino Vannelli (3) 48. Joe Jackson (2) | |
| Top Overall New Artists | 6. Joe Jackson (2) 10. Police (2) 17. Bell & James (2) | |
| Top Overall Pop Groups | 4. Styx (7) 9. Supertramp (5) | |
| Top Overall Pop Duos | 6. Bell & James (2) Captain & Tennille (3) 13. Brothers Johnson (1) 18. Kris & Rita (1) | |
| Top Overall Soul Artists | 22. L.T.D. (7) | |
| Top Pop Singles | 27. Supertramp 67. Styx 75. Gino Vannelli 80. Herb Alpert | The Logical Song Renegade I Just Wanna Stop Rise |
| Top Pop Single Label | 7. A&M Records (29) | |
| Top Pop Albums | 5. Supertramp 7. Styx 47. Gino Vannelli 50. Joe Jackson 63. Chuck Mangione 71. Police | Breakfast in America Pieces of Eight Brother to Brother Look Sharp Children of Sanchez Outlandos D'Amour |
| Top Pop Album Label | 3. A&M Records (43) | |
| Top Pop Single Artist | 19. Supertramp (3) 24. Styx (4) 82. Gino Vannelli (2) 88. Captain & Tennille (2) 89. Herb Alpert (1) | |
| Top Pop Album Artist | 6. Styx (3) 10. Supertramp (2) 13. Chuck Mangione (4) 71. Gino Vannelli (1) 75. Joe Jackson (1) 92. Police (1) | |
| Top New Single Artist | 13. Bell & James 19. Joe Jackson 24. Police | Livin' It Up Is She Really Going Out with Him Roxanne |
| Top Pop New Album Artist | 4. Joe Jackson 18. Bell & James | Look Sharp Bell & James |
| Top Pop New Male Single Artist | 7. Joe Jackson (1) | |
| Top Pop New Male Album Artist | 1. Joe Jackson (1) | |
| Top Pop New Duo/Group Single Artist | 8. Bell & James (1) | |
| Top Pop New Duo/Group Album Artist | 3. Police (1) 9. Bell & James (1) | |
| Top Pop Male Single Artist | 23. Gino Vannelli | |
| Top Pop Male Album Artist | 18. Gino Vannelli (1) | |
| Top Pop Single Producer | 55. Supertramp 67. Quincy Jones | |
| Top Pop Single Duo | 6. Captain & Tennille (2) | |
| Top Pop Single Instrumentalist | 1. Herb Alpert (1) | |
| Top Pop Album Instrumentalist | 1. Chuck Mangione (3) | |
| Tom Album Group | 3. Styx (3) 8. Supertramp (2) | |
| Top Pop Publisher | 3. Almo (19) 4. Irving (17) | |
| Top Soul Publisher | 6. Irving (20) 18. Almo (12) | |
| Top Adult Contemporary Publisher | 2. Almo (6) 3. Irving (8) | |
| Top Country Album Label | A&M (1) | |
| Top Soul Album Artist | 18. L.T.D. (2) | |
| Top Soul Single Artist | 31. L.T.D. (2) 46. Bell & James (2) | |
| Top Soul Single | 28. Bell & James (2) | Livin' It Up (Friday Night) |
| Top Soul Label | 22. A&M (5) | |
| Top Adult Contemporary Single | 17. Herb Alpert 43. Gino Vannelli | Rise I Just Wanna Stop |
| Top Adult Contemporary Artist | 31. Herb Alpert (1) 37. Gino Vannelli (2) | |
| Top Adult Contemporary Label | 8. A&M (15) | |
| Top Jazz Album | Chuck Mangione David Grisman Seawind | Children of Sanchez (#17) Feels So Good (#16) Live at the Hollywood Bowl (#33) Hot Dawg (#42) Light the Light |
| Top Jazz Artist | 4. Chuck Mangione (3) |
1979 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Pop Instrumental Performance | Rise | Herb Alpert | Won |
| Best Instrumental Composition | Rise | Herb Alpert (Andy Armer, Randy Badazz, Writers) | |
| Best Album Package | Look Sharp | Joe Jackson | |
| Rock Male Vocalist | Is She Really Going Out with Him? | Joe Jackson | |
| Producer of the Year | Quincy Jones | ||
| Best Engineered Recording | Cornerstone | Styx | |
| Rock Vocal Group | Cornerstone | Styx | |
| Best Album Package | Breakfast in America | Supertramp | Won |
| Best Engineered Recording | Breakfast in America | Supertramp | Won |
| Album of the Year | Breakfast in America | Supertramp | |
| Pop Vocal Group | Breakfast in America | Supertramp | |
| Package Junie Osaki | Children of Sanchez | Chuck Mangione |
A&M RECORDS HISTORY 1980s
1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1980
Mike Gormley, assistant to Jerry Moss, was promoted to vice president of communication. He would work in both capacities.
A&M Records experimented with laser-cut designs on its vinyl albums. Initially A&M planned to etch its logo into the albums to prevent bootlegging. To create such an album, a blank lacquer was etched with the design before mastering.
In September EMI Odeon's distribution agreement with A&M Records for products in Brazil ended. A&M made a new agreement with CBS. Herb Alpert's Beyond album was the first to be released under the new agreement.
1981
Several more dbx-encoded discs were added including Made in America by Carpenters, Even in the Quietest Moments by Supertramp, Frampton Comes Alive!, Feels So Good by Chuck Mangione, Joan Armatrading, A Song of Joy by Captain and Tennille, Broken Barricades by Procol Harum, Teaser and the Firecat and Tea for the Tillerman by Cat Stevens. dbx was also making some Nautilus half-speed masters titles available. The Nautilus releases were Gino Vannelli's Brother to Brother, Joan Baez's Diamonds and Rust, Pieces of Eight by Styx, Anytime...Anywhere by Rita Coolidge, Zenyatta Mondatta by The Police, and Worlds Away by Pablo Cruise.
A&M Films was founded. See A&M Films History.
This was A&M's best year at the Grammys, winning seven awards. There were seven RIAA gold records (two for the Police) and 3 RIAA platinum records.
The year ended with 22 singles and 29 albums entering the Billboard Charts.
ARTIST SIGNINGS
December: Los Illegals
Other signings: Harari, Johnny "Guitar" Watson
PRICE AND FORMAT HISTORY
| SERIES | ALBUMS | CASSETTE |
|---|---|---|
| SP 4100 | $8.98 | $8.98 |
| SP 3700 | $8.98 | $8.98 |
| SP 6700 | $13.98 | $13.98 |
1981 BILLBOARD CHARTS
| BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART | |
|---|---|
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Rita Coolidge (2) Nazareth (2) |
Carpenters (3) Quincy Jones (3) Police (3) Styx (3) Pablo Cruise (2) 38 Special (2) |
| BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART | |
| SINGLES | |
| Carpenters (3) | |
| BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART | |
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Atlantic Starr (1 Top 10) Brothers Johnson (1 Top 10) Quincy Jones (1 Top 10) |
Quincy Jones (1 Top 10; 2 Top 20) Atlantic Starr (1 Top 10; 1 Top 20) L.T.D. (1 Top 10; 1 Top 20) |
1981 BILLBOARD NUMBER ONE AWARDS
| CATEGORY | ARTIST | TITLE |
|---|---|---|
| Top Pop Artist | 6. Police (6) 7. Styx (7) |
|
| Top Soul Artist | 20. Atlantic Starr (3) 22. Quincy Jones (3) |
|
| Top Pop Female Artist | 42. Rita Coolidge (3) 49. Brenda Russell (1) |
|
| Top Pop Duo/Group | 4. Police (6) 5. Styx (7) 21. 38 Special (3) |
|
| Top Pop Male Artist | 19. Gino Vannelli (1) 20. Quincy Jones (2) |
|
| Top Pop Album | 6. Styx 9. Police 23. 38 Special 31. Quincy Jones |
Paradise Theater Zenyatta Mondatta Wild Eyed Southern Boys The Dude |
| Top Pop Album Duo/Group | 5. Police (3) 6. Styx (4) 18. 38 Special (1) |
|
| Top Pop Single | 30. Styx 54. Styx 57. Police 71. Police 80. Pablo Cruise |
The Best of Times Too Much Time On My Hands De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da Don't Stand So Close to Me Cool Love |
| Top Pop Single Duo/Group | 5. Styx (3) 8. Police (3) |
|
| Top Pop Album Artist | 7. Police 9. Styx 34. 38 Special 46. Quincy Jones 76. Split Enz 93. Supertramp |
Zenyatta Mondatta Reggatta de Blanc Ghost in the Machine Paradise Theater Cornerstone The Grand Illusion Pieces of Eight Wild Eyed Southern Boys The Dude Waiata True Colours Paris Breakfast in America |
| Top Pop Single Artist | 15. Styx 19. Police 78. 38 Special 82. Pablo Cruise 93. Carpenters |
The Best of Times Too Much Time On My Hands Nothing Ever Goes As Planned De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da Don't Stand So Close to Me Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic Hold On Loosely Fantasy Girl Cool Love Slip Away Touch Me When We're Dancing Back in My Life Again |
| Top Pop Female Single Artist | 24. Rita Coolidge (1) | |
| Top Pop Male Album Artist | 14. Quincy Jones (1) Gino Vannelli (1) |
|
| Top Pop Producer | 10. Styx (3) 35. Police (2) 48. Quincy Jones (4) 78. Richard Carpenter (2) |
|
| Top Pop Single Label | 9. A&M (25) | |
| Top Pop Album Label | 4. A&M (45) | |
| Top Jazz Label | 9. A&M (4) | |
| Top Adult Contemporary Label | 10. A&M (9) | |
| Top Soul Single Label | 9. A&M (18) | |
| Top Soul Single Label | 6. A&M (10) | |
| Top Adult Contemporary Single | 15. Carpenters | Touch Me When We're Dancing |
| Top Adult Contemporary Artist | 15. Carpenters (2) | |
| Top Pop Publisher | 9. Irving (24) 11. Almo (15) |
|
| Top Soul Publisher | 3. Almo (19) 7. Irving (17) |
|
| Top Jazz Album | 15. Quincy Jones 41. Seawind |
The Dude Seawind |
| Top Jazz Artist | 19. Quincy Jones (1) 40. Seawind (1) 47. Chuck Mangione (1) |
|
| Top Soul Album | 11. Quincy Jones 14. Atlantic Starr 38. L.T.D. |
The Dude Radiant Shine On |
| Top Soul Album Artist | 18. Quincy Jones 21. Atlantic Starr 44. L.T.D. |
The Dude Radiant Shine On |
| Top Soul Single Artist | 24. Atlantic Starr 30. Quincy Jones 47. L.T.D. |
When Love Calls Send for Me Ai No Corrida Razzamatazz Shine On Where Did We Go Wrong |
| Top Soul Single | 34. Atlantic Starr 42. Quincy Jones |
When Love Calls Ai No Corrida |
| Top Disco Single | 16. Quincy Jones 44. Police |
Ai No Corrida/Razzamatazz Voices Inside My Head/ When the World Is Running Down |
| Top Disco Artist | 20. Quincy Jones (1) 43. Police (2) |
1981 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Rhythm & Blues Song | Ai No Corrida | Chas Jankel (Chas Jankel, Kenny Young, Writers) |
|
| New Artist | James Ingram | ||
| Pop Male Vocalist | Just Once | Quincy Jones (James Ingram, Vocals) |
|
| Best Rock Instrumental Performance | Behind My Camel | Police | Won |
| Rock Vocal Group | Don't Stand So Close to Me | Police | Won |
| Best Engineered Recording | Zenyatta Mondatta | Police | |
| Best Arrangement of an Instrumental Recording |
Velas | Quincy Jones | Won |
| Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) |
Ai No Corrida | Quincy Jones | Won |
| Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group |
Dude (the) | Quincy Jones | Won |
| Producer of the Year | Quincy Jones | Won | |
| Album of the Year | Dude (the) | Quincy Jones | |
| Best Engineered Recording | Dude (the) | Quincy Jones | |
| Best Pop Instrumental Performance | Velas | Quincy Jones | |
| Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Male | One Hundred Ways | Quincy Jones (James Ingram, Vocals) |
Won |
1982
A&M issued six dbx encoded cassettes. They were Supertramp's Breakfast in America, Styx Paradise Theater, Police Ghost in the Machine, The Best of Gino Vannelli, 38 Special Wild-Eyed Southern Boys and Quincy Jones The Dude. The cassettes required a player with dbx circuitry that gave tapes an expanded range and better noise reduction.
In June, A&M Records established its Latin Division, AyM Discos.
By its 20th anniversary, A&M had 11 No. 1 singles and 14 No. 1 albums, including those from Ode Records and I.R.S. Records.
The Human League's single of "Don't You Want Me" was A&M's first British artist and recording to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Singles chart.
Promotional video clips cost between $65 and $80 per tape to duplicate. The tapes were played in clubs, on cable television, pay systems, etc.
A&M began distribution of Oz Records in the U.S. and Canada. Oz was part of Mushroom Records and specialized in music from Australia and New Zealand. The first release was "If You Leave Me Can I Come Too" by Mental As Anything. The second release was the Starstruck soundtrack.
For only the second time since 1975, A&M Records was shut out at the Grammy Awards. The label had seven RIAA gold records with two each for the Go-Go's and Human League (one on an affiliate label and one by distribution with Virgin Records), and three RIAA platinum records.
In the Fall of 1982, A&M released "Dance to It I" and "Dance to It II." These were released on cassette tape only for $6.98. The tapes were a response to home taping. The idea was that rather than the consumer putting together his or her favorite songs to play while doing activities, A&M would create a mix tape for them by genre.
The Billboard charts showed 14 singles and 20 albums from A&M.
ARTIST SIGNINGS
Robert Williams, Willie Phoenix
PRICE AND FORMAT HISTORY
| SERIES | ALBUMS | 8-TRACK | CASSETTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| SP 4100 | $6.98-8.98 | $8.98 | $8.98 |
| SP 3000 | Deleted | Deleted | Deleted |
| SP 3100 (2) | $5.98 | $5.98 | $5.98 |
| SP 3200 | $6.98 | NA | $6.98 |
| SP 3400 | $8.98 | $8.98 | $8.98 |
| SP 3500 | $8.98 | $8.98 | $8.98 |
| SP 3600 | $8.98 | $8.98 | $8.98 |
| SP 3700 | $8.98 | $8.98 | $8.98 |
| SP 6000 | $9.98 | $9.98 | $9.98 |
| SP 6500 | $11.98 | $11.98 | $11.98 |
| SP 6700 | $13.98 | $13.98 | $13.98 |
| SP 12000 | $4.98 | NA | NA |
| SP 12400 | $4.98 | NA | NA |
| SP 12500 | $5.98 | NA | NA |
| SP 18000 | $9.98 | NA | NA |
Wholesalers paid $3.21 for A&M's SP 3100 series. On July 1, active album prices rose to $8.98.
A&M Records and Tapes April 1982 Catalog
1982 BILLBOARD CHARTS
| BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART | |
|---|---|
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART | |
| SINGLES | |
| BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART | |
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| 20 artists with one album each | Jeffrey Osborne (2) Police (2) 38 Special (2) |
| Herb Alpert (2) | |
| Atlantic Starr (#1) Janet Jackson (2 Top 10) Howard Johnson (1 Top 10) Jeffrey Osborne (1 Top 10) | Atlantic Starr (1 Top 10, Top 20, Top 30) Jeffrey Osborne (1 Top 10; 1 Top 20) Janet Jackson (1 Top 10) Howard Johnson (1 Top 10) |
1982 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Artist | Human League | ||
| Pop Male Vocalist | Steppin' Out | Joe Jackson | |
| Record of the Year | Steppin' Out | Joe Jackson | |
| Best Album Package | Nothing to Fear | Oingo Boingo | |
| Producer of the Year | Quincy Jones |
1982 BILLBOARD TALENT IN ACTION
| CATEGORY | ARTIST | TITLE |
|---|---|---|
| Top Pop Artists | 13. The Police (5) 37. Human League (2) 48. Quincy Jones (2) | |
| New Pop Artists | 4. Human League | |
| Top Pop Labels | 7. A&M | |
| Top Pop Album Labels | 7. A&M (28) | |
| Top Pop Albums | 25. Quincy Jones 29. Human League 58. The Police 66. 38 Special | The Dude Dare Zenyatta Mondatta Special Forces |
| Top Pop Album Artists--Duos/Groups | 7. The Police (2) 24. Human League (1) | |
| Top Pop Album Artists | 8. The Police (2) 36. Quincy Jones (2) 43. Human League (1) 48. 38 Special (2) | |
| Top Pop Album Artists--Male | 12. Quincy Jones | |
| Top Pop Album Artists--Female | 18. Joan Armatrading | |
| Top Pop Singles Artists | 21. Human League (2) 31. The Police (3) 50. Quincy Jones (2) 56. 38 Special | |
| Top Pop Singles Labels | 9. A&M (18) | |
| Top Pop Singles | 6. Human League 53. 38 Special 61. Quincy Jones 79. The Police | Don't You Want Me Caught Up in You One Hundred Ways Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic |
| Top Pop Singles Artists--Duos/Groups | 15. Human League (1) 19. The Police (3) | |
| Top Pop Singles Producers | 22. Quincy Jones (7) | |
| Top Black Artists | 16. Atlantic Starr (5) 29. Jeffrey Osborne (3) 42. L.T.D. (3) | |
| New Black Artists | 2. Jeffrey Osborne (3) | |
| Top Black Labels | 4. A&M | (35 albums and singles) |
| Top Black Singles | 10. Jeffrey Osborne 19. Quincy Jones 21. Atlantic Starr 40. Howard Johnson | I Really Don't Need No Light One Hundred Ways Circles So Fine |
| Top Black Singles Artists | 19. Jeffrey Osborne 29. Atlantic Starr 34. Quincy Jones 39. L.T.D. | |
| Top Black Singles Labels | 4. A&M (21) | |
| Top Black Albums | 7. Atlantic Starr 9. Quincy Jones 38. Jeffrey Osborne | Brilliance The Dude Jeffrey Osborne |
| Top Black Album Artists | 10. Atlantic Starr 14. Quincy Jones 39. Jeffrey Osborne | |
| Top Black Album Labels | 3. A&M (14) | |
| Top Jazz Albums | 6. Quincy Jones | The Dude |
| Top Jazz Album Artists | 6. Quincy Jones (2) | |
| Top Jazz Labels | 10. A&M (4) | |
| Top Country Singles Labels | 15. A&M (10) | |
| Top Adult Cont. Singles | 24. Quincy Jones | One Hundred Ways |
| Top Adult Cont. Artists | 20. Quincy Jones | |
| Top Adult Cont. Labels | 9. A&M (7) | |
| Top Disco/Dance Singles/Albums | 1. Chas Jankel 5. Human League 43. Howard Johnson | Glad to Know You Don't You Want Me 43. So Fine |
| Top Disco/Dance Artists | 1. Chas Jankel 7. Human League | |
| Top Disco/Dance Labels | 1. A&M (15) |
The annual A&M Records picnics were events. The picnic committee chose a theme for the year then created a day around it. This year it was Hawaiian luau. To add to the fun the committee scoured shops to find a Hawaiian shirt for everyone.
1983
A&M's New York office was the label's headquarters for the national publicity department and national singles promotion. There were 22 staff in New York and about 150 in Los Angeles. In January, Kathy Schenker became the vice president of publicity.
A&M Records agreed to distribute Windham Hill Records and its affiliates. Early in the year, A&M also entered a distribution agreement with Oz Records, an Australian label.
All four Grammy awards went to the Police and Sting. The Police and Styx each picked up two RIAA gold records out of the seven given to the label, and A&M was awarded four platinum records.
1983 was A&M's best year for the number of singles to reach the Billboard chart, 31, and its best showing in the Top 10 with eight singles. Of the 24 albums to chart, they were all by different artists.
Sales for the year were about $80 million.
PRICE AND FORMAT HISTORY
| SERIES | ALBUMS | CASSETTE |
|---|---|---|
| SP 4100 | $8.98 | $8.98 |
| SP 3100 | $5.98 | $5.98 |
| SP 3200 | $6.98 | $6.98 |
| SP 3400 | $8.98 | $8.98 |
| SP 3500 | $8.98 | $8.98 |
| SP 3600 | $8.98 | $8.98 |
| SP 3700 | $8.98 | $8.98 |
| SP 6000 | $9.98 | $9.98 |
| SP 6500 | $11.98 | $11.98 |
| SP 6700 | $13.98 | $13.98 |
| SP 12000 | Deleted | NA |
| SP 12400 | $4.98 | NA |
| SP 12500 | $5.98 | NA |
| SP 18000 | $9.98 | NA |
A&M Cassettes and Records January 1983 Catalog
1983 BILLBOARD CHARTS
| BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART | |
|---|---|
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| 24 artists with one album each | Bryan Adams (4) Jeffrey Osborne (4) Police (3) Styx (3) Herb Alpert (2) Chris DeBurgh (2) Human League (2) Joe Jackson (2) Sergio Mendes (2) |
| BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART | |
| SINGLES | |
| Rita Coolidge (2) Sergio Mendes (2) Jeffrey Osborne (2) |
|
| BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART | |
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Atlantic Starr (1 Top 10) Jeffrey Osborne (1 Top 10) |
Jeffrey Osborne (2 Top 10) Atlantic Starr (1 Top 10) Janet Jackson (2 Top 20) Sergio Mendes (3 Top 30) |
1983 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Pop Instrumental Performance | Blow Your Own Horn | Herb Alpert | |
| Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Male |
Stay with Me Tonight | Jeffrey Osborne | |
| Best Album Package | Key (the) | Joan Armatrading | |
| Rock Female Vocalist | Key (the) | Joan Armatrading | |
| Best Pop Instrumental Performance | Breakdown | Joe Jackson | |
| Pop Male Vocalist | Maniac | Michael Sembello | |
| Song of the Year | Maniac | Michael Sembello | |
| Pop Vocal Group | Every Breath You Take | Police | Won |
| Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group |
Synchronicity | Police | Won |
| Album of the Year | Synchronicity | Police | |
| Record of the Year | Every Breath You Take | Police | |
| Best Rock Instrumental Performance |
Brimstone & Treacle | Sting | Won |
| Song of the Year | Every Breath You Take | Sting | Won |
| Best Engineered Recording | Kilroy Was Here | Styx |
1984
In September A&M agreed to distribute Shoreline Records, a Canadian label specializing of recordings for children. The distribution agreement called for A&M to distribute the entire Shoreline catalog. It continued until 1990.
In October 1984 David Anderle was named to head the soundtrack division of A&M Records. One of the duties was to get A&M and Almo/Irving Music writers more involved in scoring for films, both for A&M Films and to other movie producers.
In December, Suzanne Vega signed with A&M Records.
On December 25, the Almo Publications Logo (jack-in-the-box style) trademark was cancelled.
A&M Records agreed to distribute Shoreline Records, a children's records label featuring Raffi.
A&M Films released its first movie, Birdy.
Three RIAA gold records were awarded to different artists. It was A&M's best year for RIAA platinum records with 14 certifications including four to Styx and two for the Police.
Another strong showing on the Billboard charts with 22 singles and 25 albums.
Signed David + David
PRICE AND FORMAT HISTORY
| SERIES | ALBUMS | CASSETTE | COMPACT DISC |
|---|---|---|---|
| SP 4100 | $8.98 | $8.98 | No set price |
| SP 3000 AM+ | $9.98 | $9.98 | NA |
| SP 3100 | $5.98 | $5.98 | NA |
| SP 3200 | Deleted | Deleted | NA |
| SP 3400 | $8.98 | $8.98 | NA |
| SP 3500 | $8.98 | $8.98 | NA |
| SP 3600 | $8.98 | $8.98 | No set price |
| SP 3700 | $8.98 | $8.98 | No set price |
| SP 6000 | $9.98 | $9.98 | NA |
| SP 6500 | $11.98 | $11.98 | NA |
| SP 6700 | $13.98 | $13.98 | NA |
| SP 12400 | $4.98 | NA | NA |
| SP 12500 | $5.98 | NA | NA |
| SP 18000 | $9.98 | NA | NA |
A&M Records and Cassettes Winter 1984-85 Catalog
1984 BILLBOARD CHARTS
| BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART | |
|---|---|
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART | |
| SINGLES | |
| BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART | |
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Chris DeBurgh (2) | Dennis DeYoung (2) Sergio Mendes (2) Jeffrey Osborne (2) Police (2) Tommy Shaw (2) |
| Sergio Mendes (3) | |
| Jeffrey Osborne (1 Top 10) Brothers Johnson (1 Top 20) | Jeffrey Osborne (2 Top 10, 1 Top 20) Janet Jackson (1 Top 10) |
1984 BILLBOARD TALENT ALMANAC
| CATEGORY | ARTIST | TITLE |
|---|---|---|
| Top Pop Artist | 9. Police (8) 30. Jeffrey Osborne (5) 46. 38 Special (3) | |
| Top Black Artist | 3. Jeffrey Osborne (8) 24. Atlantic Starr (4) | |
| Top Pop Label | 5. A&M (67) | |
| Top New Black Artist | 10. Joyce Kennedy & Jeffrey Osborne (1) | |
| Top Black Label | 8. A&M (26) | |
| Top Pop Album | 8. Police 26. Jeffrey Osborne 48. 38 Special 66. Joe Jackson 93. UB40 | Synchronicity Stay With Me Tonight Tour de Force Body and Soul Labour of Love |
| Top Pop Duo/Group | 4. Police (5) | |
| Top Pop Album Artist | 8. Police (5) 31. Jeffrey Osborne (2) 55. 38 Special (1) 73. Joe Jackson (1) 84. UB40 (2) | |
| Top Pop Singles Artist | 39. Police (3) 43. 38 Special 61. Jeffrey Osborne (3) 88. Joe Jackson (3) 91. Sergio Mendes (2) | |
| Top Pop Singles Label | 9. A&M (27) | |
| Top Pop Singles | 85. Police | Wrapped Around Your Finger |
| Top Pop Singles Duo/Group | 17. Police (3) 21. 38 Special (2) | |
| Top Pop Album Artist Male | 10. Jeffrey Osborne (2) 22. Joe Jackson (1) | |
| Top Pop Single Artist Male | 21. Jeffrey Osborne (3) | |
| Top Black Singles Artist | 7. Jeffrey Osborne (5) 23. Atlantic Starr (3) | |
| Top Black Singles Label | 8. A&M (16) | |
| Top Black Singles | 29. Joyce Kennedy & Jeffrey Osborne 37. Jeffrey Osborne 41. Atlantic Starr | The Last Time I Made Love Stay With Me Tonight Touch a Four Leaf Clover |
| Top Black Album | 5. Jeffrey Osborne 25. Atlantic Starr | Stay With Me Tonight Yours Forever |
| Top Black Album Label | 8. A&M (10) | |
| Top Black Album Artist | 5. Jeffrey Osborne (3) 30. Atlantic Starr (1) | |
| Top Adult Contemporary Artist | 11. Sergio Mendes (4) | |
| Top Adult Contemporary Single | 25. Sergio Mendes | Alibis |
| Top Adult Contemporary Label | 6. A&M (17) | |
| Top Dance Label | 13. A&M (15) | |
| Top Pop Singles Publisher | 15. Almo (19) 28. Irving (11) | |
| Top Black Singles Publisher | 6. Almo (19) 35. Irving (4) | |
| Top Jazz Label | 14. A&M (4) |
1984 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Gospel Performance Female | Angels | Amy Grant | Won |
| Best Album Package | Bewitched | Andy Summers & Robert Fripp | |
| Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Male | Don't Stop | Jeffrey Osborne | |
| Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Male | In the Name of Love | Jeffrey Osborne | |
| Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group | Last Time I Made Love (the) | Joyce Kennedy & Jeffrey Osborne | |
| Best Arrangement of an Instrumental | Brothers on Wheels (Rumblefish soundtrack) | Stewart Copeland | |
| Package Michael Ross | The Key | Joan Armatrading |
1985
John Carter was hired as the director of a&r.
On March 31, A&M ended its six-year distribution deal with I.R.S. Records because it felt that I.R.S. was now a full record company that no longer needed A&M's support.
1985 was a year of highs and lows for A&M. Among the heights, on January 28, "We Are the World" by USA for Africa recorded at A&M Studios with Quincy Jones producing, A&M donated the studio and staff for 32 Latin artists to record and album and single as Hermanos del Tercer Mundo (Brothers of the Third World) with proceeds to relieve hunger in Africa and Latin America, and A&M agreed to distribute Word Records.
A&M produced the Greenpeace album, a various artists compilation with royalties supporting the Greenpeace organization's work to preserve the environment.
Greenpeace Press Release, August 1985
A&M Records released the first soundtrack from its A&M Films division, The Breakfast Club.
Among the lows, on March 5, the Almo Rapid Play logo trademark was cancelled; on May 7, the Horizon Records logo (script style) trademark was cancelled.
Of the seven RIAA gold records, two were awarded to George Winston of Windham Hill Records. There were no platinum records this year.
As usual, A&M was well-represented on the Billboard charts with 27 singles and 24 albums.
Signed Los Muros but the band did not release any recordings.
PRICE AND FORMAT HISTORY
| SERIES | ALBUMS | CASSETTE | COMPACT DISC |
|---|---|---|---|
| SP 4100 | $8.98 | $8.98 | No set price |
| SP 3000 AM+ | $9.98 | $9.98 | NA |
| SP 3100 | $5.98 | $5.98 | No set price |
| SP 3400 | $7.98 | $7.98 | NA |
| SP 3500 | $8.98 | $8.98 | NA |
| SP 3600 | $8.98 | $8.98 | No set price |
| SP 3700 | $8.98 | $8.98 | No set price |
| SP 6000 | $9.98 | $9.98 | NA |
| SP 6500 | $11.98 | $11.98 | NA |
| SP 6600 | $12.98 | $12.98 | NA |
| SP 6700 | $13.98 | $13.98 | NA |
| SP 12400 | $4.98 | NA | NA |
| SP 12500 | $5.98 | NA | NA |
| SP 18000 | Deleted | NA | NA |
| 45s 2000 | $1.69 | NA | NA |
| 45s 2500/2600 | $1.98 | NA | NA |
| 45s Memories | $1.69 | NA | NA |
| 45s BR 3600 | No set price | NA | NA |
1985 BILLBOARD CHARTS
| BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART | |
|---|---|
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Carpenters (2) Amy Grant (2) Y&T (2) |
Bryan Adams (5) Sting (3) Atlantic Starr (2) Amy Grant (2) Jesse Johnson (2) OMD (2) Simple Minds (2) |
| BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART | |
| SINGLES | |
| Amy Grant (3) Sting (3) |
|
| BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART | |
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Atlantic Starr (1 Top 10) Jesse Johnson's Revue (1 Top 10) Ta Mara & the Seen (1 Top 10) Tramaine (1 Top 10) |
Atlantic Starr (1 Top 10, Top 20, Top 30) Jesse Johnson (2 Top 10) Ta Mara & the Seen (1 Top 10) Sting (1 Top 20) |
1985 BILLBOARD NUMBER ONE AWARDS
| CATEGORY | ARTIST | TITLE |
|---|---|---|
| Top Pop Artist | 5. Bryan Adams (7) 17. Sting (4) |
|
| Top Black Artist | 13. Jesse Johnson's Revue (5) 36. Atlantic Starr (5) 37. Jeffrey Osborne (5) |
|
| Top New Pop Artist | 6. Jesse Johnson's Revue (3) | |
| Top New Black Artist | 4. Jesse Johnson's Revue (5) | |
| Top Pop Label | 6. A&M (67) | |
| Top Black Label | 9. A&M (30) | |
| Top Pop Album Label | 6. A&M (36) | |
| Top Pop Album | 2. Bryan Adams 40. Jesse Johnson's Revue 50. Sting 78. Jeffrey Osborne 100. Soundtrack |
Reckless Jesse Johnson's Revue The Dream of the Blue Turtles Don't Stop The Breakfast Club |
| Top Pop Singles Artist | 3. Bryan Adams (5) 24. Sting (3) 38. Simple Minds (2) |
|
| Top Pop Album Artist | 5. Bryan Adams (2) 47. Jesse Johnson's Revue (1) 56. Jeffrey Osborne (2) 58. Sting (1) 84. UB40 (1) 88. Amy Grant (2) |
|
| Top Pop Singles | 16. Simple Minds 24. Bryan Adams 55. Sting (3) 66. Bryan Adams 74. Bryan Adams 95. Sting |
Don't You Forget About Me Heaven If You Love Somebody Set Them Free Run to You Summer of '69 Fortress Around Your Heart |
| Top Pop Single Duo/Group | 17. Simple Minds (2) | |
| Top Pop Singles Label | 6. A&M (30) | |
| Top Pop Album Artist Male | 3. Bryan Adams (2) 15. Jeffrey Osborne (2) 16. Sting (1) |
|
| Top Pop Singles Artist Male | 1. Bryan Adams (5) 9. Sting (3) |
|
| Top Pop Soundtrack/Original Cast | 7. Soundtrack | The Breakfast Club |
| Top Pop Album Artist Female | 12. Amy Grant (2) 18. Joan Armatrading (10) 19. Suzanne Vega (1) |
|
| Top Pop Singles Artist Female | 14. Amy Grant (2) | |
| Top Dance Singles Singles/Albums | 32. Tramaine 33. Simple Minds |
Fall Down Spirit of Love Don't You Forget About Me |
| Top Dance Club Play Singles Singles/Albums | 34. Tramaine 37. Jeffrey Osborne |
Fall Down Spirit of Love The Borderlines |
| Top Black Singles Artists | 9. Jesse Johnson's Revue (4) 32. Atlantic Starr (4) $1. Jeffrey Osborne (3) |
|
| Top Black Singles | 36. Jesse Johnson's Revue 43. Jesse Johnson's Revue |
Be Your Man Can You Help Me |
| Top Black Singles Label | 8. A&M (21) | |
| Top Black Album Label | 9. A&M (9) | |
| Top Black Album | 13. Jesse Johnson's Revue 36. Jeffrey Osborne 42. Atlantic Starr |
Jesse Johnson's Revue Don't Stop As the Band Turns |
| Top Black Album Artist | 18. Jesse Johnson's Revue (1) 33. Jeffrey Osborne (2) 42. Atlantic Starr (1) |
|
| Top Adult Contemporary Label | 14. A&M (10) | |
| Top Pop Singles Publisher | 4. Irving (19) 25. Almo (15) |
|
| Top Black Singles Publisher | 7. Almo (21) 23. Irving (13) |
|
| Top Country Singles Publisher | 3. Irving (16) |
1985 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Gospel Performance by a Female | Unguarded | Amy Grant | Won |
| Best Comedy Recording | You Look Mahvelous | Billy Crystal | |
| Rock Male Vocalist | Reckless | Bryan Adams | |
| Rock Vocal Group | It's Only Love | Bryan Adams & Tina Turner | |
| Best Gospel Performance by a Duo or Group |
Beat the System | Petra | |
| Album of the Year | Dream of the Blue Turtles | Sting | |
| Best Engineered Recording | Dream of the Blue Turtles | Sting | |
| Best Jazz Instrumental Performance by a Group |
Dream of the Blue Turtles | Sting | |
| Pop Male Vocalist | Dream of the Blue Turtles | Sting | |
| Package Michael Ross | Bewitched | Andy Summers & Robert Fripp |
1986
A&M Records last #1 album before its 1989 sale to PolyGram was Control by Janet Jackson. Its last #1 single was "Human" by the Human League. "Human" was also A&M's 100th Top 10 single on the Billboard chart.
"For any company that doesn't have four or five strong artists that give you a different record every quarter, so to speak, you're just left if you don't have anything new to sell. You're finished. Nothing to put out there and they start returning those records back. They're not going to pay you money unless you give them something to sell."--Jerry Moss in Creed Taylor: The Music Came First documentary
A&M began issuing promo-only CDs for the Police, 38 Special and OMD. It also offered its first full-length CD sampler, A Year Ago We Hadn't Heard of Them Either.
The label went to the 4x12-inch audio cassette box package. It also began using the CD digi-pak format with a plastic tray and cardboard cover. The first digipaks were the new 38 Special and reprintings of Reckless by Bryan Adams.
In July 5, distribution in Japan was taken over by Canyon Records.
Charlie Minor renewed his contract with the label for three more years.
The only Grammy for an A&M artist was won by Al Green. The eight RIAA gold records went to different artists. Of the five platinum records, three went to Control by Janet Jackson for three million sales.
A total of 26 singles and 22 albums appeared on the Billboard Pop charts. 1986 was one of A&M's two best years for albums, landing five in the Top 10.
PRICE AND FORMAT HISTORY
| SERIES | ALBUMS | CASSETTE | COMPACT DISC |
|---|---|---|---|
| SP 3900 | $9.98 | $9.98 | No set price |
| SP 5100 | $8.98 | $8.98 | No set price |
A&M Records Pocket Catalog 1986
1986 BILLBOARD CHARTS
| BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART | |
|---|---|
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Joe Jackson (2) Soundtracks (2) |
Janet Jackson (4) Dennis DeYoung (2) Falco (2) Human League (2) OMD (2) Simple Minds (2) 38 Special (2) |
| BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART | |
| SINGLES | |
| OMD (3) Atlantic Starr (2) Dennis DeYoung (2) Janet Jackson (2) Jeffrey Osborne (2) |
|
| BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART | |
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Janet Jackson (#1) Jeffrey Osborne (1 Top 10) |
Janet Jackson (3 #1; 1 Top 10) Jeffrey Osborne (2) |
1986 BILLBOARD NUMBER ONE AWARDS
| CATEGORY | ARTIST | TITLE |
|---|---|---|
| Top Pop Artist | 8. Janet Jackson (5) 25. Simple Minds (4) 46. Falco (3) |
|
| Top Black Artist | 1. Janet Jackson (5) 9. Atlantic Starr (4) 29. Jeffrey Osborne (4) 48. Ta Mara & the Seen (4) |
|
| Top Pop Label | 6. A&M (71) | |
| Top Black Label | 3. A&M (33) | |
| Top Pop Album | 6. Janet Jackson 24. Simple Minds 33. Sting 50. Soundtrack 51. Atlantic Starr 54. Falco 62. 38 Special 66. Bryan Adams 79. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark |
Control Once Upon a Time The Dream of the Blue Turtles Pretty In Pink As the Band Turns Falco 3 Strength in Numbers Reckless Crush |
| Top Pop Album Duo/Group | 17. Simple Minds (1) | |
| Top Pop Album Label | 3. A&M (35) | |
| Top Pop Album Artist | 12. Janet Jackson (1) 28. Simple Minds (1) 57. Atlantic Starr (1) 59. Falco (1) 65. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (2) 69. 38 Special (1) 72. Bryan Adams (2) |
|
| Top Pop Singles Artist | 1. Janet Jackson (4) 17. Simple Minds (3) 26. Falco (2) 38. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (1) 40. Atlantic Starr (2) 76. Sting (3) 78. Human League (2) 80. 38 Special (2) 98. Jeffrey Osborne (1) |
|
| Top Pop Singles | 12. Atlantic Starr 17. Simple Minds 25. Human League 28. Falco 32. Janet Jackson 43. Janet Jackson 53. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark 58. Janet Jackson |
Secret Lovers Alive and Kicking Human Rock Me Amadeus When I Think of You What Have You Done for Me Lately If You Leave Nasty |
| Top Pop Singles Label | 2. A&M (27) | |
| Top Pop Singles Duo/Group | 10. Simple Minds (3) 21. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (1) 22. Atlantic Starr (2) |
|
| Top Pop Album Artist Male | 13. Bryan Adams (2) | |
| Top Pop Album Artist Female | 4. Janet Jackson (1) 17. Amy Grant (2) |
|
| Top Pop Singles Artist Male | 5. Falco (2) | |
| Top Pop Singles Artist Female | 1. Janet Jackson (4) | |
| Top Pop Soundtrack/Original Cast | 3. Soundtrack | Pretty In Pink |
| Top Black Single | 3. Atlantic Starr 5. Janet Jackson 13. Janet Jackson 26. Jeffrey Osborne 37. Atlantic Starr 47. Janet Jackson |
Secret Lovers Nasty What Have You Done for Me Lately You Should Be Mine (Woo Woo Song) If Your Heart Isn't In It When I Think of You |
| Top Black Singles Artist | 1. Janet Jackson (4) 8. Atlantic Starr (3) 21. Jeffrey Osborne (3) 47. Ta Mara & the Seen (3) |
|
| Top Black Singles Label | 3. A&M (23) | |
| Top Black Album | 2. Janet Jackson 8. Atlantic Starr 33. Jeffrey Osborne Ta Mara & the Seen |
Control As the Band Turns Emotional Ta Mara & the Seen |
| Top Black Album Artist | 3. Janet Jackson (1) 10. Atlantic Starr (1) 37. Jeffrey Osborne (1) |
|
| Top Black Album Label | 4. A&M (10) | |
| Top Dance Singles/Albums | 18. Falco 21. Janet Jackson 23. Janet Jackson 24. Janet Jackson 40. Human League E. G. Daily |
Rock Me Amadeus/Vienna Calling What Have You Done for Me Lately Nasty When I Think Of You Human Say It, Say It |
| Top Dance Club Play Artist | 1. Janet Jackson (4) 9. E. G. Daily (2) 23. Falco (1) |
|
| Top Dance Club Play Label | 1. A&M (24) | |
| Top Adult Contemporary Singles | 20. Atlantic Starr 30. Jeffrey Osborne 33. Double |
Secret Lovers You Should Be Mine (Woo Woo Song) The Captain of Her Heart |
| Top Adult Contemporary Artist | 13. Atlantic Starr (2) | |
| Top Adult Contemporary Label | 5. A&M (18) | |
| Top Pop Compact Disc | 16. Sting | The Dream of the Blue Turtles |
| Top Pop Singles Publisher | 5. Almo (20) 15. Irving (17) |
|
| Top Black Singles Publisher | 6. Almo (21) 13. Irving (8) |
|
| Top Country Singles Publisher | 6. Irving (16) | |
| Top Distributed Pop Label | 5. A&M (81) | |
| Top Distributed Dance Label | 5. A&M (45) | |
| Top Latin Pop Label | 7. A&M (4) | |
| Top Spiritual Album | 10. Tramaine | The Search Is Over |
1986 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Soul Performance, Male | Going Away | Al Green | Won |
| Album of the Year | Control | Janet Jackson | |
| Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Female |
Control | Janet Jackson | |
| Producer of the Year | Control | Janet Jackson (Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Producers) |
|
| Best Soul Gospel Performance - Female |
Search Is Over (the) | Tramaine |
1987
Notable signings included the Wagoneers and, in November, Extreme. Raffi was the only artist in children's music signed to a major record label. In 1987, he was expected to sell one million records. He was also the first children's music artist to issue a CD. The CD sold well enough to require a second pressing within the first year of release.
In March, A&M introduced cassette singles to address declining sales of 7" vinyl singles. The first A&M cassette single was Bryan Adams "The Heat of the Night."
A&M announced its Youth Entertainment Summer (Y.E.S.) employment program for 50 high school students in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Atlanta. The jobs were in the RCA/A&M/Arista distribution offices, record chains and radio. A&M wanted a system that would make it easier for inner city kids to find jobs with the label. A&M set criteria for a 2.5 grade point average, 90 percent school attendance, extracurricular activities, and letter of recommendation.
In June, A&M celebrated its 25th anniversary with its international meeting, museum on the Chaplin Soundstage, and the industry-only book, A&M Records: the First 25 Years. A&M's staff numbered about 240.
A&M pledged $10,000 for the Children's Defense Fund. Black Entertainment Television participated by airing promotional spots by A&M artists and having VJ Donnie Simpson make a direct appeal to views to match the $10,000.
In Australia, Festival Records, celebrated its 25th year of association with A&M Records. It marketed Herb Alpert's single of "Keep Your Eye on Me" on 7-inch and 12-inch vinyl singles, cassette single, CD single and video single.
A&M created the industry's first promotional CD with a 12-inch promotional maxi--"Keep Your Eye on Me" by Herb Alpert. The second full-length promotional CD was released. It was titled If You Know All the Music on This Disc, You Probably Wrote It.
In October, A&M became the first major record label to release a promotional 3-inch CD. It was "Hourglass" by Squeeze. At the time, A&M was the only major interested in testing the format. The other majors felt that with 7-inch and 12-inch vinyl singles, cassette singles and 5-inch CD singles, that there were too many formats competing for retailers' dollars and shelf space.
During the Summer, A&M entered a licensing agreement with Twin/Tone Records of Minneapolis. Twin/Tone distributed Coyote Records based in New Jersey. A&M handled all distribution, marketing, publicity and promotion for records it chose to license.
A&M agreed to distribute Nimbus Records.
On November 14, the trademark for the A&M Records logo was renewed.
It was A&M's third best showing at the Grammys winning five awards, all by different artists. Of the seven RIAA gold records, Amy Grant led the way with two. Various artist compilations were also given two gold records. There were eight platinum records, with two each going to George Winston and various artist compilations.
1987 was also one of A&M's two best years on the Billboard Pop Album chart with five products in the Top 10. The artists with the most singles on the chart were Bryan Adams and Herb Alpert, each with three. No one artist led the albums.
1987...A Very Special Christmas
Engineer and producer Jimmy Iovine wanted to create a benefit Christmas album as a tribute to his father. His wife Vicki suggested Special Olympics as the charity. They founded A Very Special Christmas. The Iovines lined up 15 of music's biggest names to contribute one track each to the album and A&M Records donated the studio time and all proceeds, less marketing and production costs. In March 1988, the A Very Christmas album had generated $5 million in royalties for Special Olympics. The album grew into a series and the monies from their sales fund Special Olympics programs that are most in need around the world.
ARTIST SIGNINGS
Brenda Russell, Soul Asylum
1987 BILLBOARD CHARTS
| BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART | |
|---|---|
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Various Artists (2) (compilation albums) | Herb Alpert (3) Bryan Adams (3) Janet Jackson (2) Squeeze (2) Suzanne Vega (2) |
| BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART | |
| SINGLES | |
| 10 artists with one single each | |
| BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART | |
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Herb Alpert (1 Top 5) Vesta Williams (1 Top 20) Al Green (1 Top 30) Barry White (1 Top 30) |
Janet Jackson (2 #1) Herb Alpert (1 #1; 2 Top 10) Shanice Wilson (1 Top 10) Barry White (1 Top 30) |
1987 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Soul Gospel Performance, Male | Everything's Gonna Be Alright | Al Green | Won |
| Best Gospel Performance, Female | Lead Me On | Amy Grant | Won |
| Best Album of Original Instrumental Background for a Motion Picture |
Untouchables | Soundtrack (Ennio Morricone) | Won |
| Best Pop Instrumental Performance | Keep Your Eye on Me | Herb Alpert | |
| Best Rhythm & Blues Instrumental Performance | Diamonds | Herb Alpert | |
| Pop Male Vocalist | Bring on the Night | Sting | Won |
| Pop Female Vocalist | Luka | Suzanne Vega | |
| Record of the Year | Luka | Suzanne Vega | |
| Song of the Year | Luka | Suzanne Vega | |
| Best Reggae Recording | CCCP | UB40 |
1988
In March, A&M introduced CD3 (3" CD) at NARM. In April, A&M Records released first commercial CD3 (3" CD), and on May 3, A&M released six 3" CD discs priced around $5 each in 4" x 12" package as collectors' items. Also in March, A&M held the price of cassette singles to $1.99, the same as vinyl singles, while major distributors increased the price to $2.49. Cassette singles were more costly to produce than vinyl and singles historically had a high rate of product that went unsold.
In September A&M announced a partnership with Blue Rose Records to produce comedy albums. The first two were Women Of the Night and Strange Bedfellows. They were released on October 4.
A&M and Blue Rose Press Release, September 12, 1988
On June 14, the Patent and Trademark Office amended A&M's logo trademark to reflect the revised style that had A&M and the trumpet inside a square with rounded corners.
The charity album A Very Special Christmas resulted in an initial donation of $5 million to Special Olympics on March 12. By late April, A&M estimated its next contribution could be $3 million. Between its release in October 1987 and April 1988, the album sold nearly 3 million copies around the world.
A&M Records established Vendetta Records with five employees from its New York offices. The first Vendetta Records release, "Saying Sorry" by Denise Lopez, was released in April. April 15 was the first commercial use of the Vendetta Records logo. On December 6, Vendetta Records logo was approved as a registered trademark.
The Good Morning Vietnam soundtrack was A&M's only Grammy. There were only two RIAA gold records and two platinum records awarded to different artists.
In September A&M announced a deal with Blue Rose Records that would bring comedians to A&M. Blue Rose was to find, sign and develop the talent and A&M would manufacture and distribute recordings. The deal came about because Blue Rose represented comedian Billy Crystal who recorded an album for A&M in 1985. A&M president Gil Friesen and Buddy Morra, president of Blue Rose agreed to the deal. Friesen suggested that the recordings could highlight three or four performers. The results were the albums Women Of the Night and Strange Bedfellows.
The year closed with 15 singles and 23 albums on the Billboard Pop charts. Soundtracks were the label-leader with two titles and Breathe and Sting each had two singles chart.
PRICE AND FORMAT HISTORY
| SERIES | ALBUMS | CASSETTE | COMPACT DISC |
|---|---|---|---|
| SP 4100 | $8.98 | $8.98 | No set price |
| SP 3000 AM+ | $9.98 | $9.98 | No set price |
| SP 3100 | $6.49 | $6.49 | No set price |
| SP 3400 | $7.98 | $7.98 | NA |
| SP 3500 | $8.98 | $8.98 | No set price |
| SP 3600 | $8.98 | $8.98 | No set price |
| SP 3700 | $8.98 | $8.98 | No set price |
| SP 3900 | $9.98 | $9.98 | No set price |
| SP 6000 | $9.98 | $9.98 | NA |
| SP 6400 | $10.98 | $10.98 | No set price |
| SP 6500 | $11.98 | $11.98 | NA |
| SP 6600 | $12.98 | $12.98 | No set price |
| SP 6700 | $13.98 | $13.98 | NA |
| SP 12400 | $4.98 | NA | NA |
| SP 12500 | $5.98 | NA | NA |
| SP 18000 | Deleted | NA | NA |
| 45s 2000 | $1.69 | NA | NA |
| 45s 2500/2600 | $1.98 | NA | NA |
| 45s Memories | $1.69 | NA | NA |
| 45s BR 3600 | No set price | NA | NA |
| CD 2500 | NA | NA | No set price |
A&M Records Cassettes, Compact Discs, Video Spring 1988 Catalog
1988 BILLBOARD CHARTS
| BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART | |
|---|---|
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART | |
| SINGLES | |
| BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART | |
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Soundtracks (2) | Breathe (2) Sting (2) |
| Breathe (2) Chris DeBurgh (2) Sting (2) | |
| Jeffrey Osborne (1 Top 20) Brenda Russell (1 Top 30) Vesta Williams (1 Top 30) | Jeffrey Osborne (1 #1) Brenda Russell (2 Top 10) Jesse Johnson (1 Top 10; 1 Top 20) |
1988 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Gospel Performance by a Female | Lead Me On | Amy Grant | Won |
| Pop Female Vocalist | Get Here | Brenda Russell | |
| Pop Vocal Group | Piano in the Dark | Brenda Russell | |
| Song of the Year | Piano in the Dark | Brenda Russell (Brenda Russell, Jeff Hall, Scott Cutler, Writers) | |
| Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental | Cold Metal | Iggy Pop | |
| Best Album of Original Instrumental Background Score Written for a Motion Picture | Tucker: the Man and His Dream | Joe Jackson | |
| Trustees Award | Quincy Jones | Won | |
| Best Comedy Recording | Good Morning Vietnam | Soundtrack (Robin Williams) | Won |
| Album of the Year | ...Nothing Like the Sun | Sting | |
| Pop Male Vocalist | Be Still My Beating Heart | Sting | |
| Song of the Year | Be Still My Beating Heart | Sting | |
| New Artist | Toni Childs | ||
| Rock Female Vocalist | Don't Walk Away | Toni Childs | |
| Best Reggae Recording | UB40 | UB40 | |
| Best Reggae Recording | Breakfast in Bed | UB40 with Chrissie Hynde |
1989
In January, Ode Records reactivated its distribution agreement with A&M Records.
In March Manny Lehman became the national dance director, succeeding Steve Bartels..
Extreme's debut album released. Sold 300,000 copies.
July 3 was the first commercial use of A&MERICANA logo. This logo was typography only. It became a registered trademark exactly one year later. A second logo followed in October 1989 that had a line drawing of a buffalo and placed the typography in a background. A&MERICANA was a small series of recordings.
In October, Alpert and Moss sold A&M Records to PolyGram. NV. Annual profits were estimated at $14 million. Moss knew the president of PolyGram because it had distributed A&M products in Europe and it had performed well in that role. What Moss did not know was that PolyGram made its executives retire at age 61. Moss did not have the same rapport with the next PolyGram president who made deep cuts at A&M and the other recently acquired labels.
Janet Jackson and Amy Grant won two Grammys for A&M. The RIAA gave gold records to five A&M recordings. Janet Jackson received two of them and all four of the platinum certifications for A&M for the year.
All 14 albums to make the Billboard Pop chart came from different artists. Michael Damian had the most singles, three, of the 16 A&M singles to chart.
Signed Soundgarden
PRICE AND FORMAT HISTORY
| SERIES | ALBUMS | CASSETTE | COMPACT DISC |
|---|---|---|---|
| SP 4100 (3) | $8.98 | $8.98 | No set price |
| SP 3000 AM+ | $9.98 | $9.98 | No set price |
| SP 3100 (4) | $6.49 | $6.49 | No set price |
| SP 3400 | $7.98 | $7.98 | NA |
| SP 3500 | NA | $8.98 | No set price |
| SP 3600 | $8.98 | $8.98 | No set price |
| SP 3700 | $8.98 | $8.98 | No set price |
| SP 3900 | $9.98 | $9.98 | No set price |
| SP 6000 | $9.98 | $9.98 | NA |
| SP 6400 | $10.98 | $10.98 | No set price |
| SP 6500 | $11.98 | $11.98 | NA |
| SP 6600 | $12.98 | $12.98 | No set price |
| SP 6700 | $13.98 | $13.98 | NA |
| SP 12400 | Deleted | NA | NA |
| SP 12500 | $5.98 | NA | NA |
| SP 18000 | Deleted | NA | NA |
| 45s 2000 | $1.69 | NA | NA |
| 45s 2500/2600 | $1.98 | NA | NA |
| 45s Memories | $1.69 | NA | NA |
| 45s BR 3600 | No set price | NA | NA |
| CD 2500 | NA | NA | No set price |
| CD Jazz 0800 | NA | NA | No set price |
| CD3 31000 | NA | NA | No set price |
A&M Records, Cassetttes, Compact Discs and Video Spring/Summer 1989 Catalog
1989 BILLBOARD CHARTS
BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| 14 artists with one album each | Michael Damian (3) Janet Jackson (2) |
BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART
| SINGLES | ALBUMS |
|---|---|
| Breathe (2) |
BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Janet Jackson (2 #1) Barry White (1 Top 30) | Janet Jackson (1 #1) Vesta Williams (2 Top 10) |
1989 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Soul Gospel Vocal Performance, Male | As Long As We're Together | Al Green | Won |
| Best Gospel Performance | Lead Me On | Amy Grant | Won |
| Best Music Video Long Form | Rhythm Nation | Janet Jackson | Won |
| Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) | Rhythm Nation | Janet Jackson | |
| Best Rhythm & Blues Song | Miss You Much | Janet Jackson (Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Writers) | |
| Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Female | Miss You Much | Janet Jackson | |
| Producer of the Year | Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis | ||
| Best Pop Instrumental Performance | Healing Chant | Neville Brothers | Won |
| Trustees Award | Quincy Jones | Won | |
| Best Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental | Ultramega OK | Soundgarden |
A&M RECORDS HISTORY 1990s
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
1990
The sale of A&M to PolyGram became effective in January and PolyGram Canada finalized its buyout of A&M Records Canada. On April 2, Gil Friesen resigned as President of A&M Records and Jerry Moss took over day-to-day operations. On April 6, Jeff Gold, VP Marketing and Creative Services, A&M Records resigned. A&M closed its Vendetta Records label after only two years.
In May, Al Cafaro, a long-time A&M executive, was promoted to Senior Vice President/General Manager of A&M and in November he was appointed President of the company. Cafaro was only the third president of the company, succeeding Jerry Moss and Gil Friesen.
The original A&MERICANA logo (typography only) received its trademark registration on July 3.
A&M was reported to have lost $8 million in the first year of the PolyGram takeover. On October 29, 1990, A&M laid off 25 employees in LA, New York and Chicago. Nearly 50 employees left the label that year as the label transitioned into the PolyGram conglomerate. Al Cafaro called the move a consolidation and said it was warranted to align the staff size to the label's volume of business. He told Billboard that A&M would not share functions with PolyGram but would remain autonomous.
1990 brought A&M's first songwriting award at the Grammys in Julie Gold's "From a Distance." Suzanne Vega's Days of Open Hand won for Best Album Package. Seven artists had one album each on the Billboard Pop chart and Janet Jackson had four singles on that Billboard chart. There were 12 RIAA gold certifications. Eight of them went to Janet Jackson and seven of them were for her singles. Seduction earned two gold records. Of the four platinum records, Janet Jackson won three including the 5M sales of Rhythm Nation 1814.
1990 BILLBOARD CHARTS
| BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART | |
|---|---|
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| 7 artists with one album each | Janet Jackson (4) |
| BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART | |
| SINGLES | |
| Janet Jackson (2) | |
| BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART | |
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Seduction (1 Top 30) Intelligent Hoodlum (1 Top 100) |
Janet Jackson (1 #1; 4 Top 10) Suzanne Vega (1 Top 10) |
1990 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Engineered Recording | Bedtime Stories | David Baerwald | |
| Best Rhythm & Blues Song | Alright | Janet Jackson (Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Writers) |
|
| Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Female | Alright | Janet Jackson | |
| Legends Award | Liza Minnelli | ||
| Best Jazz Fusion Performance | Apasionado | Stan Getz | |
| Best Album Package | Days of Open Hand | Suzanne Vega | Won |
| Best Contemporary Folk Recording |
Days of Open Hand | Suzanne Vega |
1991
By February, PolyGram announced that it would sell bonds to help finance its purchase of A&M Records and Island Records. Later that year, PolyGram claimed that it overpaid for A&M. However, PolyGram also had its most profitable year. A&M contributed to the profits with hits from Bryan Adams, Extreme, Amy Grant and Sting.
From their inception, CD packages had been 6 x 12" (called a CD longbox) so they fit into the vinyl album rack at retail. In January, Sting's The Soul Cages introduced a cardboard package to replace the jewel box. Called DigiTrak, it was a cardboard case with two plastic tracks inside to hold the CD until the outer package was folded to fit the CD. Only the first 200,000 copies of The Soul Cages were in the longbox format. At the time, the industry did not see the U.S. going to the jewel-box only package that was the standard around the world.
A&M Records CD Box Sets (some never released)
A&M Records began a distribution agreement with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis's Perspective Records. The contract also allowed Perspective use of the creative services department at A&M.
Significant departures: On March 11, Janet Jackson accepted a $60M contract with Virgin Records. In August, Delos left its distribution agreement with A&M Records.
Al Cafaro was named VP of PolyGram Holding, Inc. and assigned to oversee the development of Mercury Records while also running A&M Records. Cafaro had been key to PolyGram's reorganization of A&M and was asked to bring those talents to Mercury's operation.
In November A&M announced a deal with River North Records to release a 3-track cassette single of "(I Wanna) Be Like Mike" based on basketball great Michael Jordan's Gatorade ad. Royalties went to the Michael Jordan Foundation.
A&M won three Grammys by individual artists. It was A&M's third highest year for RIAA gold records, receiving 11 of them. Bryan Adams got three gold and Extreme won two gold records. It was also A&M's third best year for platinum records, again winning 11 awards. Four platinum went to Bryan Adams while the Carpenters, Amy Grant and Sting each received two awards.
Sheryl Crow signed in March. Also signed CeCe Peniston
1991 BILLBOARD CHARTS
| BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART | |
|---|---|
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| 8 artists with one album each | Bryan Adams (2) Amy Grant (3) Extreme (2) |
| BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART | |
| SINGLES | |
| Amy Grant (3) Extreme (2) Aaron Neville (2) |
|
| BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART | |
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Barry White (1 Top 20) Vesta Williams (1 Top 20) |
Vesta Williams (1 Top 10) Wooten Brothers (1 Top 10) |
1991 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Engineered Album | Warm Your Heart | Aaron Neville | |
| Pop Male Vocalist | Warm Your Heart | Aaron Neville | |
| Album of the Year | Heart in Motion | Amy Grant | |
| Pop Female Vocalist | Baby Baby | Amy Grant | |
| Record of the Year | Baby Baby | Amy Grant | |
| Song of the Year | Baby Baby | Amy Grant (Amy Grant, Keith Thomas, Writers) |
|
| Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television | I Do It for You (Everything I Do) | Bryan Adams (Bryan Adams, Robert John Mutt Lang, Michael Kamen, Writers) |
Won |
| Pop Male Vocalist | I Do It for You (Everything I Do) | Bryan Adams | |
| Record of the Year | I Do It for You (Everything I Do) | Bryan Adams | |
| Rock Solo Vocal Performance | Can't Stop This Thing We Started | Bryan Adams | |
| Rock Song | Can't Stop This Thing We Started | Bryan Adams | |
| Song of the Year | I Do It for You (Everything I Do) | Bryan Adams (Bryan Adams, Robert John Mutt Lang, Michael Kamen, Writers) |
|
| Pop Vocal Group | More Than Words | Extreme | |
| Best Instrumental Composition | North on South St. | Herb Alpert (Herb Alpert, Greg Smith) | |
| Legends Award | Quincy Jones | ||
| Best Metal Vocal Performance | Badmotorfinger | Soundgarden | |
| Rock Song | Soul Cages (the) | Sting | Won |
| Package Len Peltier, Jeffrey Gold & Suzanne Vega | Days of Open Hand | Suzanne Vega | Won |
A&M FORMATS AND PRICES 1991
| SERIES | CASSETTE | COMPACT DISC |
|---|---|---|
| 75021 3000 | $6.98 - 9.98 | $13.98 |
| 75021 3100-3300 | $5.98 - 7.98 | $9.98 - 11.98 |
| 75021 3500-3900 75021 3500 |
$7.98 | $13.98 |
| 75021 3600-3900 | 11.98 - 15.98 | |
| 75021 4200-4900 75021 4200-4700 75021 4800-4900 |
$7.98 - 9.98 | $13.98 $11.98 - 13.98 |
| 75021 5000-5400 75021 5000 75021 5100-5200 75021 5300-5400 |
$5.98 - 9.98 | $13.98 - 15.98 $11.98 - 13.98 $11.98 - 15.98 |
| 75021 6000-6600 75021 6700 75021 6800 75021 6000-6800 |
$9.98 - 12.98 $13.98 |
$10.98 - 15.98 $16.98 |
| 75021 7100 | $11.98+ | |
| 75021 7500 | Not listed | |
| 75021 0800 | $13.98+ | |
| 85021 8500 | $13.98 | |
| 83603 2500 | $9.98 | $13.98 |
| 827 842 830 697 832 832 838 953 |
$6.98 | $10.98 |
1992
The A&R Department ceased reporting to Jerry Moss and began reporting to Al Cafaro.
A&M created limited edition packages for Soundgarden and Blues Traveler albums that included a free EP hoping to generate a larger audience and first time sales and additional sales among fans who would want the EP in their collections.
A&M, for only the third time, did not win any Grammy awards. Of its eight RIAA gold records, two each were given to Cece Peniston and Aaron Neville. 1992 was A&M's top year for platinum records. The label received 16 awards, with three for Cat Stevens including 3M in sales for his Greatest Hits and two each for Bryan Adams and Amy Grant.
Signed Dodgy
1992 BILLBOARD CHARTS
| BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART | |
|---|---|
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| 10 artists with one album each | Cece Peniston (4) Bryan Adams (3) Amy Grant (2) |
| BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART | |
| SINGLES | |
| Bryan Adams (2) Amy Grant (2) |
|
| BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART | |
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Cece Peniston (2 Top 10; 1 Top 20 & 40) Barry White (1 Top 30) |
|
1992 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Male Vocalist | There Will Never Be Another Tonight | Bryan Adams | |
| Best Metal Vocal Performance | Into the Void | Soundgarden | |
| Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television | It's Probably Me | Sting (Sting, Michael Kamen, Eric Clapton, Writers) |
|
| Best Album Package | 99.9F | Suzanne Vega |
A&M FORMATS AND PRICES 1992
| SERIES | CASSETTE | COMPACT DISC |
|---|---|---|
| 75021 3000 | $7.98 | Not listed |
| 75021 3100-3300 | $5.98 - 7.98 | $9.98 - 11.98 |
| 75021-3500-3900 | $7.98 - 9.98 | $9.98 - 15.98 |
| 75021 4200-4900 | $7.98 - 9.98 | $9.98 - 13.98 |
| 75021 5000-5400 | $5.98 - 10.98 | $13.98 - 15.98 |
| 75021 6000-6800 | $5.98 - 16.98 | $11.98 - 15.98 |
| 75021 8500 | $9.98 | $13.98 |
| 83603 2500 75021 2500 |
$9.98 | $13.98 |
| 75021 0800 | Not listed | |
| 31454 0000 | $9.98 - 10.98 | $13.98 - 15.98 |
1993
In April, A&M Records filed for a copyright for its Tuff Break imprint. Tuff Break created music discs and tapes and videos. At the same time, A&M applied for a trademark for Kid's World of Music. This line was to create music discs and tapes and videos with music or narration.
On June 18, Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss left A&M Records which now operated as a division of PolyGram. They were midway through their five-year agreement with PolyGram to remain at A&M. PolyGram had installed its choice of executives and integrated the records into its lines and its stock numbers. A&M ceased to have its own company identity. It appeared that PolyGram was pulling out of its agreement to allow Alpert and Moss to continue to run A&M autonomously.
Around October, A&M and Perspective signed a long-term deal. Perspective would market A&M's R&B product and A&M would market crossover product. Employees from A&M's Urban Division transferred to Perspective and Perspective added its own choices for executive talent. The deal allowed Perspective to double its number of releases per year. A&M eliminated six jobs and five urban acts from its artist roster.
A&M's one Grammy, Best Video, Long, was for Ten Summoner's Tales by Sting. This was the only Grammy A&M won for its video work. Three gold records and four platinum records were given to A&M. Sting received two platinum to commemorate the million and two million marks for Ten Summoner's Tales.
Signed Pretty Mary Sunshine
1993 BILLBOARD CHARTS
| BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART | |
|---|---|
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Aaron Neville (2) | Sting (3) Gin Blossoms (2) Aaron Neville (2) |
| BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART | |
| SINGLES | |
| Sting (3) Bryan Adams (2) Aaron Neville (2) |
|
| BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART | |
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Vertical Hold (1 Top 40) Intelligent Hoodlum (1 Top 100) Vesta Williams (1 Top 100) |
Cece Peniston (1 Top 40) |
1993 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Country & Western Vocal Performance - Male |
Grand Tour (the) | Aaron Neville | |
| Pop Male Vocalist | Don't Take Away My Heaven | Aaron Neville | |
| Best Engineered Album | Ten Summoner's Tales | Sting | Won |
| Pop Male Vocalist | If I Ever Lose My Faith in You | Sting | Won |
| Best Video, Long | Ten Summoner's Tales | Sting | Won |
| Album of the Year | Ten Summoner's Tales | Sting | |
| Record of the Year | If I Ever Lose My Faith in You | Sting | |
| Rock Solo Vocal Performance | Demolition Man | Sting | |
| Song of the Year | If I Ever Lose My Faith in You | Sting | |
| Package | 99.9Fº | Suzanne Vega (Len Peltier) |
1994
A&M reorganized its sales staff and its sales strategies to focus on local and regional market needs. A&M began to "coordinate its sales, marketing, tour, radio, press, video and publicity efforts on a specific, market-by-market basis." (Billboard, April 30, 1994, p18) hoping that marketing efforts customized for each region would create national success.
Jill Glass was promoted to vice president of marketing.
Sheryl Crow won three of the four Grammys presented to A&M artists. She won the coveted Record of the Year, Best Pop Vocal and Best New Artist awards. Of the 11 gold records, Bryan Adams, Sheryl Crow and Barry White each won two. Among the sixteen platinum certs were four for Bryan Adams whose So Far So Good reached 3 million; Soundgarden's Superunkown also hit 3 million, and the Gin Blossoms went platinum and hit 2 million with New Miserable Experience.
Signed Dishwalla. Also signed Jessica James, Racquel & Billie who did not release any recordings
1994 BILLBOARD CHARTS
BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| 6 artists with one album each | Sheryl Crow (3) Cece Peniston (3) Amy Grant (2) |
BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART
| SINGLES | |
|---|---|
| Gin Blossoms (3) Amy Grant (2) |
BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
|---|---|
| Cece Peniston (1 Top 20) | Barry White (2 #1) Cece Peniston (2 Top 10) |
1994 BILLBOARD YEAR IN MUSIC
| CATEGORY | ARTIST | TITLE |
|---|---|---|
| Top Pop Artist | 18. Bryan Adams (3) 34. Soundgarden (1) 38. Sheryl Crow (3) 44. Gin Blossoms (3) | |
| Top New Pop Artist | 10. Sheryl Crow (3) | |
| Top Pop Label | 5. A&M (33) | |
| Top Billboard 200 Album Artist | 22. Bryan Adams (1) 24. Soundgarden (1) 50. Gin Blossoms (1) 58. Sheryl Crow (1) 83. Aaron Neville (2) 97. Sting (2) | |
| Top Billboard 200 Album | 17. Bryan Adams 19. Soundgarden 54. Gin Blossoms 60. Sheryl Crow | So Far So Good Superunknown New Miserable Experience Tuesday Night Music Club |
| Top Billboard 200 Album Duo/Group | 11. Soundgarden (1) | |
| Top Billboard 200 Album Artist Male | 8. Bryan Adams (1) | |
| Top Hot 100 Artists | 17. Bryan Adams (2) 30. Sheryl Crow (2) 46. Gin Blossoms (2) 68. Sting (3) 73. CeCe Peniston (3) 92. Amy Grant (2) | |
| Top Hot 100 Singles | 8. Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Sting 27. Bryan Adams 34. Sheryl Crow 51. Gin Blossoms | All for Love Please Forgive Me All I Wanna Do Found Out About You |
| Top Hot 100 Singles Duo/Group | 20. Gin Blossoms (2) | |
| Top Hot 100 Singles Artist Female | 8. Sheryl Crow (2) CeCe Peniston (3) 18. Amy Grant (2) | |
| Top Hot100 Singles Artist Male | 6. Bryan Adams (2) | |
| Top Hot 100 Singles Label | 3. A&M (15) | |
| Top Hot 100 Singles Sales | 5. Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Sting 67. Sheryl Crow | All for Love All I Wanna Do |
| Top Hot 100 Singles Airplay | 12. Bryan Adams 24. Sheryl Crow 28. Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Sting 32. Gin Blossoms 46. Gin Blossoms | Please Forgive Me All I Wanna Do All For Love Found Out About You Until I Fall Away |
| Top R&B Artist | 23. CeCe Peniston (4) | |
| Top R&B Artists Female | 7. CeCe Peniston (4) | |
| Top R&B Album Artist | 32. Barry White (1) | |
| Top R&B Album | 39. Barry White 71. CeCe Peniston | The Icon Is Love Thought Ya Knew |
| Top R&B Singles Artist | 15. CeCe Peniston (3) | |
| Top R&B Singles | 32. CeCe Peniston 42. CeCe Peniston 48. Barry White | I'm Not Over You I'm in the Mood Practice What You Preach |
| Top R&B Singles Sales | 37. Barry White 68. CeCe Peniston | Practice What You Preach I'm Not Over You |
| Top R&B Singles Airplay | 31. CeCe Peniston 32. CeCe Peniston | I'm in the Mood I'm Not Over You |
| Top Pop Catalog Album | 20. Various Artists 27. Amy Grant | A Very Special Christmas 2 Home for Christmas |
| Top Hot 100 Singles Publishers | 15. Almo (8) 30. Irving (11) | |
| Top Hot 100 Singles Publishing Corporation | 5. Almo (23) | |
| Top Hot Country Singles & Tracks Publishers | 5. Almo (20) 22. Irving (9) | |
| Top Hot Modern Rock Tracks | 1. Soundgarden 14. Sheryl Crow | Black Hole Sun All I Wanna Do |
| Top Hot Album Rock Tracks Artist | 2. Soundgarden (4) | |
| Top Hot Modern Rock Tracks Artist | 3. Soundgarden (10) | |
| Top Hot Modern Rock Tracks Distributing Label | 5. A&M (10) | |
| Top Hot Adult Contemporary Artists | 9. Bryan Adams (2) 18. Sting (4) | |
| Top Hot Adult Contemporary Singles | 5. Bryan Adams 32. Amy Grant 41. Sheryl Crow 46. Sting | Please Forgive Me Lucky One All I Wanna Do Fields of Gold |
| Top Hot Adult Contemporary Label | 2. A&M (11) | |
| Top Hot Adult Contemporary Distributing Label | 3. A&M (13) | |
| Top Hot Dance Club Play Artists | 1. CeCe Peniston (3) 25. Uncanny Alliance (2) | |
| Top Hot Dance Club Play Singles | 9. CeCe Peniston 24. CeCe Peniston 244. CeCe Peniston | I'm Not Over You Hit By Love I'm in the Mood |
| Top Hot Dance Club Play Label | 6. A&M (6) | |
| Top Hot Dance Club Music Label | 8. A&M (10) | |
| Top Hot Dance Club Maxi-Singles Sales Artist | 15. CeCe Peniston (3) | |
| Top Hot Dance Club Maxi-Singles Sales | 42. CeCe Peniston | I'm in the Mood |
1994 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Male | Practice What You Preach | Barry White | |
| Pop Vocal Collaboration | All for Love | Bryan Adams, Sting, Rod Stewart | |
| New Artist | Sheryl Crow | Won | |
| Pop Female Vocalist | All I Wanna Do | Sheryl Crow | Won |
| Record of the Year | All I Wanna Do | Sheryl Crow | Won |
| Rock Female Vocalist | I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday | Sheryl Crow | |
| Song of the Year | All I Wanna Do | Sheryl Crow (Sheryl Crow, David Baerwald, Bill Bottrell, Wynn Cooper, Kevin Gilbert, Writers) | |
| Best Metal Performance | Spoonman | Soundgarden | Won |
| Rock Song | Black Hole Sun | Soundgarden (Chris Cornell, Writer) | Won |
| Best Hard Rock Performance | Black Hole Sun | Soundgarden | |
| Best Rock Album | Superunknown | Soundgarden |
1995
A&M signed a three-year deal with producer Ric Wake to form DV8 Records. A&M would provide distribution, marketing and promotion in the US and Europe.
In September, A&M filed a trademark for Treat & Release. In December it filed for a trademark for T&R. this logo was a circle with hand-lettered lowercase "t" treble clef and lowercase r in a circle. At the time, T&R was intended to produce sound recordings. The first logo was abandoned on February 5, 1999 and the second on December 18, 1999.
In October the Kid's World Of Music logo received its trademark registration.
Soundgarden's Alive in the Superunknown and Monster Magnet's I Talk to Planets were A&M's first multimedia releases in CD Plus. The discs were designed to play on CD and CD-ROM and contained music, videos and games. CD Plus packages included a diagnostic and driver disc since many computers would need software to play CD Plus.
Blues Traveler brought home the only Grammy this year for Best Rock Performance by Duo or Group. Blues Traveler and Janet Jackson each received two gold records accounting for half the certs. Out of 14 platinum records, Sheryl Crow and Blues Traveler each received three while Amy Grant and Janet Jackson each received two certifications. Crow's Tuesday Night Music Club attained an all-time record for sales with 5 million.
Signed Kelly Willis. Also signed Lutefisk but the band did not release any recordings.
1995 BILLBOARD CHARTS
| BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART | |
|---|---|
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| 6 artists with one album each | Blues Traveler (2) |
| BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART | |
| SINGLES | |
| Sheryl Crow (2) | |
| BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART | |
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Janet Jackson (1 Top 10) | Janet Jackson (1 Top 10; 1 Top 40) Barry White (1 Top 20) |
1995 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Vocal Group | Run Around | Blues Traveler | Won |
| Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television | Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman | Bryan Adams (Bryan Adams, Robert John Mutt Lange, Michael Kamen, Writers) | |
| Pop Male Vocalist | Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman | Bryan Adams | |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Peggy Lee | Won | |
| Pop Male Vocalist | When We Dance | Sting |
1996
On March 4, 1996 A&M's logo that was used on vinyl album labels since 1973 was declared dead by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The logo shows the outside edges of the A and the M curved at the same angle as the vinyl album label with a small ampersand between the letters.
In March, Al Cafaro was named Chairman/CEO of A&M Records. Only Jerry Moss had held this position.
In one of the largest artist controversies in A&M's history, Wal-Mart banned Sheryl Crow's self-titled album because the retailer disagreed with Ms. Crow's anti-gun lyrics.
A&M sent artists Billy Martin and Patty Griffin on Jann Arden's 25-date tour, and had the three make daytime appearances in Borders Books & Music stores. This was the first time A&M sent three artists into Borders.
On September 4, A&M Records Nashville closed. The operation began in 1994 as Polydor Nashville but was renamed A&M Nashville in March 1996. Shortly after the renaming, the two top executives left and A&M was unable to find strong executives to replace them. Nineteen staff people lost their jobs. The artists who were signed to the label at its closing were Chely Wright, Mark Luna, 4 Runner, Davis Daniel and the Moffats. They were transferred to Mercury in Nashville.
In September, Perspective laid off 27 of its 28 employees. In December, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, founders of Perspective, decided to continue on only with their existing acts, otherwise inactivating the label.
Sheryl Crow won Best Female Rock Vocal and Best Rock Album, the only Grammys for A&M artists. Blues Traveler's three gold records made them top artist for gold records. There were 13 platinum albums. Two awards were given to Bryan Adams, Blues Traveler, Sheryl Crow, Soundgarden and Sting. Crow's Tuesday Night Music Clubattained 6 million in sales.
1996 BILLBOARD CHARTS
| BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART | |
|---|---|
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| 7 artists with one album each | Sting (3) Bryan Adams (2) Gin Blossoms (2) |
| BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART | |
| SINGLES | |
| Five artists with one single each | |
| BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART | |
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Cece Peniston (1 Top 100) | Cece Peniston (1 Top 30) |
1996 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Male | Change Is Gonna Come (a) | Al Green | |
| Pop Male Vocalist | Let's Make a Night to Remember | Bryan Adams | |
| Rock Male Vocalist | Only Thing That Looks Good on Me Is You (the) | Bryan Adams | |
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Dave Brubeck | Won | |
| Pop Vocal Group | As Long As It Matters | Gin Blossoms | |
| Pop Vocal Group | Fire on the Mountain | Neville Brothers | |
| Best Music Video Long Form | Farewell Live from the Universal Amphitheatre | Oingo Boingo | |
| Rock Album | Sheryl Crow | Sheryl Crow | Won |
| Rock Female Vocalist | If It Makes You Happy | Sheryl Crow | Won |
| Best Hard Rock Performance | Pretty Noise | Soundgarden | |
| Best Instrumental Arrangement | Mr. Holland's Opus | Soundtrack | Won |
| Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television | Sabrina (Moonlight) | Soundtrack (Marilyn Bergman, Alan Bergman, John Williams, Writers) | |
| Pop Album | Mercury Falling | Sting | |
| Pop Male Vocalist | Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot | Sting |
1997
In corporate changes, A&M reorganized its black music division, bringing back John McClain as the Senior VP A&R of Urban and hiring Dave Rosas as Senior VP of Urban Promotion. The black music division would have eleven employees.
Peter Napoliello was named senior VP of promotion for pop, rock, alternative and crossover. At the time there were 38 employees in the promotion department.
A&M entered into a distribution arrangement with Flip Records.
The trademark for original A&MERICANA logo (typography only) was cancelled on January 7.
Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss received the Grammy Trustees Award for "Inspiring music executives to artist-oriented philosophy." Burt Bacharach and Hal David also won the Trustees Award for "Eloquence and style on songs transcending their time." Sounds of Blackness received two of the eight gold records. Twelve platinum awards were also given. Blues Traveler, Sheryl Crow, and Amy Grant each won two of them. Crow continued to set all-time sales records. Tuesday Night Music Club had now sold 7 million copies.
Signed Gas Giants and Low/Watts but the groups did not release any recordings.
1997 BILLBOARD CHARTS
| BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART | |
|---|---|
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| 3 artists with one single each | |
/table>
| BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART | |
|---|---|
| SINGLES | |
| Bryan Adams (2) | |
| BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART | |
|---|---|
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Aaron Neville (1 Top 100) | Sting (1 Top 20) |
1997 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pop Collaboration | I Finally Found Someone | Bryan Adams & Barbra Streisand | |
| Trustees Award | Burt Bacharach & Hal David | Won | |
| Hall of Fame | We've Only Just Begun | Carpenters | Won |
| Trustees Award | Herb Alpert & Jerry Moss | Won | |
| Hall of Fame | Lonely Bull (the) | Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass | Won |
| Hall of Fame | Whiter Shade of Pale (a) | Procol Harum | |
| Record of the Year | Every Day Is a Winding Road | Sheryl Crow | |
| Country Collaboration | I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying | Sting & Toby Keith |
1998
Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss sued PolyGram claiming they were shorted $3.63 million in earnings in 1994 and $2 million in a Canadian tax refund.
In May, A&M had its last Top 5 single under PolyGram with Public Announcement's "Body Bumpin Yippie-Yi-Yo." The label would not be in the Top 5 again until May 2001.
Seagrams, then owner of Universal Music Group, acquired PolyGram for $10.4 billion. Universal took control on December 10. On December 28, The New York Times reported that Universal would sell property, lay off 3,000 employees, release artists, and take other actions to save $300 million a year. A&M Records was to be "collapsed" into Interscope. A&M entered into a distribution arrangement with Shaquille O'Neal's record label T.W.Is.M.
Of the ten gold records, the Carpenters and Styx each won two. It was a record year for platinum records. A&M received 20 certs. Thirteen of the platinum awards were for ten different Carpenters albums. Their The Singles: 1969-1973 tied Sheryl Crow with 7 million in sales.
1998 BILLBOARD CHARTS
| BILLBOARD POP ALBUMS AND SINGLES CHART | |
|---|---|
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Sheryl Crow (1) | |
| BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART | |
| SINGLES | |
| Amy Grant (1) | |
| BILLBOARD RHYTHM & BLUES AND HIP-HOP CHART | |
| ALBUMS | SINGLES |
| Soundtrack (1 Top 10) Kurupt (1 Top 10) Public Announcement (1 Top 20) | Public Announcement (1 Top 10; Top 30) |
1998 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional R&B Vocal Performance | To Make Me Who I Am | Aaron Neville | |
| Hall of Fame | River Deep, Mountain High | Ike and Tina Turner | Won |
| Rock Male Vocalist | Have a Little Faith in Me | John Hiatt | |
| Rock Song | Have a Little Faith in Me | John Hiatt | |
| Non-Classical Engineered Album | Globe Sessions (the) | Sheryl Crow | Won |
| Rock Album | Globe Sessions (the) | Sheryl Crow | Won |
| Album of the Year | Globe Sessions (the) | Sheryl Crow | |
| Non-Classical Producer of the Year | Sheryl Crow | ||
| Pop Female Vocalist | My Favorite Mistake | Sheryl Crow | |
| Rock Female Vocalist | There Goes the Neighborhood | Sheryl Crow | |
| Song Written for a Motion Picture or Television | Tomorrow Never Dies | Sheryl Crow (Sheryl Crow, Mitchell Froom, Writers) | |
| Pop Male Vocalist | You Were Meant for Me | Sting |
A&M RECORDS CLOSES: 1999
On January 22, 1999, 170 A&M employees were fired as part of the merger of PolyGram and Universal. It was also reported that A&M's artist roster would be cut from 65 acts to 20. Universal then created a music division composed of Interscope, Geffen and A&M. The Los Angeles Times Business Section quoted Herb Alpert: "It's certainly sad to see what is happening today, but to tell you the truth, you could see it coming once A&M became part of the [conglomerate structure] at Polygram," Alpert said Thursday [January 22, 1999]. "I saw that train coming...the sharp contrast between the independent world and the corporate. I don't think their bottom line has much to do with music or artists. It's very black and white."
"I'm not speaking for all corporations, just my experience at PolyGram. It seemed like they were so bottom-line conscious that it was hard to make a decision like we used to...just from the gut, based on feeling, not whether an artist might be able to sell oodles of records."
Read the Los Angeles Times feature on A&M Records Closing
Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss asked to enjoin Universal Music in their pending law suit against PolyGram and sought damages of $200 million. Alpert and Moss claimed that Universal breached their sales agreement with PolyGram that contained an "integrity clause" through the year 2009. The clause allowed Alpert and Moss to maintain control of A&M Records image for 20 years after the sale. The two argued that Universal's actions had a negative impact upon them personally and affected how they could operate their current businesses. The judge agreed with Alpert and Moss and included Universal and the requested additional damages in the lawsuit.
In March A&M again applied for a trademark for T&R. T&R was intended to create music videos.
Jerry Moss was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 23.
In October, Universal closed A&M Studios. Universal completed its dissolution of A&M Records when it sold the lot and facilities to The Henson Company.
1999 BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART
| SINGLES |
|---|
| No artist charted |
1999 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hall of Fame | Close to You | Carpenters | Won |
| Rock Male Vocalist | Can't Change Me | Chris Cornell | |
| Contemporary Blues Album | Wander This World | Jonny Lang | |
| Rock Female Vocalist | Sweet Child O' Mine | Sheryl Crow | Won |
| Pop Album | Brand New Day | Sting | Won |
| Pop Male Vocalist | Brand New Day | Sting | Won |
A&M RECORDS HISTORY 2000s
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2012 2023
2000
To understand A&M in the 2000s, one must look at the changes in the music industry. During the 1960s and 70s, the main ingredients in the industry were to record an album, tour in support of it, and promote it through radio and television. As Jerry Moss noted, the relationship between the artist and the audience had a large component of live performance.
In the mid-1980s, music videos came to be a part of the marketing mix. Herb Alpert said, "People started listening with their eyes as well as their ears. It's almost a different genre." A&M was as active in developing videos as any label--starting as early as 1969 with Mad Dogs and Englishmen and filming artist performances. Next, A&M increased its presence in film music. Not only did A&M Films create feature films, A&M it was the first to create soundtracks with music written and performed by its artists. A&M recognized that films were another way people found new music. A&M was also one of the first labels to have its music included in video games and to make songs by its artists available for use in television shows and advertising. These were natural response to radio programming that was based on narrow listener demographics.
The 1990s brought the rise of the internet and even more flexible ways to distribute music. The advent of digital file sharing of both audio and video files plus the ease of music sampling gave rise to questions of intellectual property rights, new copyright laws, and court decisions because of the proliferation of sharing. Technology put the ability to distribute new music and films and music to an audience of millions in the time it took to upload files to a web site. Technology also gave everyone the chance to promote music they liked which altered the nature of retail music forever. File sharing and CD burning eroded sales in record stores as people discovered it was more convenient to shop for music online. Major music retail chains like Tower Records, Sam Goody and others went out of business.
The music industry itself experienced a turnover in many of its executive offices as a result of trying to keep innovators at the helm. A&M's owner, Universal Music Group, had executives that wanted the industry to support legal distribution of music while ensuring that both artists and the record companies' large investments in making CDs and videos and funding tours were paid for those investments. Much of the news coming from Universal were announcements of new partnerships that advanced the technology and created new avenues to make music available.
All these changes coupled with A&M's new status an imprint label within Universal Music, put A&M in a very different position and a different music market than it had been at any point in its history. As an imprint, it shared staff with other Universal labels, and the A&M back catalog was reissued by different divisions and labels within the Universal group.
Universal bought Rondor Music and Almo Sounds for nearly $500 million and took over operations in December 2000. This sale was also to be the settlement of outstanding lawsuits filed by Alpert and Moss against Universal.
The Jim Henson Co., which bought the A&M Records lot, reopened two of the A&M Studios in February, still under the direction of A&Mer Ron Rutledge and a core of A&M staff.
The major lawsuit A&M Records et al v Napster Inc. entered the courtroom phase in October in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. The case alleged that Napster infringed on the record labels' copyrights through its peer-to-peer file sharing system. The Court of Appeals found in favor of the record labels and its decision stopped Napster "from engaging in, or facilitating others in copying, downloading, uploading, transmitting, or distributing plaintiffs' (record labels) copyrighted musical compositions and sound recordings, protected by either federal or state law, without express permission of the rights owners." The court determined that repeated copying of a work, even if there is no direct profit from the copy, is a commercial use because it s not covered by the "fair use" provision of the copyright law because the copies reduced CD sales and also made it difficult for the labels to commercially sell downloaded music. The court recognized that the private individual who made his/her legal copy of a CD available through Napster was simultaneously making it available to the millions of Napster users and this was more than putting the CD on one's computer for personal use.
In 2000, A&M had 52 releases. Gold and platinum certifications continued to decline thanks to digital downloads. The only new album to score was Sting's Brand New Day that went gold and double platinum. The Carpenters and Amy Grant each received gold albums for albums from the late 1980s and early 1990s. Styx's Greatest Hits went platinum. Two releases from 1998 went gold and platinum, MxPx's Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo and Jonny Lang's Wander This World respectively.
2000 BILLBOARD ADULT CONTEMPORARY CHART
| SINGLES |
|---|
| Two artists with one single each |
GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Female Rock Vocal Performance | There Goes the Neighborhood | Sheryl Crow | Won |
2001
"Buying records today just doesn't mean the same thing that it used to. Our business today is much more about capturing a fashionable viewpoint that may exist only in a fleeting moment. There's more of a premium on what's new. People are more likely to move on to the next artist, as opposed to the next record by the same artist."
--Ron Fair USA Today June 22, 2003
Two years after Universal let Al Cafaro go in its downsizing of A&M it named Ron Fair president of the label. He became the fourth president of the company since its founding 39 years earlier. Fair had a highly successful 25-year track record in the music business as a producer, arranger, musician, and recording engineer.
In May, the S Club 7 single "Never Had a Dream Come True" reached the Billboard Top 10. It was the first Top 10 single for the label since May 1998.
There were five gold and 15 platinum certifications given to A&M artists for recordings made while A&M was an independent label. There were no certifications for 38 new releases in 2001. Cat Stevens got four gold albums and nine platinum.
2002
Universal Vivendi paid Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss $250 million because its accounting practices had not properly compensated them. A&M released 47 recordings. Sting, Sheryl Crow and newly signed Vanessa Carlton each had a gold album for new releases. Crow and Carlton enjoyed platinum status. The Police were awarded platinum for two of their albums.
Almo/Irving/Rondor Music in Nashville underwent a major change in its Vice President. David Conrad stepped down and Bobby Rymer, who had been with Almo for 12 years, was promoted. Conrad established the Nashville office in the 1970s and signed its songwriting staff. In A&M/Almo's inclusive culture, Conrad said, "Writers at the company have expressed enthusiastic support...Bobby is ready for the next step and I have complete trust and faith that all of our writers and the future of Almo Irving Nashville is in excellent hands."
The Kid's World Of Music trademark was cancelled on July 20.
2002 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Female Rock Vocal Performance | Steve McQueen | Sheryl Crow | Won |
2003
The Black Eyed Peas, Sheryl Crow and Sting had new albums that went gold among the 50 that came out. Ten years after its release, Denis Leary's No Cure for Cancer picked up a gold record. The Police were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Universal celebrated The Police by releasing Every Breath You Take: the Classics on hybrid Super Audio CD (SACD), SACD surround sound and CD audio versions.
2003 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals | Whenever I Say Your Name | Sting, Mary J. Blige | Won |
2004
For the first time since it gained control of A&M, all the gold and platinum certs for the year went to material released under Universal with five awards going to the Black Eyed Peas, four to Sheryl Crow. and one each for Bryan Adams and Sting. There were 26 CDs released.
2005
A&M founders Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss donated the A&M Records archives to UCLA's special collections library. The collection included correspondence, legal documents, musical arrangements and memorabilia. A&M had 29 releases. Of the gold and platinum certifications, six went to the Black Eyed Peas, two for Sheryl Crow and one apiece to Sting, Styx, Keyshia Cole and the Pussycat Dolls.
Universal was pleased to announce that "A&M Still Stands for Artists and Music; Storied Label Has Biggest Chart Week in Nineteen Years Under the Direction of President Ron Fair. A&M accomplishes a double-double; two albums and two singles among Billboard's Top 10 sellers (The Black Eyed Peas Monkey Business album and single "Don't Phunk with My Heart", Keyshia Cole's album The Way It Is and the Pussycat Dolls' single "Don't Cha)."
2006
Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Ron Fair was tapped to head Geffen Records but remained involved in A&M's operations. At Rondor Music, Ron Moss (son of Jerry Moss and the Ron in Rondor) was named Executive Vice President/Creative. Moss had been an engineer, worked in promotion and A&R, and music publishing. Among the songwriters Ron Moss brought to Rondor were Avril Lavigne and Twista.
In March, Ron Fair was named Chairman of Geffen Records and in May A&M executive Step Johnson was promoted to President of Urban Music for Interscope, Geffen and A&M Records.
There were 17 releases in 2006. The Pussycat Dolls were awarded one gold and three platinum records and Keyshia Cole got a platinum disc. Three of the four certs were for singles.
2007
The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS/Grammy) honored Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss with the President's Merit Award for their contribution to popular music on February 11. In a private reception following the Grammys, three generations of A&M artists came to salute their former bosses. Sting said, "You felt like you could sit on their desks and sing your dreams to them" and that the Police felt that in signing with the label, "We always felt we'd be looked after."
NARAS press release
Hall Of Fame Induction Biography
On February 20 Universal announced that it bought Octone Records and would merge it with A&M Records. The resulting label was named A&M/Octone. Octone was a seven-year-old label based in New York. As a result of the merger, A&M would for the first time be headquartered in New York. Octone's president, James Diener, was promoted to CEO and president of A&M/Octone. Diener brought Octone's general manager David Boxenbaum and its VP for promotion Ben Berkman to the new label. Current A&M artists would continue to be marketed under the A&M label and new signings under the A&M/Octone name. The first release from A&M/Octone came in May 2007.
New A&M/Octone Label Formed By Interscope Geffen A&M
2007 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| President's Merit Award | Herb Alpert & Jerry Moss | Won |
2008
2008 GRAMMY® NOMINATIONS AND AWARDS
| CATEGORY | TITLE | ARTIST | WON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifetime Achievement Award | Burt Bacharach | Won |
2012
A&M Records 50th Anniversary press release
A&M Records 50th Anniversary press release 2
A&M RECORDS: THE TELEVISION SHOW
Susie Singer Carter, daughter of A&M's first engineer Howard Holzer, created the concept for a television series to be loosely based on A&M Records. She partnered with Randy Alpert to develop the idea. Together they met with top executives at several networks. They called off the project just before they were to film the pilot episode. What follows is the original pitch they submitted.
2023
Jerry Moss Concert January 14, 2023
A&M Founder Jerry Moss passed away on August 16. His handshake with Herb Alpert more than 60 years ago ended. Jerry’s accomplishments ranged from being a record man to being one of the most successful thoroughbred horse owners, to his interest as an art collector—far too many to list.
At A&M it was Jerry who signed the artists; who assembled the label’s original distributors; who watched music trends, set the policy and directed the business. Jerry saw himself as a record man, not a record executive. He loved music and he loved artists. He once told the reporters at a press conference, “I’d rather get in a gorilla cage than talk with you guys.” It was true. Jerry was the powerhouse who didn’t need to be seen. He was as excited about his 235th gold album as he was the first one. As he said of one band, “They worked so hard. They earned their success. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Ask any of the A&M Family and they will tell you Jerry knew each of them by name and usually knew something personal about each of them. They will also say he led with honesty, dignity and fairness. Coupled with his love of the music business, this was his style and it was adopted by the A&M staff who have taken it into other industries around the world.
Herb Alpert invited the A&M Family to gather at the former A&M headquarters to celebrate Jerry Moss. Over 500 staff and artists from around the world reunited on December 16, 2023.
Each guest at Jerry's tribute received a laminated name tag and a pin with the same A&M logo as the name tag.
Copyright by Jeff Haymes. Used by permission.
;Copyright by Jeff Haymes. Used by permission.
SOURCES:
- Billboard Charts
- Whitburn, Joel. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums 1955-1996. Menomonee Falls, WI: Record Research, Inc., 1996.
- Whitburn, Joel. Top Pop Singles 1955-1999. Menomonee Falls, WI: Record Research, Inc., 2000.
- Whitburn, Joel. Top Adult Contemporary 1961-2001. Menomonee Falls, WI: Record Research, Inc., 2002.
- Whitburn, Joel. The Billboard Book of Top 40 R&B and Hip-Hop Hits 1942-2004. New York: Billboard Books, 2006.
- Whitburn, Joel. Top R&B Albums 1965-1998, Menomonee Falls, WI: Record Research, Inc., 1999.
- Billboard Talent in Action/Talent Almanac/Number One Awards
- Jerry Moss: Legendary A&M Records Co-Founder. Music Makers March 27, 2020, kushnerentertainment.com
- Billboard Year End special inserts
- Cash Box Charts
- Cash Box weekly charts
- Gold and Platinum Records
- Recording Industry Association of America
- Grammy Nominations
- National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
1962
- Kip Cohen on the Philosophy of A&R at A&M. Sam Sutherland. Record World, December 24, 1977.
- Billboard articles and reviews
- Big Bats In Latin Hits. Billboard, April 4, 1964.
1963
- Billboard articles and reviews
1964
- Repertoire Digs the Unusual. Billboard.
- A&M Inks Pye as Outlet in UK, S.A., Wait on Italy. Billboard, December 12, 1964.
- Repertoire Digs the Unusual. Billboard, June 20, 1964.
- Gil Friesen Memorial Book, 2012.
1965
- A&M Joins the Capitol Record Club. Billboard.
- A&M Spreading Wings. Billboard, October 9, 1965.
- Tribute to an Industry Leader (by Jerry Moss). Billboard. October 28, 1967.
- Music Captials of the World (Sydney). George Hilder. Billboard, September 11, 1965.
- Music Captials of the World (Hollywood). Eliot Tiegel. Billboard, September 25, 1965.
1966
- Alpert-Moss Combine Prepping Major Expansion Moves in 1967. Billboard, January 7, 1966.
- A Revamping Due for Col.'s A&R on Coast. Billboard, November 6, 1966.
- Ampex, A&M 'Simulrelease.' Billboard, December 10, 1966.
- Ampex Builds Catalog Powerhouse. Ray Brack. Billboard, November 26, 1966.
1967
- Alpert-Moss Combine Prepping Major Expansion Moves in 1967. Billboard, January 7, 1967.
- Motown and A&M Joining the Playtape Trackwagon. Billboard, March 18, 1967.
- U.K. Steps Up Raids on U.S. Graeme Andrews. Billboard, March 25, 1967.
- Urie Pop Ad TV Image Maker. Eliot Tiegel. Billboard, November 18, 1967.
- Signings. Billboard, October 21, 1967.
- Signings. Billboard, April 8, 1967.
- Signings. Billboard, April 29, 1967.
- Music Capitals of the World (Paris). Mike Hennessey. Billboard, June 17, 1967.
- Signings. Billboard, July 8, 1967, 24.
- Executive Turntable. Billboard, October 7, 1967.
- Executive Turntable. Billboard, December 16, 1967.
1968
- Graham Promo Man of Year. Record World, April 6, 1968.
- A&M on Own in Duping, Selling. Hank Fox. Billboard, May 11, 1968.
- Alpert, Moss Men of Year. Record World, June 8, 1968.
- Promotion Spurs Festival to 'Label Months' Series. Jock Veitch. Billboard, May 18, 1968.
- Major Promotions at A&M. Record World, July 20, 1968.
- Internat'l Affils Attend A&M Meet. Record World, August 10, 1968.
- Schnyder Director A&M Advertising, Merchandising. Record World, October 12, 1968.
1969
- New Artists Spark A&M Sales. Eliot Tiegel. Billboard, August 15, 1970.
- Jukebox Goldies Offereds by A&M. Cash Box, March 22, 1969.
- Signings. Billboard. April 12, 1969.
- A&M Records 10th Anniversary book.
1970
- Childs Named A&M Eastern Operations Dir. Record World, April 18, 1970.
- Freed Heads A&M College Dept. Record World, May 2, 1970.
- Signings. Billboard. May 30, 1970.
- Howe Co. Signs A&M, Lib, Cap Production Deals. Billboard, June 13, 1970.
- A&M Record Has August In History. Cash Box, August 12, 1970.
- New Artists Spark A&M Sales. Eliot Tiegel. Billboard, August 15, 1970.
- Ariola-Eurodisc Reps A&M. Record World, July 18, 1970.
- Film Depicts A&M's History. Cash Box, September 19, 1970.
- Japan Disk Sales 20 Percent Increase. Billboard, September 26, 1970.
- Campus News. Bob Glassenberg. Billboard, October 10, 1970.
- A&M Bright Co. in Drab Economy. Billboard, December 12, 1970.
- Mfrs.' Headaches Mounting Up As Tape Piracy Goes Rolling On. Eliot Tiegel. Billboard, August 15, 1970.
- A&M, NARM Set Up Fund. Billboard, August 8, 1970.
- A&M Twin-Pack Plan Is Being Stepped Up. Billboard, October 3, 1970.
- Executive Turntable. Billboard, November 21, 1970.
- Signings. Billboard. November 7, 1970.
- A&M Lists Banner August Sales Month. Billboard, November 7, 1970.
1971
- A&M Into Blues. Record World, February 13, 1971.
- A&M Records Hold Annual Regional Promotion Meets. Cash Box, April 10, 1971.
- A&M's Brazil Deal Settled. Billboard, April 17, 1971.
- Pat Luce to A&M E. Coast Post. Record World, August 21, 1971.
- A&M Studio Spots CTV. Eliot Tiegel. Billboard, August 21, 1971.
- A&M Sets First Product Roadshow. August 28, 1971.
- A&M Fall Meeting: 14 LP's, 6 New Acts. Billboard, September 25, 1971.
- Japan Disk Sales 20 Percent Increase. Billboard, September 26, 1970.
- A&M Big Label On Campus. Gary Cohen. Record World, October 16, 1971.
- A&M Breaks Ground for New Building. Record World, November 11, 1971.
- Casell, Baren Join A&M. Record World, December 12, 1971.
- Billboard 1972 Trendsetter Awards. Billboard, December 25, 1971.
1972
- A&M Records the First Ten Years (a Fairy Tale). Chuck Cassell. A&M Records, Inc. 1972.
- A&M Voter Drive. Cash Box, February 26, 1972.
- A&M S. Calif. TV Spots for Billy Preston's 'Wrote.' Billboard, August 26, 1972.
- Moss Critical of Cut-Outs at A&M Sales Meets. Record World, October 21, 1972.
- A&M Regionals Launch New Albums. Cash Box, October 21, 1972.
- A&M Re-Signings. Record World, October 21, 1972.
- 10-Year-Old Label Builds Pop Image. Nat Freedland. Billboard, September 30, 1972.
- A&M Hits TV Trail. Record World, December 9, 1972.
- A&M Film Wins Award. Record World, May 12, 1973.
1973
- Anderle to Head A&M Talent Devel. Record World, February 10, 1973.
- Grieff to A&M Merchandising Post. Record World, March 3, 1973.
- Andy Meyer Upped at A&M. Record World, March 10, 1973.
- Ms. Baren Wins Lulu. Record World, May 19, 1973.
- Gross-Kupps' Co. to A&M. Billboard, June 30, 1973.
- King Product to Fete A&M, London Ties. Cash Box, April 21, 1973.
- A&M Issues 15 'Q' Tapes. Billboard, July 14, 1973.
- Japan Tops Foreign Markets for A&M. Nat Freedland. Billboard.
- A&M Releasing 5 'Greatest Hits' Sets. Billboard, November 13, 1973.
- A&M, Phonogram Raise LP Princes. Record World, December 22, 1973.
- A&M Discontinues Reel-to-Reel Tapes. Record World, December 22, 1973.
1974
- A&M Names Childs, Cohen VP's. Record World,, January 26, 1974.
- A&M Singles Price Changes. Cash Box, July 20, 1974.
- Five Albums from A&M See Vitt TV Campaign. Record World, August 24, 1974.
- A&M Aussie Meet. Cash Box, September 14, 1974.
- A&M Sets Meeting for Australia. Record World, September 14, 1974.
- A&M to Kiddie Market. Cash Box, October 12, 1974.
- A&M and EMI Renew Pacts at U.K. Huddle. Billboard, October 19, 1974.
- At A&M the Music Comes First. Record World, November 2, 1974.
- A&M Releases Its First CD-4 Album. Billboard, November 9, 1974.
- Six SQ Matrix Packages Released By A&M Diskery. Billboard, November 30, 1974.
- A&M Hikes LP By Full Dollar. Billboard. August 27, 1974.
1975
- A&M, Motown, Establish Jointly-Owned Branch. Record World, January 18, 1975.
- A&M Ups Luce. Record World, February 15, 1975.
- A&M Taps Dashev. Record World, April 5, 1975.
- A&M Taps Kirkup. Record World, April 5, 1975.
- A&M Taps Zurawin. Record World, May 17, 1975.
- A&M Ups Birnbaum. Record World, August 2, 1975.
- A&M Promotes Two. Record World, August 2, 1975.
- LaPorta Joins A&M. Record World, September 6, 1975.
1976
- A&M Developing New Muscle On East Coast. Ed Harrison. Billboard. January 8, 1977.
- Judge Awards Damages in E-C/A&M Case. Record World, January 17, 1976.
- John Anthony Joins A&M. Record World, February 28, 1976.
- Album Vital to Longevity. Billboard June 26, 1976.
1977
- A&M Expanding with Building of New Offices. Billboard, October 16, 1976.
- Phonogram, A&M 5-Nation African Tie. Ed Harrison. Billboard, January 22, 1977.
- A&M Beefing Up College Rep Staff. Ed Harrison. Billboard, January 29, 1977.
- A&M, Phonogram Set African Pact. Record World, January 29, 1977.
- A&M Restructures E. Coast Pub. Dept. Record World, March 5, 1977.
- Jazz Campaign Set by A&M. Record World, March 19, 1977.
- Punk Comes of Age (Interview Upon Signing with A&M Records). B. Harrison. Melody Maker, March 19, 1977.
- Edmondson Joins A&M. Record World, March 19, 1977
- A&M Draws Sex Pistols; Sees Act As 'New Force.' Chris White. Billboard, March 26, 1977.
- Sex Pistols Dropped by A&M in the U.K. Peter Jones. Billboard, April 2, 1977.
- A&M Seeks 'All the Marbles,' Moss Says. Ed Harrison. Billboard, April 16, 1977.
- A&M Promotes Spencer. Record World, April 16, 1977.
- A&M Names Powell Business Affairs Dir. Record World, April 23, 1977.
- A&M Promotes Two In Sales Department. Record World, June 18, 1977.
- A&M Will Change Its Florida Distrib. Billboard, June 25, 1977.
- A&M Using New Ad Forms In N.Y. Billboard. May 14, 1977.
- A&M Names Barnum Production Director. Record World, July 9, 1977.
- A&M Names Three to Merch. Posts. Record World, August 20, 1977.
- A&M Taps Bill Swearingen. Record World, August 20, 1977.
- A&M Reorganizes Intl. Department. Record World, September 17, 1977.
- A&M Ups Two. Record World, October 1, 1977.
- A&M Keys on Creativity in Merchandising Thrust. Record World, October 8, 1977.
- A&M Restructures Product Mgmt. Dept. Record World, October 15, 1977.
- A&M, Kershenbaum Pact. Record World, October 29, 1977.
- Comas Joins A&M. Record World, November 5, 1977.
- Satellite Hookup by A&M Plugs Label's R&Bers. Ed Harrison. Billboard, January 21, 1978.
1978
- A&M Institutes New Mktng. Region. Record World, December 24, 1977.
- Newest A&M Wing Centralizes Data. Ed Harrison. Billboard. January 14, 1978.
- A&M Has 5 New Branches Coming. Ed Harrison and John Sippel. Billboard, February 18, 1978.
- More Labels Than Ever at NECAA Powwow. Ed Harrison. Billboard, February 25, 1978.
- A&M Backs Job Program For Inner-City Youth. Dave DeMartino. Billboard, April 25, 1978.
- Field Personnel Urged to Supply Label Feedback. Billboard. July 22, 1978.
- A&M's Cutouts Go to Pickwick. Billboard. September 2, 1978.
- Moss Slaps WB, CBS At A&M Meet. Ed Harrison. Billboard. July 29, 1978.
- Childs Appointed Sr. VP Promotion For A&M Records. Cash Box, July 1, 1978.
- Campagna, Reitman & Moinet Named VPs At A&M Records. Cash Box, July 8, 1978.
- Meyer, Ayeroff Named At A&M. Cash Box, July 15, 1978.
- A&M Black Music Success Leads to New Label Focus. Charles Palkert. Cash Box, October 14, 1978.
- Powell Appointed to A&M VP Post. Cash Box, October 28, 1978.
- 'A&M Month' Set. Cash Box, December 16, 1978.
1979
- A&M Declares Overseas Alignment with Phonogram. Billboard. January 27, 1979.
- Changing Face of Record Distribution. Marc Kirkeby. New York Times, February 18, 1979.
- 5 Lose A&M Denver Jobs. Billboard, March 27, 1979.
- A&M Hits Jackpot with British Import Acts. Paul Grein. Billboard. June 2, 1979.
- A&M Pacts with U.K. New Wave Syndicate. Billboard. August 4, 1979.
- A&M's Axe Slashes 50. Billboard. December 12, 1979.
- More Resources Now Available for Artists, Says Moss. Alan Sutton. Cash Box. January 27, 1979.
- Fead Joins RCA As Division VP, Sales and Distrib. Cash Box, February 3, 1979.
- A&M Revamps Its Promo Department. Cash Box. February 3, 1979.
- Bornstein [Named] New VP at A&M. Cash Box. February 10, 1979.
- A&M Sets Major Restructuring of Sales Department. Cash Box. March 17, 1979.
- High Court Refuses to Terminate Suit vs. A&M, Motown. Cash Box, April 28, 1979.
- Kirkup Named VP, Artist Development at A&M Records. Cash Box. May 19, 1979.
- A≈M Names Losmann International Director. Cash Box. June 9. 1979.
- Kershenbaum to Head A&M's A&R. Cash Box. June 23, 1979.
- Supertramp Highlights A&M's International Program In 1979. Richard Imamura. Cash Box. August 4, 1979.
- A&M Teams with WNEW-FM/NY For Triple Live Broadcast Feature. Cash Box. August 11, 1979.
- Leon Named VP, East Coast Opns., For A&M Records. Cash Box. November 10, 1979.
- A&M Names Burton to Senior VP Spot. Cash Box. November 17, 1979.
- Parkinson Named at A&M Records. Cash Box. November 24, 1979.
1980
- CBS-A&M Latin License. Adam White. Billboard, August 2, 1980.
- Laser-Etched LP Marketed By A&M. Ed Harrison. Billboard, August 9, 1980.
- Inside Track. Billboard, September 13, 1980.
1981
- dbx-Encoded Discs to Hit 200 In '81. Jim McCullaugh. Billboard, August 8, 1981.
1982
- A&M Revives $6.98 LP List for New Acts. Billboard, January 16, 1982.
- RCA, A&M Up Midline Price. Billboard. May 1, 1982.
- dbx Cassettes Readied for Personal Stereo Players. Jim McCullaugh. Billboard, May 1, 1982.
- RCA, A&M Hike Prices. Billboard, June 19, 1982.
- Stones Pace Group Pack; A&M's British Connection. Paul Grein. Billboard, July 3, 1982.
- A&M Charging for Duplication of Promo Clips. Billboard, September 4, 1982.
- A&M Marks 20 Years of Chart Success. Paul Grein. Billboard.
- Billboard, December 25, 1982
1983
- A&M Keeps Big Apple Polished. Roman Kozak. Billboard. March 19, 1983.
- A&M Records Ends Pact with CBS Subsidiary: Polydor Will Handle European Distribution. William Knoedelseder, Jr. Los Angeles Times January 30, 1985.
1985
- A&M, IRS to End Marketing Ties. Sam Sutherland. Billboard. December 15, 1984.
- Latin Stars Teaming for Charity Single. Paul Grein. Billboard, March 30, 1985.
1986
- A&M, Capitol Testing New CD Box. Sam Sutherland. Billboard. February 22, 1986.
- A&M Links With Canyon. Billboard. July 5, 1986.
- Great Promotion (Friesen, Minor photo). Billboard. July 12, 1986.
- Chart Beat. Paul Grein. Billboard. October 25, 1986.
1987
- BET, A&M In Benefit. Billboard, June 27, 1992.
1988
- Global Take Is Adding to A&M's 'Very Special' Aid. Chris Morris. Billboard, April 2, 1988.
1991
- Changing Times at A&M. Michael Goldberg. Rolling Stone. May 16, 1991.
1992
- Changing Times at A&M. Michael Goldberg. Rolling Stone. May 16, 1991.
1993
- A&M Closes Urban Unit; Resources Shifted to Perspective Records. Chuck Philips, Heidi Siegmund. Times Mirror, October 15, 1993.
1996
- A&M Nashville a Victim of Country Label Growth. Deborah Evans Price, Chet Flippo. Billboard, September 21, 1996.
2001
- Chart Beat. Fred Bronson. Billboard, 148. May 12, 2001.
2002
- Bobby Rymer Appointed Vice President Almo Irving/Rondor Music Nashville. Universal Music Group Press Release, October 4, 2002.
2005
- A&M Records Still Stands for Artists and Music. Universal Music Group Press Release, July 1, 2005.
2006
- Acclaimed Producer, Musician and Label Executive Ron Fair Promoted to Chairman of Geffen Records. Universal Music Group Press Release, August 14, 2006.
- Ron Moss Promoted to Executive Vice President/Creative for Rondor Music Publishing. Universal Music Group Press Release, October 2, 2006.
2007
- 6 Questions with Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss. Brian Garrity. Billboard. February 24, 2007.
- Beatles Ready for Legal Downloading Soon. Roger Friedman. Fox News. February 12, 2007.
- Alpert & Moss Honored by Grammy Group. Associated Press.
- Interscope Geffen A&M Acquires Octone. Todd Martens. Billboard.
2012
- A&M Records Television Show Pitch. Susie Singer Carter, Randy Alpert. 2012.