MGM Records

American label MGM Records, or [b]MGM[/b] (short for ), was launched in 1946 by
[b]Label Code: LC 0269 / LC 00269[/b]. In March 1959 they celebrated with their [l=MGM Records 12th Anniversary Celebration Series]
MGM Records is a division of [l=Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.]

First release - [r2753113]
In October 1958, they released their first stereo disks.

For all Unofficial / Bootleg releases, please use .

Common variations: [b]M-G-M[/b], [b]M. G. M[/b], [b]M.G.M.[/b], [b]M⸝G⸝M[/b], [b]M·G·M[/b]

Key owners / parent companies: (1946—1959) | (1959—c. 1971) | [l=PolyGram] (1972—'75) | [l=Polydor] (1975—1982)
Current label owner according to GVL: [i][b]Universal Music Entertainment GmbH[/i][/b] (company not in Discogs).
Current re-issue rightsholders:
>>[i]Soundtracks[/i]: [l=Rhino Records (2)] via [l=Rhino Movie Music]. Preceded by [l=MCA Records] (1986) and [l=CBS Special Products] (1982—'86).
>>[i]Pop[/i] and [I]Country[/i]: [l=Island Records] via [l=Polydor], [l=Mercury], and [l=Mercury Nashville]

Distribution outside North America was via [l=Electric & Musical Industries Ltd.] (EMI) from August 1947 until the mid-1960s.
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Throughout its history, MGM used several format prefixes, center label designs, and typefaces that allow approximate dating of the releases.

[u][b]CATALOG NO'S PREFIXES[/b][/u]

[u][b]US 45 RPM prefixes[/b][/u]
K: 7" singles, 1949—Feb 1974
M: 7" singles, Feb '74—1976
X: 7" EPs
SK: Stereo 'Special Edition' 7" singles, 1959—??
KGC: [url=https://www.discogs.com/label/275692]Golden Circle[/url] 7" singles, 1956—??

[u][b]LP prefixes[/b][/u]
E: Mono LPs, 1953—approx. 1958
E/SE: "faux"/re-channeled Stereo LPs, 1958—?? (often in Mono jackets with an attached sticker)
SE: Stereo LPs, 1959—'74
CH: Mono Children's
CHS: Stereo Children's

[u][b]Stereo LPs[/b][/u] (since 1974)
M3
MG
MB
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[u][b]METROLITE NON-BREAKABLE 78 RPM 10" singles[/b][/u]
From circa 1947 till approx. 1956, M-G-M pressed some 78 RPM 10" records on a proprietary vinyl formulation called "Metrolite." (Around the time, many competing labels marketed similar types of "non-breakable" materials: [l=Decca]'s [I]Deccalite[/i], 's [I]Merco Plastic[/i], or [url=https://www.discogs.com/label/33726]Savoy[/url]'s [I]Sav-o-flex[/i]). If the center label reads [b]METROLITE Non-Breakable[/b] (typically with a caption 'Under Normal Use' printed below, or with an ® symbol)—please use [b]Vinyl[/b] as the 'Format' and mention it in 'Release Notes' when submitting. If the 'Metrolite' isn't mentioned, the format is most likely [b]Shellac[/b].

[b]Example[/b]
[r2570574]

[b]Quick Reference[/b]
[i]Format[/i]: Vinyl (in the "dropdown" list)
Size: 10"
Speed: 78 RPM
[I]Free Text[/i]: [b]Do Not[/b] include 'Metrolite'

In case both shellac and Metrolite/vinyl pressings exist, submit them separately (within the same Master Release).
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[u][b]CENTER LABELS[/b][/u]

1940-'59: [url=https://www.discogs.com/Ziggy-Elman-His-Orchestra-Please-Mama-Beside-You/release/2753102#images/47018971]1st-generation[/url]—"black-on-yellow" with inverted [I]M〜G〜M[/i] and "contoured" lion's head.
1959-'68: [url=https://www.discogs.com/Maurice-Jarre-Doctor-Zhivago-Original-Sound-Track-Album/master/425270#images/13239343]2nd-generation[/url]—"silver-on-black" with rainbow [i]M⸝G⸝M[/i] and full-colored "movie"-style lion's head.
1968-'82: [url=https://www.discogs.com/Mel-Tillis-And-The-Statesiders-S-S-Superstar/release/3328703#images/36920472]3rd-generation[/url]—"blue-and-gold" yin-yang with a blue [I]MGM Records[/i] logo and black "modernized Leo" lion's head.

45 RPM Catalog Number, Date and Label Identification:
10000 through 12828 (1949–1959): Yellow label.
12829 and higher (1959 forward): Black label. MGM switched to a blue and yellow label somewhere around 14000 (1969), but we can't pinpoint the exact changeover number.
55000 series (1955–1956): Yellow label.
Numbers prior to the beginning of 45 production are reissues of material first issued on 78 rpms.

[b]Bottom-rim text[/b]
Until approx. [u]Oct 1960[/u]: [b]M-G-M Records–A Division Of Loew's Incorporated–Made in U.S.A.[/b]

In 1952, Loew's Incorporated was required to divest itself of the MGM studio and "spin it off" into its own new company, , as a result of the [url=https://www.justice.gov/atr/paramount-decree-review]United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc.[/url] Supreme Court ruling. Because of Loew's' elaborate corporate structure, however, the separation process didn't finalize until late 1959.

[u]Oct '60—1971[/u]: [b]M-G-M Records–A Division Of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.–Made in U.S.A.[/b]
The 'M-G-M' spelling later changed to [b]M.G.M Records[/b], and subsequently to [b]MGM Records[/b]

[u]May '72—approx. 1976[/u] (after the PolyGram takeover): [b]Manufactured by MGM Records, Inc., 7165 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, Calif. 90046[/b]

[u]1976—1982[/u]: [b]Manufactured And Marketed By Polydor Incorporated/810 Seventh Avenue/New York, N.Y. 10019[/b]
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[b][u]TYPEFACES[/b][/u]
Variations in the center label's text—publishers, impressum, catalog and matrix numbers, and songwriters/personnel. Identifiable features include:

✪ Name Variations—e.g. [i]Burdon[/i] versus [i]E. Burdon[/i] or [i]Eric Burdon[/i] (conventions could differ with 2-3 songwriters, longer/unusual names, etc.)
✪ Outline—whether the text is regular or [b]bold[/b]
✪ Vertical Alignment—numbers/symbols printed closer to the top, center, or bottom edge of the hole (particularly for 7" singles/EPs with a 1½" hub).

[b]Pressing Plants[/b]
◆ [b][/b] in Bloomfield, NJ, used typeset from Pace Press, NYC: Surnames-only, text printed at the hole's lower edge—[url=https://www.discogs.com/Michael-Parks-Long-Lonesome-Highway/release/8598293#images/23350768]Example no. 1[/url], [url=https://www.discogs.com/Chris-Crosby-Imagine/release/14957399#images/45154495]No. 2[/url]
◇ always had an explicit copyright, typically "[i]Manuf'd by Reverse Producers Corporation[/i]." Alignment and typeface varied over the years—[url=https://www.discogs.com/The-Animals-Bring-It-On-Home-To-Me-bw-For-Miss-Caulker/release/836022#images/3482418]Example[/url]
◇ [l=Monarch Record Mfg. Co.] with typeset by [l=Alco Research And Engineering, Co.], Los Angeles, CA: Aligned to the center, full names (e.g. [I]Bobby Hebb[/i])—[url=https://www.discogs.com/Lou-Rawls-A-Natural-Man-You-Cant-Hold-On/release/1539149#images/37607166]Example[/url]
◇ [l=Southern Plastics], Nashville, TN: Text aligned to the center, different name variations (e.g. [I]Ronald Blackwell[/i] but [I]Gibson[/i], or [I]B. Crewe[/i])—[url=https://www.discogs.com/Sam-The-Sham-And-The-Pharaohs-Lil-Red-Riding-Hood/release/4463076#images/28444203]Example no. 1[/url], [url=https://www.discogs.com/Sam-The-Sham-The-Pharaohs-Red-Hot/release/9054994#images/25330341]No. 2[/url]
◇ [l=H.V. Waddell Co.] (pressed for MGM in 1950—'66), Burbank, CA: Text aligned to the bottom, only surnames (similar to [i]Pace Press[/i]). Waddell pressings featured a thicker typeface and "bubble"-ish textured ink. Some editions had a "deepened" ring around center holes—[url=https://www.discogs.com/Marvin-Rainwater-Young-Girls/release/4531735#images/42036227]Example no. 1[/url], [url=https://www.discogs.com/Connie-Francis-Breakin-In-A-Brand-New-Broken-Heart/release/12241923#images/35116195]No. 2[/url]
◇ , Chicago, IL: Text aligned to the center, used full names; notable for narrow typeface—[url=https://www.discogs.com/Sam-The-Sham-Banned-In-Boston/release/5436117#images/11173643]Example[/url]

In some instances, one release could have multiple pressings, e.g. MGM's New Jersey "domestic" plant, H.V. Waddell, Midwest Record Pressings, and Reverse Producers Corp.
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[u][b]HISTORY[/b][/u]
The label's output was originally soundtrack recordings from MGM movies (featuring the likes of [a=Judy Garland], [a=Jane Powell], and [a=Gene Kelly]) but quickly included other musical genres. One of the label's earliest stars was [a=Hank Williams] (from 1949 until 1953) as MGM had placed some emphasis on country and western music. As the 1950s progressed, MGM had signed a number of major talents including [a=Conway Twitty], [a=Billy Eckstine], [a=Art Mooney], [a=Joni James] and [a=Connie Francis] (who would be the longest-serving artist on the label, recording from 1957 until 1973 but still releasing albums until the label's demise).

By 1953, MGM Records was considered a major label alongside [l=Columbia], [l=Mercury], [l=Decca], [l=Capitol] and [l=Coral]. It launched the [l=Cub] subsidiary in 1956 and expanded into jazz by buying [l=Verve Records] from its founder [a=Norman Granz] in December 1960. It became the American distributor for [l=Deutsche Grammophon] in 1962 (losing those rights when [l=Polydor] opened its US branch in 1969), expanded Verve into rock ([a=The Righteous Brothers], the [a=The Velvet Underground], [a=Frank Zappa] and the [a=Mothers of Invention]) and folk ([a=Janis Ian], [a=Richie Havens], [a=Tim Hardin]) music and became the distributor of [l=Kama Sutra] Records.

By the late 1960s, the label was beginning to experience many internal and sales problems (the studio's unrealistic sales goals for the label in spite of large numbers of unsold LPs winding up in the cut-out bins; the colossal failure of the [a=Alan Lorber]-created 1968-69 "[i]Bosstown Sound[/i]" marketing campaign; contractual problems with unsuccessful producers; MGM's habitual censoring of music, sitting on finished masters and releasing albums without artist approval didn't help matters). MGM Records president [a=Mike Curb] infamously dropped eighteen poor-selling acts from the label, citing pro-drug lyrics in their music. This gave the future Lieutenant Governor of California a commendation from President Richard M. Nixon for his anti-drug stance. In this area, around 1970, the label was distributed and manufactured by Curb's 'Transcontinental Record Corporation', commonly abridged to [l=TRC (2)].

Curb righted the label's fortunes by giving it a more family entertainment-oriented focus, with [a=The Osmonds] becoming their biggest stars and by signing [a=Petula Clark], [a=Wayne Newton] and [a=Sammy Davis, Jr.]; it also delved into the era's bubblegum pop ([a=The Cowsills], [a=Daddy Dewdrop]), country ([a=Hank Williams, Jr.], [a=Jim Stafford], [a=C.W. McCall], [a=Mel Tillis]) and soul music ([a=Lou Rawls], [a=Johnny Bristol]).

In May 1972, MGM's then-owner, hotel and real estate magnate Kirk Kerkorian sold the label to [l=PolyGram], including a ten-year lease on the MGM logo and perpetual rights to the MGM Records name. In 1975, MGM Records was de-emphasized and all of the acts still signed to the label were transferred to [l=Polydor], which had by then become its parent label; it soon became an outlet for MGM soundtrack album releases and back catalog reissues until the label was shut down for good in 1982. The reissue rights to the MGM film soundtracks were licensed to [l=CBS Special Products] in 1982 and were later passed on to [l=MCA Records] in 1986, where its releases of roughly 100 of them were the last vinyl LP versions; the rights to the classic MGM film soundtracks now reside with [l=Rhino Records (2)] which has been releasing restored and expanded CD versions on its [l=Rhino Movie Music] imprint in association with Turner Classic Movies. The MGM pop and country catalogs are currently managed by The Island Music Group via [l=Polydor], [l=Mercury] Records, and [l=Mercury Nashville], respectively.

[b]Labels distributed by MGM[/b]
For much of its history, MGM distributed a number of smaller labels, many of which only lasted a couple of releases. A few exceptions include (which became a sister label to [l=Buddah Records] in 1969); [a=Andy Williams]' [l=Barnaby Records] (a brief interim deal in 1973 as it was changing distribution from [l=CBS] to [l=Janus]) and [a=Roy Acuff]'s [l=Hickory Records] (which switched distribution to [l=ABC Records] after a three-year period).