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{{short description|British record label}}
{{Infobox record label <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Music -->
| bgcolor = #A82A59
| name = {{color|white|Pye Records}}
| image = PyeLogo.JPG
| parent = [[BMG Rights Management]] (majority of back-catalogue)
| founded = {{start date and years ago |1955}}
| genre = Various
| country = UK
| ___location =
| website =
}}
'''PYE or Pye Records''' is an independent British record label. It was first established in 1955 and played a major role in shaping rock 'n' roll and pop music history, with artists including [[Lonnie Donegan]] (1956–1969), [[Petula Clark]] (1957–1971), [[The Searchers (band)|the Searchers]] (1963–1967), [[the Kinks]] (1964–1971), [[Sandie Shaw]] (1964–1971), [[Status Quo (band)|Status Quo]] (1968–1971) and [[Brotherhood of Man]] (1975–1979). In 1980, the Pye name was dropped due to trademark issues, and the label changed its name to '''PRT Records''' (distributing as '''Precision Records & Tapes'''). In 2006, the label was briefly reactivated as Pye Records.
In September 2024, the Pye company name and trademark was acquired by the Scottish broadcaster and music producer [[Tony Currie (broadcaster)|Tony Currie]], who relaunched the label with [[Phonograph record#Vinyl|vinyl records]] pressed at Sea Bass Vinyl's wind-powered [[pressing plant]] in [[Tranent]], Scotland.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-11 |title=Kinks’ classic record label revived after 40 years - and on vinyl |url=https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/24572915.kinks-classic-pye-record-label-revived-40-years/ |access-date=2024-09-26 |website=Your Local Guardian |language=en}}</ref>
==History==
The [[Pye Ltd.|Pye Company]] originally manufactured televisions and radios with its main plant situated off what used to be Haig Road, in [[Cambridge]]. The company entered the record business when it bought [[Nixa Records]] in 1953. In 1955, the company acquired [[Polygon Records]], a label that had been established by Leslie Clark and [[Alan A. Freeman]] to control distribution of the recordings of the former's daughter, [[Petula Clark]]. Pye merged it with Nixa Records to form '''Pye Nixa Records'''.
===Pye International===
In 1958, [[Pye International Records]] was established. The company licensed recordings from American and other foreign labels for the United Kingdom market, including [[Chess Records|Chess]], [[Disques Vogue]] (France), [[A&M Records|A&M]], [[Kama Sutra Records|Kama Sutra]], [[Colpix Records|Colpix]], [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]], [[Buddah Records|Buddah]], [[Cameo Records|Cameo]], [[20th Century Records|20th Century]], [[Casablanca Record and Filmworks]] and [[King Records (USA)|King]]. It also released recordings from British artist [[Labi Siffre]] which were produced outside the company.
===Expansion===
Pye Nixa became Pye Records in 1959, and [[Associated Television|ATV]] acquired 50% of the label.<ref name="BBNov1958">{{cite magazine|title=ATL Buys Pye Label Interest|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4QoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA46|magazine=Billboard|page=46|date=10 November 1958|access-date=5 August 2025}}</ref> ATV bought the other half of the business in 1966.
Under the management of [[Louis Benjamin]],<ref name=indy>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-louis-benjamin-1424558.html Albert H. Friedlander, "Obituary: Louis Benjamin", ''The Independent'', 23 June 1994]. Retrieved 3 December 2020</ref> the company entered the [[Budget album|budget-priced album]] market in 1957, reissuing older Pye material on '''Pye Golden Guinea Records''', priced at a [[Guinea (British coin)|guinea]] (one pound and one shilling). A series of classical recordings was released on Golden Guinea Collector; for example, a version of [[Handel]]'s "[[Music for the Royal Fireworks]]" in 1959. This featured the conductor [[Charles Mackerras]] who made other recordings on the label, including a [[Janacek]] compilation.<ref name="Gramophone">The orchestra credited for the ''Music for the Royal Fireworks'' was the [[Pro Arte Orchestra]], but given the number of extra players used, it was effectively an ''ad hoc'' ensemble on that occasion. {{cite magazine |last=Blyth, Alan |author-link=Alan Blyth |date=March 1975 |title=Charles Mackerras talks |magazine=The Gramophone |pages=1, 626}}</ref> Golden Guinea Collector was closed in the 1970s and replaced by [[Marble Arch Records]], selling at an even lower price.
===Piccadilly and Dawn labels===
A full-price subsidiary, '''Piccadilly Records''', was for new pop acts, including [[Joe Brown (singer)|Joe Brown]] & the Bruvvers, [[Clinton Ford (singer)|Clinton Ford]], [[the Rockin' Berries]], [[Sounds Orchestral]], [[the Sorrows]], [[The Bystanders]], [[Jackie Trent]] and, later on, [[The Ivy League (band)|the Ivy League]]. In 1969, Pye launched a less mainstream label for [[Folk music|folk]], [[jazz]], [[blues]] and [[Progressive rock|progressive]] acts, [[Dawn Records]]. The label artists included [[Mungo Jerry]], [[Man (band)|Man]], [[Donovan]], [[Comus (band)|Comus]], Titus Groan and Trifle.
===Quadraphonic releases===
Beginning in 1971, Pye issued a series of "4D Stereo" LP recordings in the UK. These were designed for playback in 4-channel [[quadraphonic]] sound. The records were encoded in the [[QS Regular Matrix]] system which was licensed from [[Sansui Electric|Sansui]] in Japan. Pye also marketed its own line of consumer electronics used for decoding quadraphonic records. These products were not especially successful. The last LP release in this series was in 1977.
===As PRT Records===
When the rights to the name Pye (then owned by [[Philips]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ipo.gov.uk/tmcase/Results/1/UK00000994568|title=Intellectual Property Office – By number results|publisher=Intellectual Property Office, Concept House, Cardiff Road, Newport, NP10 8QQ}}</ref> expired in 1980, the label changed its name to PRT, which stood for Precision Records and Tapes, via a brief flirtation with Precision. At that time, it had sub-labels such as [[Fanfare Records]], a late 1980s and early 1990s UK-based Hi-NRG label issuing records by [[Sinitta]]; [[R&B Records]], a 1980s disco/electro label featuring [[Imagination (band)|Imagination]]; and Splash Records, which featured [[Jigsaw (British band)|Jigsaw]] and the [[Richard Anthony Hewson|Richard Hewson Orchestra/RAH Band]]. PRT provided manufacturing and distribution for [[Gary Numan]]'s label Numa Records, founded in 1984, which went on to release two dozen singles by a variety of acts alongside its eponymous founder, including actress [[Caroline Munro]]. [[Postman Pat]] songs and music, from the television series of the same name, were recorded at PRT Studios.
PRT's parent company [[Associated Television#Broadcasting|ACC]] was purchased by [[Robert Holmes à Court#The Bell Group|The Bell Group]] of Australia in 1982. In 1988, the Bell Group was purchased by the [[Bond Corporation]]. However, the Bond Corporation was suffering financial problems itself and proceeded to quickly sell off most of its assets. PRT's record and cassette factory was sold to another record manufacturer, Meekland. Most of the masters of PRT's catalogue (except classical music catalogue) were sold to [[Castle Communications]], which eventually became [[Sanctuary Records]] (now a division of [[BMG Rights Management]]). Precision Records & Tapes Ltd, formerly Pye Records Ltd, was officially liquidated in December 2013.<ref>{{cite web |title=PRECISION RECORDS AND TAPES LTD – Filing history (free information from Companies House) |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/00572034/filing-history |publisher=Beta.companieshouse.gov.uk |access-date=26 October 2015}}</ref>
At the same time, [[EMI]] acquired masters of PRT's classical music catalogue and assigned them to [[EMI Classics]].
===Brief revival===
In July 2006, Pye Records was reactivated by Sanctuary Records as an indie and alternative label, featuring artists such as [[Scotland|Scottish]] alternative rock group [[Idlewild (band)|Idlewild]]. However, plans for continued usage of the Pye name were abandoned when [[Universal Music Group]] bought Sanctuary in 2007. To fulfil conditions imposed by the [[European Commission]] following UMG's acquisition of EMI in 2012, Universal sold Sanctuary to BMG Rights Management in 2013.<ref name=latimes>{{cite news|title=Universal Music agrees to sell Sanctuary Records|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-universal-music-agrees-to-sell-sanctuary-records-20130214,0,6072346.story|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|first=Dawn C.|last=Chmielewski|date=14 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215162618/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-universal-music-agrees-to-sell-sanctuary-records-20130214,0,6072346.story|archive-date=15 February 2013}}</ref>
===Previous ownership===
Universal Music Group, which owned the label's catalogue from 2007 to 2013, controls the catalogue of reissues from Pye/PRT artists' releases on Sanctuary's behalf after BMG assigned UMG to distribute them in October 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/bmg-forms-alliance-with-universal-sets-plan-to-move-physical-distro-to-umgs-commercial-services-division12/|date=19 October 2023|website=musicbusinessworldwide.com|title=BMG FORMS ALLIANCE WITH UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP; PLANS TO MOVE PHYSICAL DISTRIBUTION TO UMG'S COMMERCIAL SERVICES DIVISION}}</ref> Previously, it was distributed by [[Warner Music Group]] through its [[Alternative Distribution Alliance]] division from 2017 to 2023.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7350142/warner-music-ada-global-deal-bmg-catalog-blink-182|first=Ed|last=Christman|date=28 April 2016|title=Warner Music's Global Deal for BMG's Catalog Sets Up Showdown With RED|magazine=Billboard.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/bmg-moves-distribution-8000-albums-warners-ada/|title=BMG moves distribution of 8,000 albums to Warner's ADA - Music Business Worldwide|date=7 March 2017|website=musicbusinessworldwide.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313000938/http://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/bmg-moves-distribution-8000-albums-warners-ada/|archive-date=13 March 2017}}</ref> WMG owns Pye's American former distributors [[Warner Records]] (formerly Warner Bros. Records) and [[Reprise Records]].
With its acquisition of EMI Classics' catalogue in 2013, WMG now owns the Pye/PRT classical music catalogue and controls it via [[Warner Classics]].
===ATV Music Publishing===
Pye Records was a sister company to the better-known ATV Music Publishing. This company, which owned [[the Beatles]]' publisher [[Northern Songs]], was bought by [[Michael Jackson]] in 1985 and later merged with [[Sony]] to form [[Sony/ATV Music Publishing]].
==International divisions==
===Pye in the US===
Starting with the "[[British Invasion]]" of 1964, Pye placed their artists in the US mostly on labels that they distributed in the UK: [[the Kinks]] to [[Cameo-Parkway Records|Cameo Records]] and then to [[Reprise Records]], [[David Bowie]], [[the Sorrows]] and [[Petula Clark]] to [[Warner Bros. Records]], [[Donovan]] to [[Hickory Records]], [[The Searchers (band)|the Searchers]] to [[Mercury Records]], [[Liberty Records]], and finally [[Kapp Records]], and [[Status Quo (band)|Status Quo]] to [[Chess Records]] (which issued their records on their newly created [[Cadet Concept Records]] label).
From 1969 to 1971, Pye was a co-owner with GRT (General Recorded Tape) of [[Janus Records]], which at the outset served as the US label for such Pye acts as Jefferson, [[Sounds Orchestral]], [[Pickettywitch]], [[Mungo Jerry]] and Status Quo, and also re-issued the early (pre-1966) recordings of Donovan. Pye sold its share of Janus back to GRT in 1971.
In 1972, [[Bell Records]] set up a short-lived Pye label, featuring [[Michel Pagliaro]], a [[Canadians|Canadian]] artist whose first English-language album (largely recorded in England) was issued on UK Pye, and Jackie McAuley, whose lone solo album was originally issued on UK Dawn.
In 1974, Pye established an American version of its record label. The label was not a success, however, and closed its US operations in 1976. The head of the US division, [[Marvin Schlachter]], then started [[Prelude Records (record label)|Prelude Records]], named after one of Pye's acts of the time, [[Prelude (band)|Prelude]]; its initial LP and 45 catalogue series were carried over from the ill-fated American Pye label (with the catalogue prefix changed from PYE- to PRL-), and Prelude had a string of [[disco]] and [[dance music]] hits into the early 1980s.
===Pye in Canada===
Whilst Pye did not have its own operations in Canada, it arranged with Canadian record companies to issue Pye recordings on the Pye label in Canada. Before then, [[Quality Records]] issued Pye recordings on the Quality label. Its earliest Pye Canada releases such as [[Lonnie Donegan]]'s "My Old Man's A Dustman" were distributed by Astral Music Sales. Around 1963, distribution shifted to Allied Record Corporation. In 1968 distribution shifted to Phonodisc.<ref>[http://www.capitol6000.com/protected/PyeList.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119145448/http://www.capitol6000.com/protected/PyeList.htm|date=19 November 2008}}</ref>
==Roster==
(including the US labels that issued records by the artists during the time they were on Pye)
* [[Shirley Abicair]]
* [[Long John Baldry]] (issued in the US on [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]])
* [[Kenny Ball|Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen]] (issued in the US on [[Kapp Records|Kapp]])
* [[Chris Barber|Chris Barber's Jazzband]] (issued in the US on [[Laurie Records|Laurie]])
* [[John Barbirolli]] and [[The Hallé]] Orchestra (from 1956, as Pye Nixa)
* [[Acker Bilk]]
* [[David Bowie]] (1965–1966; issued in the US on Warner Bros.)
* [[The Brook Brothers]] (1961–1964)
* [[Brotherhood of Man]] (1975–1979)
* [[Joe Brown (singer)]]
* [[Max Bygraves]] made a successful series of singalong albums for Pye
* [[Petula Clark]] (1957–1971: in addition to dozens of singles, her output for Pye included seventeen albums. Issued in the US on Laurie and then on Warner Bros.)
* [[Clem Curtis]]
* [[Joe Dolan]]
* [[Lonnie Donegan]] (1956–1969; issued in the US on [[Mercury Records|Mercury]], on [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]], then on [[Dot Records|Dot]])
* [[Donovan]] (1965–1971; issued in the US on [[Hickory Records|Hickory]] and then on [[Epic Records|Epic]])
* [[Carl Douglas]] (issued in the US on [[20th Century Fox Records|20th Century Fox]])
* [[The Dummies]] (1980)
* [[Judith Durham]]
* [[The Enid]]
* [[Episode Six (band)|Episode Six]] (issued in the US on [[Elektra Records|Elektra]] for one single only)
* [[Fabulous Poodles]]
* [[Bud Flanagan]]
* [[The Flying Machine (band)|The Flying Machine]] (1969; issued in the US on [[Congress Records|Congress]] and then on [[Janus Records|Janus]])
* [[Emile Ford]] and the Checkmates
* [[The Foundations]] (issued in the US on [[Uni Records|Uni]])
* [[Graduate (band)|Graduate]] (1979)
* [[Davy Graham]] recorded his album ''[[The Guitar Player]]'' in 1963 under Pye; later reissued by [[Sanctuary Records]] in 2003 with eight bonus tracks
* [[Benny Hill]] (1961–1965)
* [[The Honeycombs]] (1964–1966; issued in the US on [[Interphon Records|Interphon]] and then on Warner Bros.)
* [[Idlewild (band)|Idlewild]] (2006)
* [[The Ivy League (band)|The Ivy League]] (1965–1966; issued in the US on [[Cameo-Parkway Records|Cameo]])
* [[Tony Jackson (singer)|Tony Jackson]] and the Vibrations (1964–1966; issued in the US on Kapp and then on [[Red Bird]])
* [[Jimmy James (singer)|Jimmy James]] & the Vagabonds
* [[John Paul Jones (musician)|John Paul Jones]] released "Baja"/"A Foggy Day In Vietnam" on Pye Records in April 1964; issued in US on [[Parkway Records|Parkway]]
* [[The Kinks]] (1964–1971; issued in the US on Cameo and then on [[Reprise Records|Reprise]])
* [[Vera Lynn]] (1979–1981)
* [[Man (band)|Man]] (1968–1969)
* [[Gerald Masters]] (1977–1980)
* [[David MacBeth]] (1959–1969; includes a spell on subsidiary label Piccadilly)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/artist/david-macbeth|title=David Macbeth Discography - UK - 45cat|website=45cat.com|access-date=6 May 2021}}</ref>
* [[Mike McKenzie (jazz musician)|Mike McKenzie]]
* [[Mungo Jerry]] (1970–1974; issued in the US on Janus and then on [[Bell Records|Bell]])
* [[Olivia Newton-John]] (''Olivia'', [[Festival Records|Festival]], Australia, 1972)
* [[Maxine Nightingale]]
* [[The Migil 5]] (1964–1965)
* [[Des O'Connor]]
* [[Michel Pagliaro]] (Canadian singer/songwriter from Montreal, simply known as Pagliaro in the UK)
* [[Lennie Peters]] (1966)
* [[Pickettywitch]] (1969–1973; issued in US on Janus and then on Bell)
* [[The Real Thing (soul group)|The Real Thing]] (1976–1979)
* [[Joan Regan]] (1960–1961)
* [[The Remo Four]]
* [[Donn Reynolds]] (1958–1959)
* [[The Searchers (band)|The Searchers]] (1963–1967; issued in the US on Mercury, on [[Liberty Records|Liberty]] and then on Kapp)
* [[Sandie Shaw]] (1964–1972; issued in the US on Reprise)
* [[Labi Siffre]] (1970–1973, [[Pye International Records|Pye International]])
* [[Norman Smith (record producer)|Hurricane Smith]] (1976–1977)
* [[The Sorrows]] (1964–1966; issued in the US on Warner Bros.)
* [[Sounds Orchestral]] (issued in the US on Parkway)
* [[Status Quo (band)|Status Quo]] (1968–1971; issued in the US on [[Cadet Concept Records|Cadet Concept]] and then on Janus)
* [[Tommy Steele]]
* [[Trader Horne (band)|Trader Horne]]
* [[Frankie Vaughan]] (1973–1978)
* [[Johnny Wakelin]]
* [[Velvett Fogg]] (1969)
* [[Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band]] (issued in the US on Kapp)
* [[Mark Wynter]] (1962–1968)
* [[The Human Instinct]]
Other artists who recorded for Pye during their careers include [[Jimmy Young (broadcaster)|Jimmy Young]], [[Dickie Valentine]], [[Russ Conway]], [[Emile Ford]], [[Val Doonican]], [[Jackie Trent]], [[Tony Hatch]] and [[Tony Hancock]].
==2024 Relaunch==
In 2024, the company name and trademark was acquired by the Scottish broadcaster and [[music producer]] [[Tony Currie (broadcaster)|Tony Currie]] in September 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-06 |title=Iconic record label relaunches 40 years later on tiny Scottish island |url=https://www.thenational.scot/news/24566526.pye-records-former-bbc-broadcaster-re-launches-label-tiny-island/ |access-date=2024-09-26 |website=The National |language=en}}</ref>
The new Pye Records began releasing new albums on vinyl, manufactured by a wind-powered pressing plant in [[Tranent]], with its first release being ''Race the Sun'' from the Tony Currie Orchestra, conducted by [[Gavin Sutherland (conductor)|Gavin Sutherland]] (principal guest conductor for the [[English National Ballet]]), and Callum Au. ''Race the Sun'' was conceived to pay tribute to the pop orchestras of the original Pye Records.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-11 |title=Kinks' classic record label revived after 40 years - and on vinyl |url=https://www.wandsworthguardian.co.uk/news/24572915.kinks-classic-pye-record-label-revived-40-years/ |access-date=2024-09-26 |website=Wandsworth Times |language=en}}</ref> The revived label also released ''Harvest Gold'' by the London-based singer-songwriter Andrea Black.
==See also==
* [[:Category:Pye Records|Category: Pye Records (albums, singles, artists)]]
* [[
* [[Nixa Records]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.discogs.com/label/Pye+Records Discogs.com discography]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140315074656/http://forbiddeneye.com/labels/marblearch.html Marble Arch Discography]
*[https://archive.today/20130105085142/http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/pye_records Official Yahoo! Group for Pye Records]
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Pye Records| ]]
[[Category:Record labels established in 1959]]
[[Category:Record labels disestablished in 1989]]
[[Category:Pop record labels]]
[[Category:Rock record labels]]
[[Category:Defunct record labels of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1959 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1989 disestablishments in the United Kingdom]]
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