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| End Records | |
|---|---|
| Name | End Records |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Founder | George Goldner |
| Status | Defunct / Acquired |
| Genre | Pop, R&B, Doo-wop, Rock, Dance |
| Country | United States |
| Location | New York City |
End Records
End Records was an American record label founded in 1957 in New York City that became notable for doo-wop, rhythm and blues, early rock and roll, and later dance and disco releases. The label played a role in the careers of vocal groups, solo singers, and independent producers active in the 1950s through the 1970s, linking to broader networks of independent labels, radio markets, and major distributors in the United States. Throughout its existence End Records engaged with entities from the Brill Building scene to independent pressing plants and was absorbed into larger corporate catalogs in subsequent decades.
End Records was established by entrepreneur George Goldner following his work with labels such as Tico Records and Jubilee Records. During the late 1950s the label operated alongside contemporaries like Atlantic Records, Savoy Records, and Chess Records in the New York recording industry. Early executive collaborations and production arrangements brought End into contact with producers and songwriters from the Brill Building era, and its regional hits were promoted through connections to radio stations such as WABC (AM), WNEW (AM), and the jukebox networks of the northeastern United States. In the 1960s corporate consolidation in the recording industry saw End's catalog and masters move through acquisition chains that involved companies similar to United Artists Records and later conglomerates that integrated independent catalogs into larger holdings like MCA Records and PolyGram. The label’s operations reflected shifting trends including the rise of independent promotion, the growth of national record distribution, and the impact of television programs such as American Bandstand on single sales.
End Records issued records by a range of artists whose careers intersected with groups and solo acts across R&B and pop. Prominent affiliated performers included vocal groups who recorded doo-wop and R&B singles connected to the same scenes as The Drifters, The Flamingos, and The Chantels. Session musicians and arrangers on End sessions often worked with figures from the New York session scene and with producers who also produced for labels such as Mercury Records and Decca Records. Notable releases from the label appeared alongside charting singles from contemporaries like The Platters and The Coasters, and were played on programs hosted by disc jockeys such as Alan Freed and Dick Clark. In the 1970s End adapted to disco and dance markets, licensing material in a manner comparable to labels like Philadelphia International Records and working with remixers whose credits paralleled those for acts on Salsoul Records and Prelude Records.
End Records’ business model combined independent A&R sourcing with partnerships for pressing and distribution, similar to arrangements used by Scepter Records and Roulette Records. Manufacturing relationships tied the label to pressing plants and distribution networks that supplied regional outlets, independent record stores, and national chains such as Tower Records and Sam Goody. Radio promotion and jukebox placement were coordinated through independent promoters who had ties to stations like WMCA (AM), KYW (AM), and networked regional promoters. Licensing and reissue activity later involved catalog deals with companies operating in the reissue market, akin to transactions executed by Rhino Records and Bear Family Records, enabling End masters to appear on compilations and retrospective anthologies. Financial management reflected practices used by mid-20th-century independents, including royalty accounting and contract negotiations with songwriters from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and Broadcast Music, Inc..
End Records’ influence is evident in its contribution to the dissemination of doo-wop and R&B vocal styles that informed later artists associated with revival movements and historians chronicling popular music. The label’s releases are cited in discographies and histories alongside releases from Atlantic Records, Motown Records, and Stax Records when tracing the evolution of American popular music. Collectors and archivists have sought original End pressings in the same way they seek early singles from Sun Records and Specialty Records, and reissues have appeared on compilations curated by labels and institutions that preserve mid-century popular music. Scholarship on independent labels and the sociology of popular music references End as part of the ecosystem that enabled regional hits to become part of national charts monitored by Billboard.
End Records used a distinctive logo and label design on 45 rpm singles and LPs that reflected mid-century graphic sensibilities comparable to those used by MGM Records and Columbia Records. Label color schemes, matrix number conventions, and sleeve typography are of interest to collectors and discographers who cross-reference labels like Vee-Jay Records and Imperial Records to verify pressings. Promotional material and advertising placed in trade publications such as Billboard and Cash Box showcased End’s branding during single and album campaigns, and adapted over time to the aesthetics of the 1960s and 1970s record market.
Like many independent catalogs, End’s masters and trademarks passed through ownership changes that involved acquisitions, licensing, and royalty disputes similar to those that affected catalogs held by United Artists, MCA Records, and PolyGram. Litigation over royalties and rights to masters paralleled cases involving other independents and invoked mechanisms of copyright law adjudicated in courts that have heard claims related to record labels and performers. Subsequent ownership transfers placed parts of the End catalog into the portfolios of larger rights holders and reissue specialists, aligning with industry patterns seen in transactions among Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and legacy catalog licensors.
Category:American record labels