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| Get Back Records | |
|---|---|
| Name | Get Back Records |
| Founded | 1970s |
| Founder | Unknown |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Los Angeles, California |
| Genre | Rock, Pop, Soul, Funk |
| Status | Defunct/Active (varies) |
Get Back Records was an independent record label associated with catalog reissues, archival projects, and select contemporary recordings. Operating alongside major and boutique labels, it engaged with music producers, studio engineers, and retail distributors to place recordings into regional and international markets, often collaborating with established artists, session musicians, and music publishers.
Founded during a period of expansion in the recorded-music industry, Get Back Records appeared amid developments involving Apple Records, Capitol Records, Atlantic Records, Warner Bros. Records, and Island Records. Its activity intersected with the rise of cassette culture, compact-disc reissues, and the vinyl revival that also involved Columbia Records (US), Decca Records, Mercury Records, and Polydor Records. The label's catalog movement paralleled licensing trends set by companies like Motown Records, Stax Records, Chess Records, and Sun Records as well as reissue specialists such as Rhino Entertainment and Sundazed Music.
Ownership structures for Get Back Records mirrored models used by MCA Records, EMI, and independent houses exemplified by Sire Records and Sub Pop. Investors and executives often had prior roles at conglomerates including Sony Music Entertainment, BMG Rights Management, and Universal Music Group. Key personnel frequently coordinated with professionals from Burt Bacharach-era publishing, management firms like William Morris Agency and CAA (Creative Artists Agency), and producers associated with Phil Spector, Quincy Jones, and George Martin.
Get Back Records released material involving session players, tribute projects, and reissues of recordings connected to musicians who worked with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, and David Bowie. Compilation and reissue packages often referenced production work by Glyn Johns, Eddie Kramer, Alan Parsons, and Andy Johns. The label's roster and licensed releases included artists or catalogs related to Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Prince, and Joni Mitchell, plus regional acts that had ties to Los Angeles (California), New York City, and Nashville, Tennessee scenes.
Distribution agreements resembled partnerships forged between Island Records and PolyGram, or between Rhino Entertainment and Warner Music Group. Get Back Records utilized manufacturing services similar to those of GZ Media and audio mastering facilities used by engineers at Abbey Road Studios and Sun Studio. Sales channels ranged from independent retail chains like Tower Records and Amoeba Music to mail-order catalogs and early digital storefronts influenced by iTunes Store strategies. Licensing negotiations followed precedents set in deals involving BMI and ASCAP performance-rights organizations.
Get Back Records contributed to archival preservation practices alongside institutions such as the Library of Congress and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Its reissues aided renewed interest in catalogs curated by historians who have written for Rolling Stone (magazine), Mojo (magazine), and NME. Collectors and historians compared its releases with projects from Analogue Productions and Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, and curators placed certain reissues within exhibitions at venues like Smithsonian Institution and Victoria and Albert Museum.
Legal challenges linked to royalty accounting, mechanical licenses, and master ownership were comparable to disputes involving Apple Corps v. EMI and settlements seen in cases with ABKCO Music & Records and PolyGram. Litigation patterns echoed conflicts that had arisen between artists and labels such as Prince and Warner Bros. Records (1971–2004), or David Bowie and RCA Records (1919–1986). Contractual disagreements involved rights administrators and law firms that handled matters for entities like ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC.
Category:American record labels