New Zealand Labels

Action

Action: 1966-67

Action was a Christchurch-based label which primarily released singles between 1966 and 1967. It had one company sleeve design during its short run.

Action company sleeve, used from 1966 to 1967.

Action label, 1966-67.

After releasing 10 singles and two LPs, Action wound down operations by the end of 1967.

Audion

 

Audion was a small independent Auckland label owned by Phil Crookes.

Audion: 1959-61

In its recorded two years of releasing singles, Audion had two unique sleeve designs. I am unsure if every release was issued in either unique sleeves. If you can shed light on this can you please leave a comment or email us.

The first Audion sleeve design may have been released with the early maroon-coloured label design.

First Audion sleeve, 1959.
This would've been released with Clyde Scott's 'Gravedigger's Rock', which remains the only maroon label Audion release online.

Label, 1959

The second Audion sleeve design was likely released along with the change to label design beginning from 1960. 

Second Audion sleeve, used between 1960 and 1961.

Label, 1960-61

Audion stopped releasing singles by 1962.

Family

 

Family: 1971-76

Family Records was a subsidiary of  Pye (NZ) Ltd. It was formed in 1971 and released a mix of overseas and New Zealand artists. Their singles were issued in the Pye company sleeve or a plain white sleeve.  

Family sleeve & label, 1971-76.

Pye Records New Zealand Ltd (the owner of Family) was sold to Polygram in 1975. They wound down the Family label in 1976.

Impact

Impact Records was an independently-owned local label that released only New Zealand artists.

Impact: 1966-78

Impact was originally distributed by H.M.V. (NZ) Ltd. in 1966, which then transferred distribution in 1968 to local record company Allied International Records Ltd., which was part of the larger Pye (NZ) Ltd group. Pye (NZ) Ltd would oversee Impact's distribution until after 1976, when WEA Records Limited began distributing Impact releases. 

As far as I can tell all Impact singles were issued in the unique Impact sleeve. It is possible that singles released during WEA Records Limited's tenure of distribution were issued with either the brown or white WEA company sleeve. If you can shed any light on this please leave a comment or sent us an email.

Impact sleeve, likely used between 1966 and 1978.

Impact label, 1966-78.
This specific label was printed during its HMV (NZ) Ltd. distribution.

Impact labels during its Allied / Pye distribution. The labels are from 1968, 1973 and 1976 respectively.

Final Impact label, 1977-78.

Possible Impact sleeve, 1978. It may have been the brown WEA sleeve, which was phased out in 1978, or the white WEA which started being issued in 1978.

Impact was wound down in 1978.

Jayrem

 

Jayrem: 1982-88

Jayrem was an independent Wellington based label which began releasing in 1982. Its singles (if not released in a picture sleeve) were issued in a generic, plain white sleeve.

Label 1982-88

 

Jayrem stopped releasing vinyl singles in 1988.

Joe Brown

 

Joe Brown: 1960-76

South Island label Joe Brown Records was owned by Joe Brown Enterprises. It released records from 1960 to 1975. Singles released by the label were first issued in the 'wallpaper' plain sleeve. This was during its run being distributed by His Master's Voice (NZ) Ltd.

Wallpaper sleeve.

 

In 1966, Joe Brown Records moved away from His Master's Voice (NZ) Ltd. and began self-distribution. While this occurred in 1966, the now self-distributed singles began being issued with a new 'wallpaper' sleeve with Joe Brown printer on it the following year. This coincided with a label design change to yellow and red/orange, no longer bearing the 'Made By HIS MASTER'S VOICE (NZ) LTD' seen on earlier releases.

 

Joe Brown company sleeve, 1967-197?

I am unsure if this company sleeve was used for the rest of Joe Brown Enterprises' operations, from 1967 until 1976.

Joe Brown label, 1960-66

Joe Brown label, 1966-75

Label 1975-76

Joe Brown Enterprises stopped releasing singles in 1976.

Key

Key Records was an independent label owned by Eldred Stebbing. It was started after Stebbing wound down Zodiac Records in 1974. It released only New Zealand artists.

Key: 1975-77

From 1975 to 1977 Key Records were distributed by Pye records. I am unsure what sleeve Key Records were issued. It could be Pye company sleeve or more likely a plain white sleeve.

Label 1975

Key: 1977-82

In 1977 Festival took over manufacturing and dis

tributing of Key Records. Singles began being issued in the Festival company sleeve.

Sleeve & Label 1977-82

 

The label was wound down in 1982.

Kiwi

 

Kiwi: 1957-88

Kiwi Records was started by independent New Zealand book publisher A.H. & A.W. Reed Ltd in 1957. Over the years it issued a wide variety releases from bird calls to Tony and the Initials. Although most Kiwi singles were issued in picture sleeves some were issued in a generic company sleeve. I am unsure when this sleeve was introduced and when it stopped being issued. If you can shed some light on this please leave a comment or email me. 

 

Kiwi Records used a wide variety of label designs over the years, too many to post all of them here.

It only released singles sporadically after 1975, with the last single being issued in 1988.

Maui

 

Maui: 1983-90

Maui Records was started by Dalvanius Prime in 1983. It was distributed by WEA. Maui singles were issued in the WEA company sleeve.

 Sleeve 1982-86                                                                            Sleeve 1986-90

Label 1983-90

Maui stopped issuing singles in 1990.

Ode

 

Ode: 1969-86

Ode Recording Company was an independently owned New Zealand label. Early Ode singles were issued the 'wallpaper' plain sleeve. Later they were issued in a plain white sleeve. I am unsure when they changed.

Sleeve 1968-?

Label 1969-75                                                                             Label 1976-86

In 1986 the Ode Recording Company stopped issuing vinyl 7" singles. They still released 12" singles and albums.

Pagan

 

Pagan: 1985-92

Pagan Records was an independently owned Auckland based label that released only New Zealand Artists. Originally Pagan was distributed by RCA. Most of Pagan Records first pressings were released in a picture sleeve. I believe some singles were also issued in a plain white sleeve. I do not think any of the early singles were issued in the RCA company sleeve.

By 1987 Virgin New Zealand had taken over distribution after which Pagan singles were issued in the Virgin Company sleeve. I am unsure of the dates the sleeves were introduced. If you can shed some light on this please leave a comment or email me, thanks.

Sleeve 1986-88                                                                           Sleeve 1988-90?

Label 1985-92

Pagan Records stopped releasing vinyl singles in 1992.

Prestige

 

Prestige: 1956-61

Prestige Records was an independently owned local record label which began operating in 1956 by Phil Warren. It is very identical to the Australian record label of the same name, with a near-identical label logo design. While they are both standalone labels, they were likely issued in the same sleeve. 

Prestige sleeve, used between 1956 and 1961.

Label 1957-60

Label 1956-58                           Label 1957-58                                  Label 60-61

In October 1959, Prestige's distributor Philip Warren Ltd. underwent a name change to Prestige Records (N.Z.) Ltd., which would be the named distributor of Prestige for its remaining years in operation. This may coincide with the decision in late 1959 for Prestige to merge into Top Rank Records when Phil Warren partnered with local cinema chain Kerridge Odeon and the UK Top Rank International label. 

As the distributor name change meant that Philip Warren Ltd. no longer carried Prestige in mid-1959, it brings up the possibility of a Prestige sleeve with the renamed distributor possibly being used between mid-1959 until Prestige's winding down in 1961. However, I have not come across this sleeve. It is likely that until it stopped releasing in 1961, Prestige was issued in remaining copies of the Philip Warren Ltd. company sleeve.

The Prestige label was wound down in 1961.

Strange

 

Strange: 1971-83

Strange Records was a small independent New Zealand label owned and operated by Edd Morris AKA Girvan O'Strange. It released only local artists. Singles were issued in the company sleeve or a plain white sleeve. From 1971 until 1980 Strange was distributed by Pye (NZ) Ltd. I am unsure if Strange 45s were ever released in the Pye Company sleeve. I don’t believe they were but if you can shed light on this please add a comment. 

 

Strange Records stopped releasing single by 1983. 

TANZA

 

TANZA: 1955-59

TANZA was a founded in 1948. The name Tanza stood for To Assist New Zealand Artists. There were manufactured and distributed by Recording Corporation Of New Zealand Ltd. It released close to 300 78s. It started releasing seven inch vinyl 45s in 1955.

Sleeve 1955-58

Label 1953-58

Sleeve 1958-59

Label 1958-59                                                                                Label 1959

TANZA stopped releasing singles in 1959.

Top Rank

 

Top Rank: 1959-62

A New Zealand-owned label, Top Rank released singles from 1959 to 1962. During its first month of operations in October 1959, Top Rank International (as their labels state their name was) in New Zealand was distributed by Philips Electrical Industries of New Zealand Ltd., and released only singles during that month. These first releases by the Philips-distributed Top Rank came in a unique sleeve.

First Top Rank company sleeve, used for its first releases in October 1959.

First Top Rank label, October 1959

From November 1959 onward (until 1962), Top Rank was distributed by Top Rank Records (N.Z.) Ltd. The change in distributor prompted a sleeve design rebrand, dropping the Philips branding entirely.

Second Top Rank sleeve, used between November 1959 to 1962.

Label 1960-61                                                                            Label 1962

In 1962, Top Rank International was rebranded as Allied International.

White Cloud

 

White Cloud: 1974-76

White Cloud Records was a short-lived label which was a subsidiary of  Pye (NZ) Ltd formed in 1974. They only released six singles. All their singles were issued in the generic Pye company sleeve.

White Cloud sleeve & label, 1974 until 1976.

Zulu

 

Zulu: 1984-87

Zulu Records was an independent local label that released only New Zealand artists from 1984 to 1987. They were distributed by CBS. Most of their singles were issued in picture sleeves. Otherwise, Zulu singles were released in the black 1980's CBS sleeve.

Zulu Records sleeve & label, 1984 until 1987.