California based record company, legally existing under this name from 11 February 1955 to 29 May 1962, 4 June 1962 to 16 January 1969, and again from 2 September 1980 to 1 April 1981.
Parent company of the Liberty label in the U.S.A. until 1968, when the company was acquired by Transamerica Corporation and merged into (& renamed) Liberty/UA, Inc.
The company was merged into Capitol Records, Inc. in 1981.
The company was initially formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1955 by Si Waronker, Alvin Bennett and Ted Keep. Soon after in June 1957, a NY branch office was opened at the Shelton Towers headed by Jane Gibbs.
Over the years, Liberty licensed and distributed for several other US independent labels. Approximately 1963/64, the company was sold to Avnet Electronics Corp., an electronics concern, but sold back shortly thereafter.
Labels acquired:
Dolton Records, 1963
Imperial and subsidiaries Aladdin Records and Minit, 1964
Blue Note, 1965
World Pacific and subsidiaries, May 1965
In 1965, the budget label Sunset Records was launched.
In mid-1967, some European branches were launched: Liberty Records GmbH in Germany; Liberty Records Limited in the UK.
Corporate (legal entity) history
First legal entity CA company number: 0298089
Incorporated: 11 February 1955 as 'Liberty Records Inc.'
Name change: 8 June 1960 to 'Liberty Records, Inc.'
Dissolved: 29 May 1962
Second legal entity CA company number: 0432997
Incorporated: 18 May 1962 as 'Liberty Acquisition Company'
First name change: 4 June 1962 to 'Liberty Records, Inc.'
Merged in: label on 1 July 1965
Merged in: label on 31 January 1966
Second name change: 16 January 1969 to 'Liberty/UA, Inc.'
Third name change: 17 February 1971 to United Artists Records, Inc.
Fourth name change: 11 September 1974 to label
Fifth name change: 13 December 1978 to label
Sixth name change: 2 September 1980 to 'Liberty Records, Inc.'
Merged out (dissolved): 1 April 1981 into 'Capitol Records, Inc.'