The BBC’s record label started to get more serious in 1973
Roy Tempest had joined early that year as sales and marketing manager as part of a “general rethinking of the label’s policy” under General Manger Peter Dimmock who had expansion on his mind. (Billboard February 3rd 1973)
In September 1973 another piece in Billboard magazine announced:
“BBC Records Plans MOR Mart Step Up”. As part of the aim to capture 4% of the MOR market the we’re entering into a distribution deal with Polydor for “a limited experimental period” but it would not “bring about any change in the BBC’s existing manufacturing arrangements with custom pressers”.
Billboard Magazine September 1973
As well as stressing that the label was not trying to compete to the detriment of the wider industry or develop artists in the long term Tempest and Dimmock talked up international opportunities.
The first releases made through Polydor’s distribution are mentioned as Gershwin (REB 156) and Unique Hancock (REB 150). Both of these are gatefold sleeves
This new era marked the end of the Roundabout and Study series. Seemingly the deal with Polydor had some kind of effect on the sub-labels and they gave up on the Study records altogether. Children were still catered for, but they just didn’y have their own label. Records from these series were reissued with new sleeves and catalogue numbers though.
Characters from Dickens (REC 186, 1973) is an odd marker of this termination. It is the first reissue of a Study Series RESR 16 but there is a list of all the other Roundabout releases.
Polydor Singles
The LPs look much the same after the Polydor deal, but from October the singles took on an entirely new design. The navy blue and white paper labels were dropped after just four releases and for the next three years (exactly) and 21 discs plastic moulded labels were used. The text is picked out in black against a silvery grey. Many of these releases are vanishingly rare as singles were clearly less of a priority for the MOR focussed label who even switched the kids label to an easy listening enclave.
