RSO Records

2025-09-24T03:25:35Z

2600:1700:4640:D20:6927:4CB:27EA:D51F:

{{Short description|American record label}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2013}}
{{Infobox record label
| bgcolor = #dc2622
| name = {{color|white|RSO Records}}
| image = Rsorecordslogo.png
| parent =
| founded = 1973
| founder ={{Ubl|[[Robert Stigwood]]|[[Al Coury]]}}
| status = Absorbed into [[Polydor Records|Polydor]]
| distributor = [[Universal Music Group]] ([[Capitol Records|Capitol]] for the Bee Gees; Polydor for all other artists; [[Island Records|Island]] as US distributor of non-Bee Gees reissues)
| defunct = 1983
| genre = Various
| country = United Kingdom
| location = [[London]], England
| url =
}}

'''RSO Records''' was a [[record label]] formed by [[rock and roll]] and [[musical theatre]] impresario [[Robert Stigwood]] and record executive [[Al Coury]] in 1973.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bsnpubs.com/rso/rsostory.html |title=RSO Album Discography, Part 1 |website=Bsnpubs.com |access-date=2020-05-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bsnpubs.com/rso/rso.html|title=RSO Album Discography, Part 2|work=Bsnpubs.com|date=22 January 2007|access-date=2 March 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/5645391/al-coury-promotions-man-who-worked-his-magic-with-beatles-beach-boys-and|title=Al Coury, Promotions Man Who 'Worked His Magic' with Beatles, Beach Boys, and Pink Floyd, Dead at 78|magazine=Billboard|date=9 August 2013|access-date=23 June 2017}}</ref> The letters "RSO" stood for the Robert Stigwood Organisation.

RSO managed the careers of several major acts, the [[Bee Gees]], [[Yvonne Elliman]], [[Cream (band)|Cream]], [[Eric Clapton]], and [[Andy Gibb]]. The release of the soundtracks of ''[[Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack)|Saturday Night Fever]]'' (over 50 million copies sold worldwide) and ''[[Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture|Grease]]'' (over 30 million copies sold worldwide), which were two of the [[List of best-selling albums|best selling albums ever]], made RSO one of the most financially successful labels of the 1970s. Additionally, the record label released the soundtracks to ''[[Fame (soundtrack)|Fame]]'', ''[[Sparkle (1976 film)|Sparkle]]'', ''Meatballs'', ''[[The Empire Strikes Back (soundtrack)|The Empire Strikes Back]]'', ''[[Return of the Jedi (soundtrack)|Return of the Jedi]]'', ''[[Times Square (soundtrack)|Times Square]] and'' ''[[Grease 2 (soundtrack)|Grease 2]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=11 Oct 1980 |title=CASHBOX NEWS |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1980/CB-1980-11-22.pdf#search=%22benny%20diggs%22 |access-date=22 Apr 2025 |work=[[Cashbox (magazine)|CASHBOX]] |pages=7}}</ref>

At one point in 1978, the label boasted an unprecedented six consecutive number-one singles on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' (US) pop charts, holding the top spot for 21 consecutive weeks. With singles releases from the ''Grease'' soundtrack album ("[[You're the One That I Want]]", and the title track) and another [[Andy Gibb]] hit ("[[Shadow Dancing (song)|Shadow Dancing]]"), RSO logged a further 10 weeks at the number 1 position, giving the label a record nine in one calendar year. This feat remains unduplicated by any record label to date.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PgGqNrqfrsoC&q=six+consecutive+number-one+singles+on+the+Billboard+%28US%29+pop+charts+by+RSO&pg=PP490|title=The Billboard Book of Number One Hits|first=Fred|last=Bronson|page=490|date=31 August 2003|publisher=Billboard Books|isbn=9780823076772}}</ref>

The company's main headquarters were at 67 Brook Street, in London's Mayfair. RSO Records underwent four distribution stages: by [[Atlantic Records]] from March 1973 to December 1975, by [[Polydor Records]] from January 1976 to December 1977, as an independent label under the [[PolyGram]] Group umbrella from January 1978 to around October 1981, and finally by PolyGram Records from around November 1981 until the label's end in 1983.<ref>{{cite web|title=RSO Label Discography - USA|url=http://www.45cat.com/label/rso-us/|access-date=2 March 2013|work=45cat}}</ref>

As well as the label was operating in 1978, the disastrous commercial and critical failure of the [[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (soundtrack)|''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' soundtrack album]] crippled the company. The woes of this failure were somewhat offset by the middle of 1979, as the [[Bee Gees]] album ''[[Spirits Having Flown]]'' went on to eventually sell over 30 million copies (with the album producing three further number 1 singles that each sold more than one million copies in their own right).

In 1980, the label's most famous act, the [[Bee Gees]], filed a $200 million lawsuit against both RSO and Stigwood, claiming mismanagement, which was met with Stigwood's own $310 million countersuit alleging libel, defamation of character and extortion. It is still considered to be the largest successful lawsuit against a record company by an artist or group. The lawsuit was subsequently settled for an undisclosed amount, and after a public reconciliation, the band remained with the label until its dissolution.

By 1981, Stigwood had ended his involvement with the label, which was absorbed into PolyGram a few years later. All previous RSO releases were later re-released under the Polydor label, which is now owned by [[Universal Music Group]]. Reissues from Polydor are distributed in the U.S. by sister label [[Island Records]].

The ''Star Wars'' soundtracks passed through several hands before ending up with [[Sony Classical]] in the 1990s, and finally, [[Walt Disney Records]] after Disney's purchase of [[Lucasfilm Ltd.]]
The Bee Gees catalog reverted to the Gibb family, who set up a new distribution arrangement with Warner Music's [[Reprise Records]], which reissued their albums and the ''Saturday Night Fever'' soundtrack until 2016, when the Bee Gees signed a new deal with Universal's [[Capitol Records]].

==Company logo==
Stigwood explained the inspiration for RSO Records's [[akabeko]] logo in a 2001 interview for ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'':
{{cquote|I was in [[Japan]] with [[The Who]] and decided to set up RSO as an [[independent record label|independent label]]. I had designers working on a logo, but I didn't like any of them. Some Japanese friends gave me a [[papier-mâché]] cow, which is a symbol of good health and good fortune. It was on the [[fireplace mantel|mantelpiece]] in my office, and I thought, 'Good health and good fortune, that's appropriate. Just write RSO on it.'<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WxQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA56|title=Billboard - Google Books|date=24 March 2001}}</ref>}}
In the 1978 movie ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (film)|Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'', a similar logo of a [[pig]], rather than a [[cow]], was used as a logo of the fictional Big Deal Records label depicted in the film.

==Label variations==
During its existence, the styling of the RSO circular label changed as it changed its distribution partner.

* [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]] - distributed label: Peach label with small logo
* [[Polydor Records|Polydor]] - distributed label: Tan label with large logo, Polydor logo at bottom perimeter of label
* Independently distributed label: Tan label with larger logo
* [[PolyGram]] - distributed label: Silver label with large logo
* RSO Top Line - reissue label: White label with gold or silver star, very small logo at top of label between TOP and LINE

==See also==
* [[List of record labels]]
* [[RSO Records discography]], list of albums released

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rso Records}}
[[Category:RSO Records| ]]
[[Category:British record labels]]
[[Category:Disco record labels]]
[[Category:Rock record labels]]
[[Category:Pop record labels]]
[[Category:Record labels disestablished in 1983]]
[[Category:Record labels established in 1973]]

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RSO Records