Phydeaux Records
Encyclopedia
Phydeaux Records was a record label
established by Larry Norman
in 1980
to distribute his own music. It was one of the very first independent Christian record labels to distribute through mail order.
, and "two more years of musical censorship and unreleased albums with Word
, Phydeaux Records (as in 'Fido') was stated in 1980 by Larry Norman
and his father, Joe Hendrex Norman, who had just retired from teaching after a heart attack. Norman joked that "if Christian music was going to the dogs, then he wanted to remain on the cutting edge." Phydeaux was started in order to compete with a market of bootleg
s of his own music. Norman reported that some his vinyl
albums had sold for up to $400(USD) among collectors. According to Norman's liner notes,
About 1992 Norman's father, Joe Hendrex Norman, retired and sold Phydeaux to the family of Bill Ayers, a friend of Joe Norman, who was previously employed to facilitate the distribution of both Phydeaux and Street Level Records
.
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
established by Larry Norman
Larry Norman
Larry David Norman was an American Christian musician, singer, songwriter, record label owner, and record producer, who worked with Christian rock music...
in 1980
1980 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1980.-January–March:*January 1**Cliff Richard is appointed an MBE by Elizabeth II.**The Zorros audition drummer Greg Pedley....
to distribute his own music. It was one of the very first independent Christian record labels to distribute through mail order.
History
After the demise of his Solid Rock RecordsSolid Rock Records
Solid Rock Records is the record label of Larry Norman. It was set up in 1975 to distribute his own work, after he had been released by Capitol Records. Solid Rock had a distribution deal with Word Records until 1980....
, and "two more years of musical censorship and unreleased albums with Word
Word Records
Word Records is a Christian record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a division of Word Entertainment , which, itself is co-owned by Warner Music Group and Curb Records...
, Phydeaux Records (as in 'Fido') was stated in 1980 by Larry Norman
Larry Norman
Larry David Norman was an American Christian musician, singer, songwriter, record label owner, and record producer, who worked with Christian rock music...
and his father, Joe Hendrex Norman, who had just retired from teaching after a heart attack. Norman joked that "if Christian music was going to the dogs, then he wanted to remain on the cutting edge." Phydeaux was started in order to compete with a market of bootleg
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
s of his own music. Norman reported that some his vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
albums had sold for up to $400(USD) among collectors. According to Norman's liner notes,
"Phydeaux was not a counter-measure to, but a step-in-sync with, all the bootleg tapes of his material that had been circulating. In response to illegal bootlegs like Leyton's (sic) Live At The Mac, Larry decided if collectors wanted "bad-sounding" live recordings he would pick some rarities from his own archives. He chose Roll Away The Stone - And Listen To The Rock and The Israel Tapes. He had many better sounding live recordings but thought kids wanted something more rough for their bootleg collections. He also released several high quality studio compilations but was unwilling to release a "proper record" to the stores. He was standing as far away from the industry as possible and was also enjoying the distance. Basically, he was ignoring the American distributors who had for many years ignored him. Phydeaux helped distribute Street Level Records on behalf of Street Level Prod., Inc. to stores in Europe and America and also by direct mail. Through the mail he found that he could go directly to the people who well and truly understood music and his ministry.
About 1992 Norman's father, Joe Hendrex Norman, retired and sold Phydeaux to the family of Bill Ayers, a friend of Joe Norman, who was previously employed to facilitate the distribution of both Phydeaux and Street Level Records
Street Level Records
Street Level Records was a record label established by Larry Norman in 1978 to distribute his own music.-History:Street Level Records was started in 1978 as an alternative label to release albums which Norman's then distributor, Word Records, had no interest in distributing. Paul N. Lindner's...
.