Pickwick

Pickwick International

Founded in the U.S. in 1950, Pickwick International began by issuing children's music before entering the LP market in 1957 with its Design Records brand. The company's innovative business model was to sell low-priced albums in non-traditional outlets like supermarkets and gas stations, making music accessible to a mass audience. Initially known for its "sound-alike" cover versions, Pickwick also maintained a steady stream of recordings of their own, covering virtually every musical genre in the process. Pickwick soon became a major player in the early 1970s by securing licensing deals with major labels, allowing them to successfully reissue back-catalog material, including popular compilations for artists like Elvis Presley. This strategy proved so successful both domestically and internationally that the major labels eventually began reissuing their own back catalogs.

Pickwick International (UK) | Pickwick Records

The UK arm of the company, Pickwick International Inc. (GB) Ltd., was established in 1962 and quickly became a dominant force in the budget record market. It operated primarily under the label name Pickwick Records and was highly successful due to its innovative business practices. It was a pioneer in the UK for establishing exclusive licensing deals with major record companies, becoming the official budget reissue outlet for labels like RCA and CBS for many years. The label also produced its own material, most famously the hugely successful "Top of the Pops" series, which featured anonymous studio musicians covering current chart hits. In 1987, the company, by then known as the Pickwick Group, was listed on the London Stock Exchange. Although it no longer holds the commanding market share it once did, the Pickwick Group continues to operate and provide affordable music to the now global market