“Claiming to be the first CD-only independent record label in the United States, Rykodisc was founded in 1983 (or 1984) in Salem, Massachusetts, by Arthur Mann, Rob Simonds, Doug Lexa and Don Rose. The word "ryko" means approximately "sound from a flash of light" in Japanese, a reference to their intention to concentrate on the then-new compact disc technology. In the late 1980s, the label also began to issue high-quality cassette and vinyl versions of many releases under the name Ryko Analogue.

Rykodisc had some notable successes in the CD-reissue industry, as artists such as Elvis Costello, David Bowie, Yoko Ono, Frank Zappa and Mission of Burma allowed Rykodisc to issue their catalogs on CD. Rykodisc still retains the rights to the Zappa and Mission of Burma catalogs. Rykodisc also has re-released the classic SST Records-era recordings by the Meat Puppets.

Over the years the label has acquired Hannibal Records, Tradition Records, Gramavision Records and Restless Records, as well as founded a distribution company, Ryko Distribution and a music publishing company, Rykomusic. The label's catalogue now exceeds 1,200 titles.

On March 23, 2006, it was announced that Warner Music Group acquired the Ryko Corporation for $67.5 million.”

Needless to say, our new alliance with Ryko Distribution greatly enhances the sales potential of our releases and their availability.

Labels: CDs, distribution, kgd, moving, national, ryko, rykodisc, warner brothers, wea