RKO/Unique Records
| Company type | Record label |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1955 in New York City, United States |
| Fate | Rebranded as RKO Records and Unique Jazz; later sold and eventually defunct |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
| Products | Pop music records, jazz records |
Unique Records was founded in 1955 in New York City as a pop music label, which later evolved into RKO Records and Unique Jazz. Early successes included Priscilla Wright’s "Man in the Raincoat." In 1957, the label was purchased by RKO Teleradio, a General Tire subsidiary created by combining its broadcasting assets with RKO Pictures. Stanley Borden took charge of the music division, leading to the rebranding of the label as RKO/Unique.
General Tire aimed to harness its media holdings to generate entertainment synergies. Having secured majority ownership of the Mutual Broadcasting System in 1952 through previous acquisitions, it merged these interests with RKO Pictures’ properties in 1955 to establish RKO Teleradio Pictures. After acquiring Unique Records, General Tire intended to promote RKO/Unique nationwide via Mutual, focusing on sustaining pop music from the 1920s through the early 1950s rather than embracing rock and roll trends.
The roster of RKO/Unique featured established performers such as Rudy Vallee, the Harmonicats, and Ted Lewis; film stars including Herb Jeffries, Edie Adams, and Frances Langford; former vaudeville groups like the Vagabonds; and television figures such as George DeWitt from Name That Tune. The label also issued specialized albums, for example, Leona Anderson’s Music To Suffer By.
To enhance this initiative, General Tire introduced the radio show Studio X on Mutual to showcase RKO/Unique artists. Despite these efforts, the approach was not financially sustainable. By 1960, both Mutual and RKO/Unique were experiencing significant financial losses, prompting General Tire to sell Mutual to 3M and transfer ownership of RKO/Unique to an undisclosed party.
In 1965, Reach Entertainment acquired RKO/Unique and revitalized it by dividing it into two distinct labels: RKO Records and Unique Jazz. Eventually, Reach Entertainment ceased its operations, resulting in the closure of both labels.