St. Clair Entertainment Group
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music and entertainment distribution |
| Founded | 1985 in Canada |
| Headquarters | Woodland Hills, Los Angeles , United States |
Area served | Canada, United States |
| Products | Music CDs, DVDs, Films, Television programs |
The St. Clair Entertainment Group operates as a budget-friendly supplier of music and entertainment CDs and DVDs.
History
Established in 1985 in Canada, St. Clair Entertainment Group focuses on the distribution of specialized music products. It has corporate offices and representatives located in key metropolitan areas such as Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Montreal, New York, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver. The company’s main headquarters are situated in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, while its central operations are based out of Montreal, Quebec.
The firm is recognized for distributing films and television programs that have entered the public domain due to expired or flawed copyright protections. Recent public domain titles they have issued include the movies Quicksand (1950; released in 2007), D.O.A. (1950; released in 2008), as well as the television series The Lucy Show (1962; released in 2008).
In the realm of music, St. Clair Entertainment issues licensed or public domain recordings from artists such as John Lee Hooker, Bob Marley, and Ray Charles, alongside country music icons including Patsy Cline, Roger Miller, and Waylon Jennings. During the late 1990s, the company introduced the Celebration of the Blues CD collection under licenses from blues-focused labels like Alligator Records, showcasing musicians like Johnny Winter, Buddy Guy, and Junior Wells. Additionally, St. Clair distributes live concert DVDs featuring performers such as James Brown, Level 42, and Luciano Pavarotti.
Broadening its scope into direct distribution, St. Clair became the sole distributor for Aura Records—owned by Tommy James—in 2006, managing releases including James’ album Hold the Fire.
Celebration of the Blues
This series includes:
- A Celebration of The Blues: Great Blues Harp
- A Celebration of The Blues: Great Blues Piano
- A Celebration of The Blues: Great Slide Guitar
- A Celebration of The Blues: Great Party Blues
- A Celebration of The Blues: Great Blues Ballads
Copyright issues
St. Clair Entertainment Group has been involved in several copyright infringement lawsuits, with disputes including those filed by Alvin and the Chipmunks’ rights holders (Bagdasarian Productions, LLC v. St. Clair Entertainment Group, Inc.), Sonia Smith (Sonia Smith v. St. Clair Entertainment Group, Inc and ARC Music Inc.), and Willie Nelson (Kenneth R. Bennett v. St. Clair Entertainment Group Inc.). In one instance involving Melanie O'Reilly, the company did not respond to court summons, resulting in a default judgment against them.