One Way Records was an independent record label based in Albany, New York that specialized in budget reissues of classic rock albums.[1] In the 1990s, it gained business pressing reissues of those records that had "fallen through the cracks" in the transition in the music industry from vinyl to compact discs.[2] Other labels that similarly filled this reissue niche were Collector's Pipeline, Rhino Records and Razor & Tie.[2]

One Way Records
Parent companyAlliance Entertainment
Founded1971
FounderDavid Schlang
Defunct2000s
StatusInactive
GenreVarious
Country of originU.S.
LocationAlbany, New York

It was part of a company that served as rack jobber and music distributor for budget titles and cutouts. The company was founded by David Schlang in 1971,[3] who was president until 1995 and again from 1999.[4]

In 1995 it was sold to Alliance Entertainment, for $18.5 million; at that point the company had annual revenues of just over $35 million, of which the label accounted for 15%.[5]

In 1994, Terry Wachsmuth, the Artist and Repertoire Director, predicted "Sooner or later it's going to peter out, but we expect to be doing this for another 5-10 years at least."[2] The label closed in the early 2000s.

References

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  1. ^ "Indie Labels Thrive by Mining Majors' Catalogs for Reissues". Billboard. October 29, 1994. p. 116.
  2. ^ a b c Hillel Italie (June 24, 1994). "See These on CDs? Old Records Fall Through Cracks". Deseret News. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018.
  3. ^ "Industry Shuffle". CMJ. October 11, 1999. p. 12.
  4. ^ Ed Christman (September 25, 1999). "Retail Track: Schlang Returns to One Way". Billboard. p. 82.
  5. ^ Ed Christman (June 24, 1995). "Retail Track: Ever-Growing Alliance to Pay $18.5 Million for One Way". Billboard. p. 58.
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