Just doing some google searching and came across an interesting mention on an online US law archive/portal about a lawsuit between the Atlanta Rhythm Section and Polygram Records. This was the pertinent bit about their contract:
Delivery under the agreement required BBP to "deliver completed, edited and fully mixed master tapes in accordance with the Company's reasonable instructions" comprising a two-track stereo and a discrete quadraphonic master tape for each Master recorded hereunder together with a "reference lacquer" therefor, which tape shall be fully edited, mixed and leadered prior to delivery to Company [Polygram] so that they are in proper form for the production of parts necessary for the *250 manufacture of commercial Phonograph Records.
Now Polygram obviously didn't put anything out in quad, but it makes you wonder if this was standard wording/a standard requirement in record contracts, and how many of their artists may have prepared quad mixes that were never released.
It's sort of complex sorting out which companies owned which labels, but during the quad era it appears that PolygGram owned Polydor, Phillips, Verve, Mercury, MGM, Casablanca, and others. Intriguing to think about anyway...
Delivery under the agreement required BBP to "deliver completed, edited and fully mixed master tapes in accordance with the Company's reasonable instructions" comprising a two-track stereo and a discrete quadraphonic master tape for each Master recorded hereunder together with a "reference lacquer" therefor, which tape shall be fully edited, mixed and leadered prior to delivery to Company [Polygram] so that they are in proper form for the production of parts necessary for the *250 manufacture of commercial Phonograph Records.
Now Polygram obviously didn't put anything out in quad, but it makes you wonder if this was standard wording/a standard requirement in record contracts, and how many of their artists may have prepared quad mixes that were never released.
It's sort of complex sorting out which companies owned which labels, but during the quad era it appears that PolygGram owned Polydor, Phillips, Verve, Mercury, MGM, Casablanca, and others. Intriguing to think about anyway...