Robert Stigwood Organization
| RSO Records | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Founded | 1973 |
| Founder | |
| Defunct | 1983 |
| Status | Absorbed into Polydor |
| Distributor(s) | Universal Music Group (Capitol for the Bee Gees; Polydor for all other artists) |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | United States |
RSO Records was a record label formed by rock and roll and musical theatre impresario Robert Stigwood and record executive Al Coury in 1973. The "RSO" stands for the Robert Stigwood Organisation. The company's main headquarters were at 67 Brook Street, in London's Mayfair. It underwent four distribution stages: by Atlantic Records from March 1973 to December 1975, by Polydor Records from January 1976 to December 1977, as an independent label under the PolyGram Group umbrella from January 1978 to around October 1981, and finally by PolyGram Records from around November 1981 until the label's end in 1983.
RSO managed the careers of several superstars (Bee Gees, Yvonne Elliman, Eric Clapton, Andy Gibb), and, as a record label, released the soundtracks to Fame, Sparkle, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Times Square, Grease (over 30 million copies sold worldwide), and Saturday Night Fever (over 35 million copies sold worldwide). The release of the latter two albums made RSO one of the most financially successful labels of the 1970s.
As successful as the label was financially, the independent label produced successes on the pop charts never before seen by the recording industry. By one point in 1978, the label boasted an unprecedented sixth consecutive number-one single on the Billboard (US) pop charts, holding the top spot for 21 consecutive weeks. With singles releases from the Grease album ("You're the One That I Want", and the title track) and another huge Andy Gibb smash ("Shadow Dancing"), RSO would log a further 10 weeks at the number 1 position, giving the label a record nine in one calendar year. This feat remains unduplicated by any record label to date. It also released a one-off single that summer by Paul Jones, featuring orchestrated ballad-style versions of two punk classics, "Pretty Vacant" and "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker".
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