Record pressing plant / cassette and CD manufacturer in Los Angeles, California. Operating under this name from 1962 until the end of 1996.
Known as Allied Record Manufacturing Company prior to 1962.
Purchased by Warner Communications Inc. in 1979 to become part of WEA Manufacturing.
Record pressing assets were sold to Music Connection, Inc. and moved to Pennsylvania to form 33 ⅓ RPM in 2002.
-Identifying CDs pressed at Allied Record Company-
CDs pressed at Allied have an "ARC" in the matrix. If there is both "ARC" and "SRC", then the CD was pressed at Allied but the glass master came from Specialty Records Corporation.
CDs with an Allied Record Company logo were glass mastered at Allied Record Company in the mid-90s before the plant was renamed WEA Mfg. Commerce around 1997. In these cases, credit Allied with Glass Mastered At and the respective plant with Pressed By.
Allied had a SID Mould Code 2V2x (where x stands for a letter A to Z), e.g., IFPI 2V2M. There is no SID Mastering Code for Allied known.
-Identifying records pressed at Allied Record Company-
"ARC" in the runouts of vinyl LPs refers to Allentown Record Co. Inc., not to Allied.
Allied can be identified by the Allied "ɑ" logo stamped into the runout groove area, usually followed by the manufacturer matrix number (B-00000 on LP/12" and R-00000 on 7", or K-00000 on 7" - circa 1975).
Note: The Allied logo in the runouts can be easily mistaken for a "Q" or a "Ω", but is actually lowercase Greek alpha, sometimes with a Warner "W" within. Add "[Allied 'ɑ' logo]" on its position in the matrix string in the BaOI fields.
From the early 60's to 1971, 45s pressed by Allied would have a matrix X-000 or X-0000, e.g., X-9828.
B-00000 and R-00000 and K-00000 can be added as LCCN numbers for Pressed By. When there are two different codes (i.e., one per side), add Pressed By twice and add the respective code (see this example).
When another pressing plant identifier (e.g., "R/S Alsdorf") is present in the runouts, use Mastered At - Allied Record Company as role. When unsure, do not add this plant.
LP pressing ring measurements:
1962 - 1973: Flat label with 2.875" / 73mm pressing ring.
1974 - 1981: Flat label with either a 1" / 26mm pressing ring, or 1.34" / 34 mm pressing ring.
1981 - end: "Muffin-style" depressed-center label with ~2.84" / 72mm outer ring and 1.38" / 35mm inner ring.
Note: rings alone should not be used for identification. They are a confirmation, not a primary identifier.
Allied 7”s are made of styrene with label sizes of 90.5mm (3.5630"), a white label colour (whiter than on Specialty labels).
The label placement area rim is ~91.5mm (3.6024"), and the record size 173mm (6.8110").
The small holes on the labels are 7.3mm (0.2874").
Additionally identification can be made as follows:
1.) A lone "A" embossed in the LP label area indicates the record was pressed at Allied.
2.) Records that have the Allied "ɑ" logo along with an "AL-SP" etching and a "B-#####"-type matrix number in the runouts were plated (processing / metalwork) at Allied Record Company but the record itself was actually pressed at Specialty Records Corporation. In such cases, credit Allied Record Company with "Mastered At" and Specialty Records Corporation with "Pressed By" in LCCN.
3.) Records that have the "SRC" logo along with a "SPAR" etching and a "B-#####"-type matrix number in the runouts were plated (processing / metalwork) at Specialty Records Corporation but the record itself was pressed at Allied Record Company. In such cases, credit Specialty Records Corporation with "Mastered At" and Allied Record Company with "Pressed By".
4.) Pressings from the mid-1970s to the late 1980s for US Mercury / Polydor / PolyGram and related labels are identified by "22" on the labels (NOT the runouts). However, records with "22" lightly etched in runouts are from All Disc Records, Inc.
5.) Some WEA/Atlantic/Warner Bros. related releases (including sublabels and partner labels) often have "-AR" appended to the printed matrix numbers on the center labels, indicating Allied as pressing plant.
-Identifying cassettes manufactured at Allied Record Company-
Cassettes duplicated at Allied have an "AR" printed on the cassette itself, like on this example. Credit Allied with Duplicated At.
-History-
This plant was originally the first of two pressing plants owned by Allied Record Manufacturing Company (Allied Record Manufacturing Company was bought by Precision Radiation Instruments (PRI) in 1961).
Allied Record Company was formed and (re)established in 1962 when Draken Broadhead (former owner of Allied Record Manufacturing Company) bought back the Allied name, this pressing plant (the other former Allied Record Manufacturing Company pressing plant in Belleville, New Jersey, remained under PRI's ownership), and "Allied Record Sales" from the Tops Records' parent company P.R.I. (Precision Radiation Instruments).
Allied Record Company remained an independent pressing plant until it was purchased by Warner Communications Inc. in 1979, becoming a branch of WEA Manufacturing Inc.
The Allied Record Company / ARC name was phased out by WEA at the end of 1996.
Legal entity chronology:
CA company number: 0197732
Incorporated: 12 April 1945 as 'California Record Corp.'
First name change: 29 May 1952 to Allied Record Sales Company
Second name change: 24 July 1961 to 'General Record Sales Company'
Third name change: 16 August 1962 to 'Allied Record Company' (this page)
Merged in: 'WEA Manufacturing Of California Inc.' on 14 May 1982
Dissolved: 6 December 1999 (merged into WEA Manufacturing Inc.)
