Columbia album prefixes?

Does anyone have an explanation for all those varying prefixes used on Columbia albums during the 1970s? (KC, PC, FC.....)

Is there any logic to them?

 

It seemed that the PC designated LPs were often budget versions of records that had been in print for some time.

 

List prices.

 

Exactly. They were used to designate the list price.

Originally, when Columbia started the 30000 series in 1970, the prefix was simply "C"; list price of those albums was $4.98.

"KC," which actually had its roots in the 1960s with the occasional "KCL" (mono) or "KCS" (stereo) prefix, had a list price of $5.98.

"PC" was first used in 1973 when some big-name artists' LPs were issued with a $6.98 list price. Columbia later revived the "PC" prefix when it began to issue mid-priced LPs (usually reissues) with a $5.98 (later $6.98) list, but these later PCs can almost always be identified because they have a bar code on the back cover. Original PCs from the 1970s do NOT have a bar code on them.

"JC" was first used in late 1976, this time with a list price change to $7.98.

The next change in Columbia prefix was to "FC" ($8.98); later still, "TC," "QC" and "OC" were used for $9.98 and even $10.98 list LPs.

Also, Columbia's Half-Speed Mastered LPs of the 1980s had an "HC" prefix. Quadraphonic LPs added a letter to the end of the prefix rather than the beginning, thus most were "CQ" or "PCQ." Multi-record sets also added things after the "C," usually a number that indicated the number of records (2, 3, etc.) and an "X" if it was a box set, but for budget-priced two-record sets, the extra digit was usually not a number but the letter "G."

In the 1980s, there also were albums with three letters, usually "BFC"; these are early pressings of certain LPs that were released at a lower list price. If they became popular, they were re-released without the "B" (as "FC") with a revised bar code (usually adding an "02" to the number on the back) and a higher price.

I've seen other prefixes as well, including "NJC" (same general idea as "BFC"), "3C" (lower list price than PC) and "XM" (reissues of classical Christmas albums; I don't think I've ever seen an "XC").

Again, the best way to see if a Columbia 1980s album is an original or reissue is to check the bar code for an extra two digits at the end.

All these prefixes apply to other CBS labels as well, including Epic (last letter E), Portrait (last letter R), classical Masterworks (last letter M), soundtrack and original cast albums (last letter S), various labels that became known as CBS Associated (last letter Z), and Chrysalis in most of the 1980s (last letter V).

Columbia stopped using multi-letter prefixes on LPs in 1990. From then on, new vinyl records have prefixes of "C," "E," etc. Compact discs are "CK" and cassettes are "CT."

With the Sony/BMG merger, letter prefixes were ended entirely on new releases in 2005.

 

My, that was an interesting post having a few Columbia albums and many Columbia 8 tracks. I feel I have learnt something from it. Some of my 8 tracks are duplicates with different prefixes the JCA (A being 8 track) becomes a PCA which loses the top picture and title list from underneath to a single top foldered over the spine slick.

Regards,

 

To expand a bit on Tim's excellent reply...all CBS prefixes that began with the letter "N" signified non-returnable product. So an album with an "NJC" prefix meant a $7.98 non-returnable Columbia LP. An album with an "NPR" prefix meant a $6.98 non-returnable Portrait LP...ect.

As a wholesaler we had to be careful not to get stuck with returns from retailers with "N" CBS prefixes. This often happened when a title was reissued without the "N" prefix and became popular. Some of the original non-returnables could easily sneak through as the artwork looked the same.

...and don't even get me started on the hundreds of exceptions to the pricing rules.

 

I don't remember ever paying $7.98 for any album in 1976. I remember through most of the '70s and early '80s, the most I ever paid for any single album was $5.98.

 

We are talking LIST prices, not street prices.

 

Oh.

 

This may help as a comparison to the CBS pricing structure. It's the last page of Elektra/Asylum's September 1975 New Release book (includes catalog) and their pricing guidelines. Interesting because it includes mono, stereo and quad.

http://www.lindaronstadt.com/files/scans/PID/1045_NR_8.jpg

 

"Uncle Dirty?"

Never saw that one!

 

I've got a copy. It never would get released today. I'd like to post the back cover but the Gorts would behead me...

 

More price code comparisons with this 1970 (pre-WEA) Elektra guide. Most of these albums went up $1 in list price between 1970 and 1975.

 

Some old timers may remember when Columbia/Epic raised the list price on their existing stock, they affixed stickers over the older prefixed numbers as shown on these quad LPs.

 

Hmm, adding the P = Price Increase ?!

 

Some of my Canadian Columbia CDs have the WCK prefix...or WGCK in the case of "Blonde On Blonde"

 

By the late 70's the high price point for a single LP(ususally titles by superstar artists) could be as high as $8.98. Though in 1980 MCA Records was the first to break the price point barrier by introducing the $9.98 list price. Before that, only some soundtrack LP releases were priced that high. The first non soundtrack album to be released at this price was Steely Dan's "Gaucho", over their objections. The label tried to do the same thing with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers album "Hard Promises". When Petty threatened to name the album "$9.98", the label backed off and priced it at $8.98 instead.

 

What about the "32 16" series that started (afaik) in the sixties? It was used for Odyssey (which later moved to a Y30000 series) and the CBS label (I remember some Boulez records, which later moved to Columbia Masterworks, and Carlos Chavez conducting his own works.) Odyssey was budget, but I think CBS was not, so the same series was used for different price categories. It's also odd that mono and stereo numbers were consecutive in the same numerical series, e.g. 32 16 0005 is mono, 32 16 0006 is the corresponding stereo issue.

 

Here's another one: Columbia's Crossroads label, I think all reissued from Supraphon, used a "22 16" series.

And just for the sake of completeness, here are some album prefixes from the 78 era:

M manual sequence "Masterworks" (i.e., classical) series

MM automatic sequence Masterworks; I've never seen one in other than drop changer arrangement, unlike Victor, which also released slide changer versions

X 2-record sets in the Masterworks series, manual sequence

MX 2-record sets in the Masterworks series, automatic sequence

C popular

E educational

J children's

S add-a-part; same idea as the LPs issued by Music Minus One

I'm not sure when Columbia went to this prefix system for classical releases; up to some point, it simply labeled its albums "Set so-and-so."

 

January 1983 CBS List Price Prefix Codes

While looking through some industry documents that I saved over the years, I ran across this 4-page list of CBS list price prefix codes from January 1983. They had just made some major changes. Several key prefixes had gone up, resulting in our adjustment to these changes. Such as "JC" went from $7.98 list to $8.98 list. This type of change caused more transition trouble than when individual titles changed price (like in Jon's examples in post #14).

Click here to view a larger/enhanced scan of the pages

As mentioned earlier, the prefixes beginning with "N" were non-returnable, and sold for an especially low wholesale price. Prefixes beginning with "B" were issued for developing artists, and were not counted in our return percentages, which were calculated each quarter. All of our purchases were still 100% returnable at this time, but the majors were beginning to pay more attention to this, by granting more purchasing power to accounts that had lower overall return percentages.


A few observations...

I had totally forgotten about the 10-inch NuDisks!

Also worth noting...CBS still had a few 45s at the old $1.69 price point, although I think most people handled all 45s as $1.99 list by this time.

None of the 12-inch singles had gone to $5.98 list yet.

Often there were numerous different wholesale costs for the same list price. This partially explains why so many different codes exist (in addition to identifying individual labels and configurations, as mentioned earlier.) Example..."NJE" and "E" were both Epic LPs with a $5.98 Manufacturers Suggested List Price (MSLP), but the price at which CBS sold "NJE" prefixes was significantly lower that "E" prefix titles.

A quick look at the lists will show many exceptions to the rules. Such as...

CTX 36738 Kenny Loggins Alive cassette list price $13.98
CTX 37587 Simon & Garfunkel Collected Works cassette list price $31.98

The 2 pages of Masterworks/Classical/Audiophile prefixes didn't have assigned MSLP's. That's why we had to calculate our own list prices based on the wholesale cost.

Sorry for the stain. I digitally enhanced and enlarged the images. Most of the text is now legible by clicking the image below:

 

aerosmith get your wings in 1974 start with KC and PC too, 2 different pressings? KC is first?

 

Reread Tim Neely's post above.
The Columbia prefixes never indicated 'pressing'. Or which 'pressing' came first. They just indicated 'list price'.
But a PC prefix in the 70s, initially indicated a higher list price than a KC so, it can be inferred that 'covers' with the PC prefix were printed after those with the KC.

 

So, what the difference between "G" and "CG" on their LPs? In this case Miles Davis - Live Evil

 

My copy of Live Evil (purchased in the 80's, but it may have been hanging around the store a long time) has CG on the spine and cover. For some reason the label has both C and G numbers on the left side. I could only find one double LP on my shelf with only G on the spine and cover, Charlie Christian's Solo Flight.

 

Is your copy side A & D on the first LP, and B & C on the second?