Capitol Record Club

Mail-order division of Capitol Records, Inc., launched November 1957 to compete with RCA Victor Record Club and Columbia Record Club. The Club sold Capitol releases exclusively until 1964, when it began licensing many popular releases from other labels. With the creation of Capitol Industries-EMI, Inc. in 1968, the Club was sold to the Longines Symphonette Society, who continued operation through 1975.

The assets of the Capitol Record Club were sold to RCA in 1974 by the Westinghouse subsidiary Longines-Wittenauer, the owner of the Longines Symphonette Society direct marketing operation. RCA Records agreed to "continue to service existing Capitol Record Club members." In 1975, a number of the Longines-Wittenauer companies lost a consumer fraud law suit and agreed to pay a $100,000 settlement.

Identification
With few exceptions, “Capitol Record Club” was not mentioned specifically on US releases (notable exceptions are the inner sleeves of some MGM Records and Verve Records titles). The most immediate visual identifier is the legend “Manufactured by Capitol Records, Inc.” on non-Capitol-label albums, or “Manufactured Under License From Capitol Records, Inc.” on the labels of Capitol-label albums. "Distributed by the Capitol Record Club for its members" was printed on the labels of Canadian releases. A second catalog number, with standard Capitol prefixes but numbered in the “90000” series, is another identifier. Capitol-label and affiliate label (Apple Records and Tower) Club releases made between 1969 and 1972 featured three diagonal “hash marks” printed in the border of the upper left corner.

Club releases of non-Capitol label LPs usually have the original label’s catalog number on jacket in addition to a Capitol-style 5-digit catalog number (the "90000" series) beginning with a T-, ST-, SWBO-, SKBB- etc. prefix on labels. (See below for detailed explanation of the numbering system.) The Club-unique number was generally printed prominently somewhere on the jacket but in many cases it would only appear on the spine or on the inside of a gatefold jacket.

Club releases of Capitol-label albums pressed for the Club beginning in 1969 featured an additional "8" inserted in the catalog number just after the prefix (see [r15694540]). If the catalog number was only 3-digit, an "80" was inserted (see [r10017514]). When Capitol went to the 5-digit numbering system (11xxx), the first "1" was replaced with a "7" (see [r4753255]).

For Capitol-affiliate labels Apple Records and Tower; a "5" was inserted after the prefix for Apple Records (see [r5274913]) and a "2" was inserted after the prefix for Tower (see [r11673946]).

Entering Capitol Record Club Releases
• Do not enter Capitol Record Club as a Label. Add the original label and catalog number, plus a second entry with the original label and Capitol Record Club catalog number, to LCCN. If either of these numbers are entered differently in other places, follow [g4.7.3] for each additional Label/Number combination.
• Add a single “Record Company” entry for Capitol Record Club to LCCN, and enter the Club catalog number in its Catalog Number field. In case of ambiguity on the Club catalog number (i.e. with or without a prefix or dash), use the one printed on the labels.
• Tick "Club Edition" in Formats.
• Examples: and [r11776981].

CAUTION: Do not use the issuing label style as a means of determining the release date of a Capitol Record Club release!. The Capitol Record Club is known to have released LPs on a label style that had long since been dropped by the original label of the release. A good example is that was released in 1970 but it is on the label style that Dunhill hadn't used since early 1968.

Additional Identifying Information

1958 – 1964
The numbering system used for Capitol Record Club issues varied based on the original label of the recording it offered and when the Club offered it. Between 1958 and 1964, the Club issued only Capitol releases, and records sent to subscribers were the same as those sent to retail. Special “club-only” releases were numbered in the 90000 series. Prior to 1964, a few releases originally on other labels were pressed with Capitol branding and 90000 series catalog numbers, for distribution to Club members.

1964 – 1968
In 1964 the Club began licensing deals with other labels to allow them to offer other titles to Club members. Capitol Record Club pressings of other labels’ titles had a 90000-series catalog number on their labels, in additional to the original company’s catalog number on the cover. Capitol releases sent to Club members were still identical to retail copies.

1969 – 1973
The December 14, 1968 issue of Billboard reported that the Longines-Wittnauer Co. had acquired Capitol's Direct Marketing Corp., which included the Capitol Record Club. Beginning in 1969, Capitol Record Club releases were issued by The Longines Symphonette. Capitol-label releases during this period were pressed by one of Decca Records’ two U.S. pressing plants, with an “8” added to the catalog number just after the prefix (sometimes with a dash, i.e. “8-“, and sometimes without). Non-Capitol-label Club releases continued to be pressed by Capitol, with catalog numbers continuing in the 90000 series.

1973 – 1974
During these final years, Club releases of non-Capitol titles have been found pressed by PRC Recording Company, Richmond, IN and Capitol Records Pressing Plant, Jacksonville and carrying Capitol catalog number prefixes. Club releases of Capitol titles using the new 5-digit number system (1#### series) replaced the first digit "1" with a "7".

Unique Releases
The 16 March 1963 edition of Billboard magazine announced the first release of a non-Capitol label LP by the Capitol Record Club with the 90000 series number: 572449, originally released on Warner Bros. Records, was released by the Club as Capitol Records RW-90000 (mono) (12684388) and SRW-90000 (stereo) (9079256).

The second LP released, 90001, was with original catalog number of P 3003 on Premier Albums. When issued by the Club as it was on a unique Capitol label with catalog number T 90001.

All known subsequent releases were released on the original release label but with the Capitol Record Club release number on the album.

Known Pressing Plants
Capitol Record Club pressings from 1958 through 1968 were primarily pressed by Capitol Records Pressing Plant, Scranton with Capitol Records Pressing Plant, Jacksonville pressings starting on July 12, 1965. From 1969 on, Record Club pressings of Capitol-label releases were pressed by MCA Pressing Plant, Pinckneyville and MCA Pressing Plant, Gloversville, with a select few from the Capitol Winchester plant, while Club pressings of non-Capitol-label releases remained pressed in Scranton and Jacksonville. No known pressings from Capitol’s Los Angeles plants have yet been found.

Additional History
The Club’s monthly magazine that was sent to every subscriber was called the Capitol Record Club "Review" from the point of inception until about 1963. About the time of the first non-Capitol label release the name was changed to "Keynotes". These magazines contained an article or two on featured artists plus a listing of the Club releases being offered at that time. They also contained their "Selection of the Month" listings by category which was automatically shipped to each person who did not return the "Selection of the Month" slip by a specified date.

In 1975, the Club was shut down due to dwindling membership and sales. Capitol then licensed its catalog and current release titles (excluding The Beatles recordings) to Columbia Record Club - Columbia House, and later to the RCA Music Service.

For details on deciphering Capitol Records catalog number prefixes, see the Capitol Records profile.