MGM Records
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA record label established by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer that grew from a soundtrack operation into a major pop, country, classical, and musical-theater label.
Last updated October 14, 2026
Overview
MGM Records was the record-label arm of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio. Established in 1946, it initially existed to commercialize music from MGM motion pictures, particularly the studio's large catalog of musical films. Its early releases helped define the commercial soundtrack album as a record-industry product. The label's first soundtrack was connected with Till the Clouds Roll By, a film biography of composer Jerome Kern, and was issued as a multi-disc 78-rpm set. MGM promoted these releases as recordings made directly from film soundtracks, a formulation that contributed to the later widespread use of the word “soundtrack” for recordings associated with films. The label's soundtrack activity expanded alongside improvements in recording technology. Early albums had to be assembled from playback discs and were constrained by the short playing time and sonic limitations of 78-rpm records. The introduction of magnetic tape and the growth of the long-playing record after 1950 made it possible to issue longer and better-sounding collections. MGM released music from such films as Good News, Easter Parade, Annie Get Your Gun, Singin' in the Rain, Show Boat, The Band Wagon, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Gigi. It also issued music and dialogue connected with non-musical films, including Quo Vadis, and released a successful album from Columbia Pictures' Born Free, an unusual example of MGM handling a major soundtrack from another studio. MGM Records became more than a film-soundtrack imprint during the 1950s. Its ownership of a record-pressing facility in Bloomfield, New Jersey, gave it manufacturing capacity and helped establish the company as one of the leading American record businesses. The plant pressed MGM releases and performed contract work for outside labels, including Atlantic Records. The label also operated a short-lived radio-syndication activity that produced programs such as The MGM Theater of the Air and manufactured electrical transcriptions for broadcast distribution. During the rock-and-roll and pop eras, MGM developed a broad roster. Its releases included recordings by Connie Francis, Herman's Hermits, the Animals, the Cowsills, Lou Christie, the Osmonds, Joni James, Conway Twitty, and other performers. Country music was another important field, strengthened by Frank Walker's signing of Hank Williams. MGM and its associated labels subsequently represented artists including Hank Williams Jr., Sheb Wooley, Roy Acuff, Mel Tillis, Marie Osmond, Jim Stafford, and C.W. McCall. Subsidiaries, distributed labels, and specialist imprints extended the business into jazz, children’s records, budget albums, and other genres. MGM also acquired Verve Records in 1960 and distributed or worked with several independent labels during the 1960s. The company maintained a smaller classical catalog and, between 1962 and 1969, handled American distribution for Deutsche Grammophon Records before Polydor established its own American operation. In 1972, MGM Records was sold to PolyGram. PolyGram received continuing rights to use the MGM Records name and a time-limited license for the MGM trademark and logo. MGM Records' artists were absorbed into Polydor in 1976, although soundtrack albums and reissues continued to appear under the MGM imprint until 1982. The former label is therefore defunct as an operating record company, while its catalog remains active through several successor owners and distributors. Pop recordings are principally administered through Universal Music Group-related catalog businesses, musical-theater material through Decca Broadway, and country recordings through Universal Music Group Nashville-related channels. MGM film-soundtrack rights are divided, with Warner Bros. Entertainment and its WaterTower Music operation controlling the pre-existing MGM film catalog described in the reference material. In 1986, MGM separately formed MGM Music to license music and publishing rights connected with later MG…
History
MGM Records was preceded by a short-lived Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer recording activity begun in 1928. That earlier operation produced recordings of music from MGM films for use in cinema lobbies rather than for general retail sale, with manufacturing performed under contract by Columbia Records. The later MGM Records label was founded in 1946 as a commercial record business intended to exploit the studio's musical-film properties. Its first major undertaking was a soundtrack album connected with Till the Clouds Roll By. The release appeared as a set of four ten-inch 78-rpm records and contained selected musical passages rather than the complete film soundtrack. Because magnetic tape was not yet available, producers edited and assembled material from playback discs, producing technically limited recordings with audible generational loss. MGM marketed these releases as recordings made directly from the soundtrack, helping establish terminology that later became standard across the recording industry. MGM's soundtrack catalog expanded through the late 1940s and 1950s. The studio's musical productions supplied albums for Good News, Easter Parade, Annie Get Your Gun, Singin' in the Rain, Show Boat, The Band Wagon, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Gigi. The label also issued music from dramatic films and occasional theater productions. Its releases included music or dialogue from Quo Vadis, scores associated with Ben-Hur and King of Kings, and later albums connected with Doctor Zhivago, How the West Was Won, Gone with the Wind, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Some score albums were studio recreations using original orchestrations, while others used recordings derived from the actual films. MGM also issued a successful album from Columbia's Born Free in 1966. Technological change transformed the operation. Magnetic tape improved fidelity and editing flexibility, while LP records allowed longer programs. MGM simultaneously built a substantial manufacturing business. From 1947 to 1972 it operated a pressing plant in Bloomfield, New Jersey, which manufactured MGM records and undertook contract pressing for other labels. The company also produced syndicated radio programming and the electrical transcriptions used by local stations. By the early 1950s, MGM was regarded as one of the major American record companies. It moved into mainstream pop and rock-and-roll, scoring releases by Connie Francis, Herman's Hermits, the Animals, the Cowsills, Lou Christie, the Osmonds, and others. Joni James and Conway Twitty also recorded successful material for the label. In 1958, James's “There Goes My Heart” was promoted as an early stereo 45-rpm single from a major record company. Country music became a particularly important part of the business. President Frank Walker signed Hank Williams, whose recordings became central to MGM's country identity. The label later represented Hank Williams Jr., Sheb Wooley, Roy Acuff, Conway Twitty, Mel Tillis, Marie Osmond, Jim Stafford, and C.W. McCall, among others. MGM also operated or distributed numerous imprints, including Cub, Ava, Heritage, Lion, Metro, Leo, Hickory, MGM South, Pride, and others. In 1960 it acquired Verve Records from Norman Granz, adding a prominent jazz catalog. MGM briefly distributed Cameo-Parkway in 1967 and handled American International Records among its other distribution relationships. The label maintained a modest classical program and began distributing Deutsche Grammophon in the United States in 1962. That relationship ended in 1969 when Polydor opened its own American office. In 1972, MGM Records was sold to PolyGram. The manufacturing operation was closed as part of the transition, and MGM's artists were absorbed into Polydor in 1976. The MGM imprint remained in use for selected soundtrack albums and reissues until 1982. After the label's operating life ended, its catalog was divided by genre and rights history. Universal Music Group-related entities administer much of the pop material, while Decca Broadway handles the musical-theater catalog and Universal Music Group Nashville-related operations handle country reissues. Warner Bros. Entertainment, through WaterTower Music and related businesses, controls the MGM film-soundtrack rights identified in the reference material. Rhino Records issued expanded soundtrack editions during the 1990s and 2000s, but its license ended in 2011. Certain artist catalogs followed separate ownership paths; Frank Zappa, for example, regained control of his MGM/Verve recordings in the 1970s and later licensed them to other companies.
- 2011
Rhino soundtrack license expires
[1]Rhino's license for the relevant MGM soundtrack releases expires, and the editions it issued are deleted.
- 1990
Expanded soundtrack reissues begin appearing
[1]Successor rights holders and Rhino Records begin issuing longer and more complete editions of MGM-associated soundtrack material.
- 1986
MGM Music is established
[1]MGM forms a music-licensing operation focused on film music and publishing rights.
- 1976
Absorption into Polydor
[1]MGM Records and its artists are absorbed into PolyGram's Polydor Records.
- 1972
Sale to PolyGram
[1]PolyGram purchases MGM Records and receives rights to continue using the label name under the transaction's licensing terms.
- 1962
U.S. Deutsche Grammophon distribution begins
[1]MGM begins distributing Deutsche Grammophon recordings in the United States.
- 1960
Verve Records is acquired
[1]MGM acquires Verve Records from Norman Granz, adding a significant jazz-label operation.
- 1950
Tape and LP technology improve soundtrack releases
[1]Magnetic tape and long-playing records enable longer, cleaner MGM soundtrack albums from 1951 onward.
- 1947
Bloomfield pressing plant opens
[1]MGM begins operating its own record-manufacturing plant in Bloomfield, New Jersey.
- 1946
MGM Records is founded
[1]MGM establishes a commercial record label to release music associated with its films, especially its musical productions.
Showing the 10 most recent.
Products and positioning
A studio-owned entertainment label combining exclusive access to a major Hollywood film-music library with mainstream pop, country, classical, and theatrical recording operations.
Film soundtracks · 1946
MGM film soundtrack albums
The label's core product was recorded music from MGM motion pictures. Its catalog covered musical films such as Singin' in the Rain, Easter Parade, Show Boat, The Band Wagon, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Gigi, as well as selected non-musical films. Releases varied from edited 78-rpm sets to longer LP programs and later expanded reissues.
Musical theater recordings
Original cast and musical-theater albums
MGM used the language of original cast albums for some film and stage-related releases. In addition to screen musicals, it occasionally issued recordings connected with off-Broadway productions, including The Fantasticks and the 1954 revival of The Threepenny Opera.
Pop and rock music · 1950
MGM pop recordings
From the 1950s through the 1970s, MGM operated as a mainstream pop label, releasing singles and albums by performers including Connie Francis, Herman's Hermits, the Animals, the Cowsills, Lou Christie, the Osmonds, Joni James, and Conway Twitty.
Country music
MGM country catalog
Country music was one of MGM's most important non-soundtrack areas. Frank Walker signed Hank Williams, and the label later released recordings by Hank Williams Jr., Sheb Wooley, Roy Acuff, Conway Twitty, Mel Tillis, Marie Osmond, Jim Stafford, and C.W. McCall.
Classical music · 1951
MGM classical recordings
MGM maintained a smaller classical program, including recordings by pianist Beveridge Webster and other repertory releases. The label also distributed Deutsche Grammophon in the United States from 1962 to 1969.
Record-label imprints
MGM Records subsidiary labels
MGM extended its reach through imprints and distribution relationships including Cub, Ava, Heritage, Lion, Metro, Leo, Hickory, MGM South, Pride, and others. Verve Records became part of the MGM group in 1960, adding a major jazz-oriented label.
Brand decisions
1986
Creation of MGM MusicStrategyBackground
MGM continued to control or administer music and publishing rights associated with films made after the historical MGM Records period.
Action taken
MGM formed MGM Music as a licensing-focused music and publishing operation.
Aftermath
The business concentrated on licensing soundtrack and publishing rights connected with MGM, United Artists, and Orion films rather than operating as a conventional record label.
1976
Integration of MGM artists into PolydorStrategyBackground
PolyGram had acquired MGM Records but was consolidating its label structure.
Action taken
MGM Records and its artists were absorbed into PolyGram's Polydor Records.
Aftermath
MGM ceased to function as an independent label, although its name remained on selected soundtrack and reissue products for several more years.
1972
Sale of MGM Records to PolyGramM&ABackground
MGM divested its record business after operating a major label, manufacturing plant, and multiple genre and distribution businesses.
Action taken
PolyGram purchased MGM Records and obtained continuing rights to the MGM Records name, together with a ten-year license for the MGM trademark and logo.
Aftermath
The manufacturing operation was closed, the artists were later moved into Polydor, and the MGM imprint continued only for selected releases until 1982.
1960
Acquisition of Verve RecordsM&ABackground
MGM expanded beyond film music and general pop by adding a specialist jazz label.
Action taken
MGM acquired Verve Records from Norman Granz.
Aftermath
Verve became part of MGM's group of labels and distributed properties.
1946
Launch of a studio-owned soundtrack labelProduct launchBackground
MGM sought to commercialize the music of its film productions and establish a direct recording outlet for its musical-film library.
Action taken
The studio founded MGM Records and issued soundtrack, cast, and related film-music recordings.
Aftermath
The label became an important soundtrack supplier and later expanded into mainstream recorded music.
Recent events
- 1990
MGM soundtrack catalog rights are reorganized among successor companies[1]
M&A · Other
During the 1990s, soundtrack and recording rights associated with the MGM label and film library were distributed among successor rights holders, including Universal-related catalog operations and Warner-related film-music businesses.
- 1986
MGM forms MGM Music[1]
Other
MGM established MGM Music to license music and publishing rights associated with MGM films and later with United Artists and Orion properties.
- 1982
MGM Records imprint continues for soundtrack and reissue releases[1]
Other
PolyGram ended its use of the MGM Records trademark after continuing to issue selected soundtrack albums and reissues under the imprint for several years after the Polydor absorption.
- 1976
MGM Records operations are absorbed into Polydor[1]
M&A
MGM Records and its artists were incorporated into PolyGram's Polydor Records, effectively ending MGM Records as a standalone operating label.
- 1972
MGM Records is sold to PolyGram[1]
M&A
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer sold MGM Records to PolyGram, transferring the label's operating business and granting PolyGram continuing rights to the MGM Records name together with a time-limited trademark license.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/mgm-records · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled