K-tel

Last updated
K-Tel International
Company typePrivate
Industryphonographic industry  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Founded1962;62 years ago (1962)
Founder Philip Kives
Headquarters
Winnipeg, Manitoba
,
Canada
Products Television advertising, music
OwnerPhilip Kives
Website www.k-tel.com

K-tel International Ltd is a Canadian company which formerly specialized in selling consumer products through infomercials and live demonstration. Its products include compilation music albums, including The Super Hits series, The Dynamic Hits series and The Number One Hits series and consumer products, including the Record Selector, the Veg-O-Matic, the Miracle Brush, and the Feather Touch Knife. The company has sold more than half a billion units worldwide. [1]

Contents

K-tel is based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and has been in business since the late 1960s. It has subsidiaries or other controlled entities in the US and UK. [2] [3]

History

K-tel was founded by Philip Kives, [4] a demonstration salesman from Oungre, Saskatchewan. [5] [6] Kives had worked at a number of jobs as a young man, including selling cookware door-to-door and in a department store, and as a pitch-man on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City.

In 1962 he used his own money and his fast-talking demonstration style to create a new kind of television advertisement in Canada. His first product was a Teflon-coated frying pan. [7] He made a deal with the Eaton's department store to carry the product and with a local television station to air the commercials on a per-inquiry basis with a guaranteed minimum.

Kives bought and marketed a number of products from Samuel Popeil, father of Ronco founder Ron Popeil, including the Dial-O-Matic and Veg-O-Matic food slicers and the Feather Touch Knife. In August 1965, he began selling the Feather Touch Knife in Australia and by Christmas had sold one million knives. Kives later began sourcing his own products, including the Miracle Brush, which sold 28 million units. [8]

K-tel was formally incorporated in 1968, with Kives as CEO. [9] The company operated profitably during the 1970s and expanded both through acquisitions in its core area of business and diversification into other areas. Kives' cousin Raymond worked as president of the K-tel US division from 1967 to 1977, and the K-tel Europe division from 1977 to 1984.

In the five years prior to 1981, K-tel sold more than $150 million of LPs in 34 countries. Its sales increased from $23 million in 1971 to $178 million in 1981. [10] The company diversified, forming subsidiaries in areas such as real estate and oil exploration and also acquired rival Candlelite Records in 1980. K-tel lost $15.9 million [11] when Candlelite's customers refused to pay for their shipments.

The failure of this and several other high-risk ventures forced the publicly traded US entity, K-tel International, to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1984. In 1986, the Bank of Montreal foreclosed on the K-tel Canadian subsidiary at the same time as the US Chapter 11 filing. [12] Advised by Minneapolis-based Sullivan Associates, K-tel negotiated settlements with banks and other preferred and unsecured creditors. Six years later, after all the legal battles, a settlement was reached with the Bank of Montreal, and in 1991, Kives got his Canadian company back.[ clarification needed ] [10]

In 1993, K-tel earned a $2.7 million profit on sales of $56 million, [13] and in 1994, ranked #7 on BusinessWeek 's annual Hot Growth List. Mickey Elfenbein, Kives' nephew, was appointed CEO of the K-tel International division in 1993 [14] and served until the late 1990s. Elfenbein's son, Mark, produced the company's highest selling music products of the 1990s with the creation of the "Club Mix" series [15] which reached RIAA gold and platinum sales success. [16] K-tel increased its worldwide sales, primarily of music-related products, and had a successful NASDAQ IPO trading under the symbol KTEL.

Dot-com bubble

In mid-April 1998, during the dot-com bubble, news that the company was expanding its business to the Internet sent the thinly traded stock shooting from about $3 to over $7 in one day (3:1 split adjusted). [17] The short interest of the stock swelled. The price of the stock peaked at about $34 [18] in early May, and began to decline, reaching $12 in November and eventually pennies. The sudden upswing was fuelled mainly by a large short squeeze. Traders with short positions either "bought in" or were forced to cover positions at very high prices because of the great losses. [19]

In 2007, Philip Kives took K-tel private again. The company completed a 1-for-5000 reverse split on July 18, 2007, reducing the number of public shareholders to under 300 and allowing the company to delist. [20] It changed its symbol to KTLI and moved from the NASDAQ to the over-the-counter market.

Recent years

The company now earns profits from its catalogue of Billboard-charting hits, by the original artists, particularly songs from the 1950s through the 1980s. Tracks include "The Twist" by Chubby Checker, "What I Like About You" by the Romantics, "Tutti Frutti" by Little Richard, "Surfin’ Bird" by the Trashmen, and "Help Me Make It Through the Night" by Sammi Smith.[ citation needed ]

K-tel distributes 200,000 songs worldwide per year on digital platforms, including Amazon, Spotify and iTunes, and licenses songs from its catalogue for use in commercials (e.g., Nike, Fiat, Coke and KFC), films (e.g., Spider-Man , Baby Driver , [21] The Dallas Buyers Club and Hotel Transylvania 2 ) and television programs (e.g., Stranger Things, [22] Ray Donovan , Breaking Bad , Californication , Mad Men and Transparent ). [23]

Mini Pop Kids autograph signing event in 2015 Mini Pop Kids Signing Autograph (20037762143).jpg
Mini Pop Kids autograph signing event in 2015

K-tel Records has also produced a Canadian children’s music group called Mini Pop Kids, [24] a series of recordings in which a group of Canadian children aged 10 to 14 sing family-friendly pop hits. [21] The series sold millions of copies when it was originally distributed in the 1980s. K-tel brought the series back in Canada, the United States, and Israel as of May 15, 2004, and has continued to produce recordings. The latest album, Mini Pop Kids 18, was released in 2020 in Canada. [25] The series is promoted by a touring group that performs shows across Canada.

K-tel’s company founder Phillip Kives died in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on April 27, 2016. [26] [27] [28]

Music business

In 1966, Philip Kives released the company's first compilation album, a collection of 25 country songs entitled 25 Country Hits. [29] Every copy was sold. [30] The idea of compilation albums was new, [29] and the venture's unexpected success led to further releases. K-tel's second release, 25 Polka Greats, [31] sold 1.5 million copies in the United States [30]

K-tel recruited Australian Don Reedman (twin brother of Peter Reedman, who was already working in the Australian office)[ citation needed ] to set up the UK-based division of K-tel Records in the early 1970s. [32]

The company built the business of releasing compilation albums that combined material from a number of popular artists onto a single theme album using the tag line "20 Original Hits! 20 Original Stars!". [7] The company negotiated directly with artists and labels for the rights to reproduce their original recordings, in the process also securing a long-term asset through adding those recordings to their catalogue. [33]

While most of the compilation albums relied on the pop charts of the day, there were some that focused on hits from a specific genre. Examples include:

The company also created original records, including the Grammy-nominated Hooked on Classics series of classical recordings with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

From 1983 to 1986, K-tel distributed original records for the popular youth-oriented television series Kids Incorporated , featuring two self-titled LP's (1983 Pilot, 1984), The Chart Hits (1985) and New Attitude (1986).

Answering machine recordings

In the late 1980s, K-tel International (UK) Ltd. released [34] several novelty cassette tapes by The Comic Answer Company Ltd. [35] [36] Each tape contained several short audio clips which were intended to be played back aloud and re-recorded onto an answering machine. A five-second countdown preceded each message to help customers begin recording at the right moment, and a formal answering machine message in a neutral voice was included at the end of each tape in case they wanted to revert the novelty message.

These recordings included at least five spoken word tapes released in 1988, and made in partnership with ITV Central's popular satirical puppet show Spitting Image. Show regulars including Chris Barrie, Steve Nallon and Nigel Plaskitt participated as voice actors. Examples and the impersonations therein include:

Other ventures

In 1970 the company briefly began distributing foreign films in the United States, beginning with Mr. Superinvisible . They produced their own Pardon My Blooper film, based on one of their records.

In the early 1980s, K-tel dabbled in the video game business under the brands K-tel Software, K-tek Software, K-tel International (UK) Ltd.[ citation needed ] and Xonox. Although K-tel's other divisions left this market after the crash of 1983, K-tel UK continued to release several games into 1984.[ citation needed ]

Legacy

K-tel helped define the way people purchased music in the 1960s and 1970s. In 2013, Forbes wrote a piece on K-tel, entitled "K-Tel Records: The Spotify of the 70s", pointing out that the way people discovered new music in the 70s was through K-tel compilations, in the same way that Spotify playlists are now used to find related artists. [40]

In 2013, Dave Grohl, the front man of Foo Fighters, gave a keynote speech at SXSW, praising K-tel for exposing him to music early in his life, specifically "Frankenstein" by the Edgar Winter Group: "Grohl told the crowd earnestly that the song's inclusion on a 1975 K-tel Records Blockbuster compilation – the first album that he ever owned – was 'the record that changed my life.'" [41]

K-tel infomercials were spoofed on late night television, leading to skits such as Dave Thomas's character Harvey K-tel pitching Stairways to Heaven and 50 Psalms by 50 Stars on SCTV, Dan Aykroyd’s "Bass-o-Matic" Saturday Night Live performance, and The Simpsons cartoon series, where the fictional B-movie actor Troy McClure promotes widgets on a show called I Can’t Believe They Invented It! . [42]

See also

Related Research Articles

Now That's What I Call Music! is a series of various artists compilation albums released in the United Kingdom and Ireland by Sony Music and Universal Music which began in 1983. Spinoff series began for other countries the following year, starting with South Africa, and many other countries worldwide soon followed, expanding into Asia in 1995, then the United States in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Michael Thomas</span> American actor (born 1949)

Philip Michael Thomas is a retired American actor and musician, best known for his role as detective Ricardo Tubbs on the hit 1980s TV series Miami Vice. His first notable roles were in Coonskin (1975) and opposite Irene Cara in the 1976 film Sparkle. After his success in Miami Vice, he appeared in numerous made-for-TV movies and advertisements for telephone psychic services. He also voiced the character Lance Vance in the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006).

Priority Records is an American distribution company and record label known for artists including N.W.A, Ice Cube, MC Ren, Eazy-E, Master P, Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, Silkk the Shocker, Jay-Z, Paris, Mack 10, 504 Boyz, Brotha Lynch Hung, C-Murder, Mia X, Westside Connection, and Ice-T. It also distributed hip hop record labels including Death Row Records, Hoo-Bangin' Records, No Limit Records, Posthuman Records, Rap-A-Lot Records, Rawkus Records, Roc-A-Fella Records, Ruthless Records Duck Down Records, and Wu-Tang Records. According to Billboard, "few record labels were as important to the rise of West Coast hip hop as Priority Records".

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Elton John album) 1974 greatest hits album by Elton John

Greatest Hits is the eleventh official album release for English musician Elton John, and the first compilation. Released on 8 November 1974, it spans the years 1970 to 1974, compiling ten of John's singles, with one track variation for releases in North America and for Europe and Australia. It topped the album chart in both the United States and the United Kingdom, staying at number one for ten consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200 and eleven weeks on the UK Albums Chart. In Canada, it was number one for 13 weeks between 14 December 1974, and 22 March 1975, missing only 28 December 1974, at number two to Jim Croce's Photographs & Memories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronco</span> American purveyor of kitchen gadgets

HD Schulman International Trading LLC, doing business as Ronco, is an American company that manufactures and sells kitchen appliances. Ron Popeil founded the company in 1964, and infomercials for the company's products quickly made Ronco a household name. Popeil became known as the “father of the infomercial” and helped to establish the phrase, “Set it and forget it!” in reference to Ronco’s signature product: the rotisserie oven. The names "Ronco" and "Popeil" and the suffix "-O-Matic" became icons of American popular culture and were often referred to by comedians introducing fictional gadgets and As-Seen-On-TV parodies.

"WOW" is a series of annual compilation albums featuring contemporary Christian music dating from 1995. Comprising songs submitted by each partner label, the annual WOW Hits releases are usually double CD sets. The series was officially cancelled in 2019. Throughout its run, the WOW franchise evolved into one of the most successful collections of Christian music.

Simitar Entertainment, Inc. was an American media company that sold music, videos, DVDs, and computer software. The company specialized in compilation albums, special interest video, and urban media. Simitar also distributed its own label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Nilsson</span> Swedish rock singer

Erik Tommy Nilsson is a Swedish singer and songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dino Entertainment</span> Defunct Dutch record label

Dino Entertainment was a firm specializing in the compilation market of the late 1980s and early 1990s, releasing records such as the That Loving Feeling and Energy Rush range of CDs, in competition with Telstar Records, Arcade Records and K-Tel.

<i>On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II</i> 1979 greatest hits album by Donna Summer

On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II is the first greatest hits album by American singer Donna Summer, released on October 15, 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Bells (band)</span> Canadian soft rock band

The Bells, a.k.a. The Five Bells, were a Canadian soft rock band from Montreal, Quebec, active from 1964 to 1974. They released five albums and several singles, two of which were major hits in the early 70s, "Fly Little White Dove Fly" and especially "Stay Awhile".

Quality Records was a Canadian entertainment company which released music albums in Canada on behalf of American record labels. They also released recordings by Canadian artists.

Razor & Tie was an American entertainment company that consisted of a record label and a music publishing company. It was established in 1990 by Craig Balsam and Cliff Chenfeld. Based in New York City, Razor & Tie releases were distributed by Universal Music Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Vinton discography</span>

The discography of American singer-songwriter Bobby Vinton consists of 38 studio albums, 67 compilation albums, two video albums, three live albums, and 88 singles.

Scott Christopher Shephard is a British music industry executive and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of So, Let's Talk and former President of Europe for American record label, Global Music Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Love Call</span> Song composed by Herbert Stothart, Rudolf Friml

"Indian Love Call" is a popular song from Rose-Marie, a 1924 operetta-style Broadway musical with music by Rudolf Friml and Herbert Stothart, and book and lyrics by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II. Originally written for Mary Ellis, the song achieved continued popularity under other artists and has been called Friml's best-remembered work.

Philip Kives was a Canadian business executive, entrepreneur, and marketing expert from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is best known for founding K-tel, which sold household gadgets including the Miracle Brush, Feather Touch Knife, Veg-O-Matics, as well as many compilation record albums.

Arcade Records was a British record company specialised in multi-artist compilation albums, founded in 1972. In the 1970s, it found itself in direct competition with K-tel and other compilation labels. Some Arcade albums reached Number 1 but have never had an official UK release on CD...These are 20 Fantastic Hits, The Best Of Roy Orbison & Jim Reeves 40 Golden Greats. In the 1980s, the original company was sold to Dutch entrepreneur Herman Heinsbroek, who expanded it into a worldwide multi-media company.

Bryan Turner is a Canadian–American entertainment executive and entrepreneur. He is perhaps best known for being the founder of Priority Records in 1985, which was “the country’s largest independent label in the mid-90s” according to the New York Times. Turner was CEO and sold a portion of the business to EMI in 1996 and the remainder in 1998.

<i>The Best of Lynn Anderson: Memories and Desires</i> 1982 studio album (re-recording) by Lynn Anderson

The Best of Lynn Anderson: Memories and Desires is a studio album by American country artist Lynn Anderson. It was released in 1982 via Era Records.Internationally, the album was released on the K-tel distribution company. Although labeled as "The Best of," the album was actually a studio release but it contained re-recordings of songs Anderson first cut in years prior for other labels. Many of the songs on the project were re-recordings of songs she has first cut for other labels. Previously unrecorded tracks were also included on the project.

References

  1. ↑ "Philip Kives, K-tel founder and 'wait there's more' infomercial king, dies at 87". The Guardian, 29 April 2016
  2. ↑ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1972-10-28). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.{{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  3. ↑ "K-Tel International (UK) Ltd". Discogs. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  4. ↑ "Kives, Philip". The Canadian Encyclopedia . Archived from the original on April 27, 2006.
  5. ↑ Fox, Margalit (2016-04-29). "Philip Kives, Pitchman Who Perfected 'As Seen on TV' Infomercials, Dies at 87". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2016-04-30.
  6. ↑ Palmeri, Christopher; Meeks, Fleming (1993-03-15). "Veg-O-Matic does Europe". Forbes. 151 (6): 114–116.
  7. 1 2 "About K-tel International". K-tel. Archived from the original on 2016-05-04. Retrieved 2007-09-03.
  8. ↑ "Hall of Fame People". Globe and Mail Report on Business. October 31, 2003.
  9. ↑ Cross, Alan (2016-04-28). "We Just Lost Another Music-Related Personality: RIP The Founder of K-Tel - Alan Cross". Alan Cross' A Journal of Musical Things. Retrieved 2022-12-05.
  10. 1 2 Newman, Roger (May 1986). "Report on Business". Death [and Rebirth] of a Salesman.
  11. ↑ Newman, Roger (May 1986). "Report On Business".
  12. ↑ "51st Annual Report of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission" (PDF). U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. p. 141.
  13. ↑ "K Tel International: Sweet Music For A Frenetic Marketer". BusinessWeek . Archived from the original on May 8, 2009.
  14. ↑ "K-Tel Annual Report 10-K". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 1995.
  15. ↑ Club Mix '96 Vol. 1 - Various Artists | Credits | AllMusic , retrieved 2020-07-18
  16. ↑ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  17. ↑ Baig, Edward C.; Weiss, Gary (1998-05-18). "What's Making K-Tel Boogie?". BusinessWeek (3578): 151.
  18. ↑ "K-Tel Fails to Meet Nasdaq Listing Criteria". The New York Times . November 18, 1998.
  19. ↑ "What's Making K-Tel Boogie?". BusinessWeek . May 18, 1998. Archived from the original on October 9, 1999.
  20. ↑ "SEC: Amendment 4 to Schedule 13e-3". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
  21. 1 2 CBC Radio (23 Nov 2018). "But wait, there's more! K-Tel, the Spotify of the '70s, is still going strong". CBC Radio. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  22. ↑ "'20 Original Hits! 20 Original Stars!' Inside K-Tel, the Innovator Behind the 'As Seen on TV' Compilation Album". Mental Floss. 2022-08-11. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  23. ↑ Reece, Doug (1998-08-15). "K-tel moves into digital distribution of songs". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 33. p. 6.
  24. ↑ "K-Tel International Ltd". Discogs. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  25. ↑ "Canada's Best-Selling Kids Music Group the MINI POP KIDS Celebrate their BRIGHT LIGHTS RELIT TOUR with New Video for "About That Time" | Cashbox Canada". cashboxcanada.ca. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  26. ↑ Kliem, Theresa (April 2022). "K-Tel compilations were the Spotify of the 70s, thanks to one Sask. man". CBC News. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  27. ↑ CBC News (April 2016). "Phil Kives, K-Tel International founder, dies at 87". CBC News. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  28. ↑ Williams, George (August 2016). "K-tel founder Phil Kives sadly missed in Manitoba racing circles". Canadian Thoroughbred. 31 (6): 17.
  29. 1 2 "K-Tel: The Secret History". The Independent . January 9, 2005.
  30. 1 2 Schudel, Matt (April 28, 2016). "Phil Kives, K-Tel pitchman 'As Seen on TV' who got America 'Hooked on Classics,' dies at 87". The Washington Post . Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  31. ↑ Taylor, Chuck (25 November 2000). "When Compilations Began With A 'K', page 100". Billboard (magazine) . Bill Communications Inc. Retrieved 27 September 2024.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  32. ↑ Phil, Brandel (21 December 2024). "K-Tel records made millions with compilation albums before it hit hard times". ABC News. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  33. ↑ "The New K-Tel". by Matt Ashare. in SPIN Media LLC (December 1999). SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. pp. 76–. ISSN   0886-3032.
  34. ↑ "K-Tel International (UK) Ltd". Discogs. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  35. ↑ "THE COMIC ANSWER COMPANY LIMITED company key information - UK.GlobalDatabase.com". uk.globaldatabase.com. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  36. ↑ "The Comic Answer Company". Discogs. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  37. ↑ Spitting Image Answer Backs Royal Impressions answering machine cassette, 7 April 2022, retrieved 2022-07-10
  38. ↑ Spitting Image Answer Backs Celebrity Impressions for Your Answerphone, 27 June 2020, retrieved 2022-07-10
  39. ↑ Spitting Image - Celebrity Answerbacks , retrieved 2022-07-10
  40. ↑ Catalano, Michele (February 20, 2013). "K-Tel Records - The Spotify of the 70s". Forbes . Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  41. ↑ "Dave Grohl's SXSW Keynote Speech: 'The Musician Comes First'". Rolling Stone . March 14, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  42. ↑ "Philip Kives, K-tel's creator, brought loud chutzpah to TV advertising". The Globe and Mail . April 28, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.