History Creator / Rykodisc

Rykodisc ("Ryko" for short) was an independent record label formed in Salem, Massachusetts in 1983. Named after what they claimed was the Japanese onomatopoeia for the "sound from a flash of light" (actually the Japanese word for lightning, 雷光), Rykodisc billed themselves on being the first record label to release their material solely on the then-nascent UsefulNotes/CompactDisc format (though as time went on they'd later create a "Ryko Analogue" imprint for releasing material on LP and cassette). The label initially found some success with artists who were deemed "too unconventional" by the mainstream music world, such as Music/FrankZappa, Music/YokoOno, Music/TheResidents and Music/MissionOfBurma, acting primarily as an outlet for reissuing older material and providing CD releases for newer works. Zappa was a particularly ardent supporter of Ryko, embracing them with open arms after previously suffering through persistent ExecutiveMeddling throughout much of his career and a lengthy legal battle with Creator/WarnerBrosRecords and former manager Herb Cohen.

During the 90's, Ryko also debuted their trademark green-tinted all-transparent jewel cases (and we do mean "UsefulNotes/{{trademark}}"; [[DisneyOwnsThisTrope they legally owned the rights to that specific design]]), which they featured on all releases on the label for some time, most notably on their "[=Au20=]" series of gold [=CDs=]. Ryko Analogue had already been releasing [=LPs=] on clear vinyl since the late 80's, and the green jewel case seemed to be an extension of that. Because the unusual design and trademarking made them difficult to replace (which became a frequent point of irritation for many buyers then and now, not helped by them being more fragile than conventional jewel cases), Ryko would often have to supply large quantities of empty cases to retailers for the specific purpose of replacing broken ones. While the bottle green cases did aid in giving Ryko a unique visual identity, their highly cumbersome nature caused them to be recalled after a while, with Ryko opting for standard clear jewel cases (without any color tinting) from that point onwards. Nowadays these cases are considered collectors' items, especially if they managed to remain unbroken.

As the 80's came to a close and the 90's began, Ryko began to garner more mainstream attention, handling reissues for major artists seeking to reestablish themselves in the mainstream eye such as Music/DavidBowie, Music/{{Devo}}, Music/ElvisCostello, [[Music/SoftMachine Robert Wyatt]], Music/{{Badfinger}}, and Music/NineInchNails, smaller but influential artists (both living and dead) such as Music/BigStar (including Chris Bell's posthumous solo album, ''I Am The Cosmos''), The Undertones, Music/NickDrake, Music/FairportConvention, and Music/RichardThompson (the last three on producer Joe Boyd's Hannibal imprint) who were never able to make it big at first, and deceased acclaimed artists such as Music/JimiHendrix who the public had largely forgotten about despite being held in high regard. Bowie was a particular claim to fame for Ryko, who devoted an extensive amount of advertising to touting the strength of his legacy and the quality of their new remasters of his 1969-1980 back-catalog, sourced from the original master tapes (rather than the multi-generation safety tapes that the original Creator/RCARecords [=CDs=] used) and featuring exclusive bonus tracks not included on the original release, some of which were newly completed by Bowie and co. from old, unfinished demos. Ryko's reissue campaign for the Bowie back-catalog was not only critically and commercially successful, but it would also end up setting the standard for the remaster & reissue craze that still persists to this day.

Rykodisc ("Ryko" for short) was an independent record label formed in Salem, Massachusetts in 1983. Named after what they claimed was the Japanese onomatopoeia for the "sound from a flash of light" (actually the Japanese word for lightning), Rykodisc billed themselves on being the first record label to release their material solely on the then-nascent UsefulNotes/CompactDisc format (though as time went on they'd later create a "Ryko Analogue" imprint for releasing material on LP and cassette). The label initially found some success with artists who were deemed "too unconventional" by the mainstream music world, such as Music/FrankZappa, Music/YokoOno, Music/TheResidents and Music/MissionOfBurma, acting primarily as an outlet for reissuing older material and providing CD releases for newer works. Zappa was a particularly ardent supporter of Ryko, embracing them with open arms after previously suffering through persistent ExecutiveMeddling throughout much of his career and a lengthy legal battle with Creator/WarnerBrosRecords and former manager Herb Cohen.