CD One Stop
Encyclopedia
CD One Stop was a distributor of pre-recorded music in the late 1980s through the 90s. It was started in 1985 by Alan Meltzer, owner of the Titus Oaks Records music chain in Long Island
. Meltzer moved to Connecticut and launched the company, which was the first of its kind to distribute only compact discs, out of his house in Ridgefield.
Meltzer later rented an office and warehouse in neighboring Bethel. But the company's growth was enormous. By 1989, its 28000 square feet (2,601.3 m²) of office space and warehouse were barely enough. It moved to a 90000 square feet (8,361.3 m²) facility in Bethel's Francis J. Clarke Industrial park. By 1992, the company had knocked down the northeast wall and doubled the warehouse to 180000 square feet (16,722.5 m²). By this time, it was also distributing cassettes
and had taken over some exclusive distribution lines owned by Schwartz Bros. CD One Stop also opened a West Coast office at this time outside of Sacramento to compete with Valley Distributors.
In 1993, the company was sold to Alliance Entertainment Corp., a holding company buying up distributors such as Encore (Denver), Bassin (Miami), and Abbey Road (Los Angeles). Meltzer, and his key management staff, became the odd men out. But Meltzer was rumored to have invested heavily in a startup called CD Now, an early online music store, which later sold to Amazon
becoming its music arm.
Meltzer's first attempt at a record label was in 1996 with Grass Records, which morphed into Wind Up Entertainment
, which gave us the likes of Creed
, Evanescence
, and Seether
. Steven Lerner, Marketing Director at CD One Stop, became the president of Wind Up.
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. Meltzer moved to Connecticut and launched the company, which was the first of its kind to distribute only compact discs, out of his house in Ridgefield.
Meltzer later rented an office and warehouse in neighboring Bethel. But the company's growth was enormous. By 1989, its 28000 square feet (2,601.3 m²) of office space and warehouse were barely enough. It moved to a 90000 square feet (8,361.3 m²) facility in Bethel's Francis J. Clarke Industrial park. By 1992, the company had knocked down the northeast wall and doubled the warehouse to 180000 square feet (16,722.5 m²). By this time, it was also distributing cassettes
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
and had taken over some exclusive distribution lines owned by Schwartz Bros. CD One Stop also opened a West Coast office at this time outside of Sacramento to compete with Valley Distributors.
In 1993, the company was sold to Alliance Entertainment Corp., a holding company buying up distributors such as Encore (Denver), Bassin (Miami), and Abbey Road (Los Angeles). Meltzer, and his key management staff, became the odd men out. But Meltzer was rumored to have invested heavily in a startup called CD Now, an early online music store, which later sold to Amazon
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
becoming its music arm.
Meltzer's first attempt at a record label was in 1996 with Grass Records, which morphed into Wind Up Entertainment
Wind-Up Records
Wind-up Entertainment, Inc. is a record label based in New York City. It was formed in 1997 by Alan Meltzer, former owner of CD One Stop, following his 1996 purchase of Grass Records. Wind-up is currently the largest independently-owned record label in the world...
, which gave us the likes of Creed
Creed (band)
Creed is an American rock band formed in 1995 in Tallahassee, Florida. Becoming popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the band has released three consecutive multi-platinum albums, one of which has been certified diamond, and has sold over 28 million records in the United States, with an...
, Evanescence
Evanescence
Evanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. After recording private albums, the band released their first full-length album, Fallen, on Wind-up Records in 2003. Fallen sold more than 17 million copies worldwide...
, and Seether
Seether
Seether is a post-grunge/alternative metal band from Pretoria, South Africa, formed in 1999. The band is currently signed to Wind-up Records...
. Steven Lerner, Marketing Director at CD One Stop, became the president of Wind Up.