A fleeting Soul subsidiary of Island Records (q.v.). The launch of Island USA was mentioned in 'Music Week' of the 16th of November 1974; according to the article, material for the new label was to be sourced from small independents and production companies in the States. The label design bore a family resemblance to that of Island in that it featured a palm tree and waves, but the scene was suitably Americanized. Promo copies varied: initially they had a large but very thin blue 'A', which grew thicker for USA-004 to 008 (2); for the final three singles the 'A' was replaced with the legend 'DJ Copy Only' in a red 'rope-style' font - an example on the Island label can be found on the Island page. There don't appear to have been any albums issued; the singles were initially numbered in a USA-000 series, but this led to a clash with UK Records. UK was planning to launch a similar label, UK American, and it intended to use a 'USA' prefix for its records. UK American didn't release its first product until January 1975, by which time several Island USA singles had been issued, but UK claimed that it had registered its label details earlier than Island and that therefore the law was on its side. The matter was settled in a civilized manner, with Island's David Betteridge and UK's Clive Selwood tossing a coin ('MW', 8th February 1975). Selwood won, but there seems to have been a compromise: both UK and Island continued to use the 'USA' prefix but Island changed its numbering to the 2000s. In the event it appears not to have mattered very much, as Island USA survived for only three more issues and had expired by the autumn. Manufacture was by EMI, with EMI and Island sharing the job of distribution.
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.