KP Music Recorded Library (England) / 1960
Corporate background:
The ‘KP’ initials refer to the
name Keith Prowse, founded by Robert Keith and William Prowse
in 1830 as musical instrument manufacturers, music publishers
and ticket sellers, and are still in operation today. Denmark
Street, the address seen on the label, was home to many
London-based music-related companies, being known as the
British ‘Tin Pan Alley,’ and contains
London’s biggest collection of music shops.
Design: The
stroboscopic border, a technological gimmick which first made
its appearance in the 1930s, is prominent.
The black and red quartering of the upper
segment is more typical of 1950s design, in which large flat
areas of colour were often juxtaposed (see Ibis, Atlantic).
The overall hard-edged
‘sharpness’ is accentuated by the needle-pointed
star at the upper right; whether this was a corporate logo or
was used in the company’s publicity is unknown.