KFR (3)

Not really a label but a re-distribution network of labels, tape labels to be exact. The idea was to make international tape/DIY releases locally available. The basic principle of the network was the following: Tape labels all over the world set up so-called "KFR-Stations". Artists or other tape-labels send "master-copies" of their tape-releases to the stations, usually a quality cassette and cover art for being photocopied, occasionally finished prints. The stations include these releases in their local catalog. No judgments about content, quality or style of the releases are being made. Everything is taken over without exception. K.F.R. stands for "Kentucky Fried Royalty". The network started as a kind of US-UK-bridge, initiated by Jennifer from Grievance Tapes and Stephen Parsons (2) from BBP Records (2) in 1987. "Kentucky Fried" represented the US-side of the bridge and "Royalty" the UK-side. Early KFR-stations beside KFR-USA and KFR-UK were KFR-Germany (SHM Tapes), KFR-Argentina (La Sonrisa De Luz), KFR-Japan (Toshiyuki Hiraoka) and KFR-Noway (Hypertonia World Enterprises). Lord Litter in Berlin provided information services. Relatively soon certain stations stopped operating. KFR-USA was taken over by Lonely Whistle Music, KFR-Germany by Lord Litter. Some years later KFR-UK was passed into care of Mick Magic. (The large catalog of the Music & Elsewhere originally was derived from the old KFR-UK catalog.) It is not clear how much effect KFR had as a distribution network and how long it existed. Anyhow Lord Litter's pr-work helped the DIY-world being perceived by parts of the mainstream media.