Cleveland-based Telarc and its subsidiaries (including Heads Up Intl., which was bought by Telarc in 2000) have been purchased by Concord Records, which includes Peak, Playboy Jazz, Stretch, Concord Picante and Fantasy Records (which was acquired late in 2004). The merged companies will be called Concord Music Group (www.concordmusicgroup.com).
Telarc became the first label to commercially use digital recording in 1978 and, in 1983, was one of the first to launch CDs in a joint effort with Sony Corp. Both Telarc and Heads Up have a number of recordings in high-definition and SACD formats. According to Telarc president Bob Woods, “Glen Barros [president/CEO of the Concord Music Group] and I have known each other for some time and I respect the creative indie mentality our companies share, which allows us to respond quickly to the constant change and abundant opportunities in our industry. We’ll be a larger entity, but we won’t move slowly.”
