ABSTRACT
It has been argued that independent record companies in the 1950s did not have the corporate hierarchy of the majors, and so had greater flexibility in picking up on and promoting new trends and talent, and a greater ability to adjust record production. In companies such as Sun, the owner, record producer, sound technician, and promoter were often the same person-Sam Philips in this case (see Millard, 1995:291-2).
