ABSTRACT
The Jem label was established in 1970 by Marty Scott, Edward J. Grossi, and Jeffrey C. Tenebaum. The firm started out selling British imported discs from a van on college campuses, and went on to great success as an importer/distributor. Jem brought Elton John and Genesis to the American market, and had a hit with the soundtrack of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It launched subsidiary labels Passport, Passport Jazz, and Audion. In 1985 Jem encountered legal problems in the form of a suit for copyright infringement, brought by T.B. Harms, an American music publisher. A federal court ruled that importers like Jem would have to pay royalties to publishers. Jem filed for bankruptcy in August 1988.
