[Continental Record Distribution]

CRD was founded in 1965 by Graham Pauncefort as an import service from Europe and America bringing in LPs that were not ever or not yet distributed in the UK by the majors. Some of it was parallel import and some of it was rare and important recordings that the majors never showed any interest in. As the company grew, it was a logical step for CRD to start its own classical catalogue. The company’s first recordings were released in 1973. Simon Lawman, who had studied at the Royal Academy of Music, joined the company in 1970, was appointed Artistic Director in 1973 and was responsible for all recordings until his untimely death in 1986.
The distribution and recording activities were split into separate companies in 1974. The distribution company passed out of the hands of the principals in 1978 when it was taken over by a European-based investment company.
In 2016 Nimbus at Wyastone took over the manufacture and distribution of the CRD catalogue which MusicWeb is able to offer. There are nearly 200 titles in all.