Planet Records (17)

Defunct Swedish record company founded by Mats Olsson, that re-released, manufactured and distributed releases from all genres for the Scandinavian market. In 1977, Olsson left CBS to set up his own record label, Planet Records, as well as a publishing company, Planet Music (announced in Swedish newspapers 1977-06-09). Planet specialized in children’s repertoire, most importantly the duo Trazan & Banarne, Klasse Möllberg & Lasse Åberg. Their 1977 LP ‘Sångtajm med Trazan & Banarne’ sold 180,000 copies – thus giving Olsson’s label a kick-start. Other acts contracted by Planet Records included Hansson de Wolfe United, Drifters, and Peter Lundblad. Moreover, using his contacts from the time he worked for CBS, Olsson managed to obtain licenses to represent foreign music labels in Sweden; this led to the release of LPs by Eddy Grant, The Pet Shop Boys, Black Sabbath, and several other international acts on the Planet label. In 1995, Mats Olsson sold Planet Records, holding on, however, to his publishing company.