Label Guide: Passport

Passport Records was an American label, launched in 1973 by parent company JEM Records in partnership with Sire. JEM, named after the first initials of founders Jeff Tenenbaum, Ed Grossi and Marty Scott, was originally an importer of mostly British albums to the U.S. before it started Passport.

When Sire Records was acquired by Warner Bros. in 1977, the partnership ended and JEM operated Passport Records on its own. It grew to become the Passport Record Group, which included the labels Passport Jazz, Audion, Import, Important, PVC Records and Visa Records.

In early 1987, Passport Records broke away from the Record Group and became its own entity again, led my Marty Scott. Parent company JEM was hit by a copyright lawsuit that led to financial troubles and Passport was closed in 1988, with final bankruptcy following one year later.