Label Guide: Plus

Plus was a very short-lived German low-price label, owned by Miller International Schallplatten GmbH. Only three albums were released in 1971 before the label folded again, all three of them highly collectible today.

Miller International was founded in 1961 by American David L. Miller to introduce low-budget US recordings to the German market. The main record labels for Miller in Germany were Europa (founded 1965) and Somerset, but the company also owned labels in Canada, the UK, and the US.

Back in the early 1970s, records were sold at a fixed price in Germany, usually 22.00 DM. Miller International labels were all budget priced and sold for significantly less, Europa for 5.00 DM and Plus for a so-called 'mid price' at 12.80 DM. This led to the obscure situation that the three Plus releases -- three gems of German progressive rock -- were usually not available in record stores. Instead they were sold in supermarkets and gas stations.