ABC Records started in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records, the record label of Am-Par Record Corporation (a subsidiary of American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, Inc.), formed in New York City in 1955. In addition to producing records directly, ABC licensed finished masters from independent producers and purchased regionally released records for national distribution. The corporate name of Am-Par Record Corp. was changed to ABC-Paramount Records, Inc. in 1962, and then to ABC Records, Inc. in 1967.