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USA Cassette Prefixes   


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  22nd Mar 2024, 3:36 PM#1  REPORT  
Malcyramone SUBS

Remember the good old 1980's?
Member since Sep 2011
7770 Points
Does anyone understand the 3 letter prefix on American cassette cat. numbers?
I've worked out FZA, JZA QZA and ZAX are for 8 tracks, but there are also:
FZT
JZT
PZT
QZT
ZGT
Is it a date code or a price code or something else?


  23rd Mar 2024, 1:13 AM#2  REPORT  
annaloog ●

Member since Sep 2012
6717 Points
Moderator
Offhand, they appear to be prefixes for US Columbia distributed label cassette issues - the T for cassette.

The leftmost letter (F, J, P, etc.) is a price code. The 'Z' indicates distributed label (such as Monument or Jet).

The ZGT prefix indicates a double-length cassette.


  23rd Mar 2024, 1:11 PM#3  REPORT  
Malcyramone SUBS

Remember the good old 1980's?
Member since Sep 2011
7770 Points
That's good to know, it should help work out the release order.
F must have been released before J and J before P.


  23rd Mar 2024, 10:14 PM#4  REPORT  
PhilMH SUBS

Member since Jan 2012
1055 Points
Malcyramone wrote:
That's good to know, it should help work out the release order.
F must have been released before J and J before P.

I'd have to dig out my old Schwann catalogues to double check the tape prices, but the CBS, Inc. alpha price codes for LPs ran thus:

K - $5.98
P - $6.98
J - $7.98
F - $8.98
Q - nominally $9.98, but I think by this point CBS was telling the dealers they could charge whatever they wanted!

G was for double albums, but was used in various combinations, e.g. CG, KG, PEG, JZG, whatever. Tape prices I think were a dollar more than the vinyl equivalents, and I think soundtrack LPs (e.g. JS) were also a dollar more than regular product.

P.S. I don't know why CBS allocated the codes without following any sort of alphabetical order, but IIRC the P code would have come in about 1974, when labels generally began charging $6.98 for topline releases; J for $7.98 circa 1977, and F for $8.98 two or three years later.

Edited by PhilMH on 23rd Mar 2024, 10:19 PM

  25th Apr 2024, 5:54 PM#5  REPORT  
Malcyramone SUBS

Remember the good old 1980's?
Member since Sep 2011
7770 Points
Thanks for the information.


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