TANZA

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TANZA was a pioneering New Zealand record label, from 1949 to 1956.
TANZA stands for To Assist New Zealand Artists, and was the first company to record and produce records in New Zealand.

The majority were 78 rpm records, with some 45 rpm records and LPs produced from 1952.

The label was started by the Radio Corporation of New Zealand Limited (RCNZ), which manufactured Columbus and Courtenay radios and radiograms, sold through their Columbus Radio Centre 30 retail outlets.
Bart Fortune ,the RCNZ Sales & Marketing manager devised the name TANZA.
Blue Smoke TANZA Green Label 1. was recorded by Pixie Williams and the Ruru Karaitiana Quintette.

About 300 78s were pressed (excluding private recordings), plus 31 45s (26 & 5 EP) and 4 LPs (3 10” & 1 12”).
The original concept of recording advertisements and distributing them to radio stations on vinyl discs proved to be a major success and some 4250 single side discs were produced in the 7 years that TANZA studios were operating, an average of 12 per week.

The parent company RCNZ was bought by PYE Industries of Auckland about 1958.