Jac Holzman on The Doors: "I gave Jim Morrison a microphone"

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Pop star Morrison at concert in California in 1967: 

"My role was to protect him"

Photo: Elaine Mayes / Getty Images

SPIEGEL:

Mr. Holzman, you were 19 years old when you founded the Elektra record company in 1950.

Did you have any idea about business?

Holzman:

No.

I didn't even know how to record a record.

I personally took the master tapes to the press shop just to see what was happening to the tapes there.

I noticed how much sound quality was lost when copying.

I realized that this was where I had to pull the lever.

So I started looking for an expert and found my man for sound in Péter Bartók, the son of the composer Béla Bartók.

SPIEGEL:

The long-playing record had only been around for two years.

Did you feel like you were working on something completely new?

Holzman: Definitely

.

When the long-playing record replaced the shellac record in 1948, it was like a revolution.

A Beethoven symphony no longer had to be pressed onto five fragile, easily breakable shellac records, but fitted onto a vinyl record.

And I did things the way I thought was right - and not the way the others did.

I printed the lyrics or translations if necessary.

Back then it was not common practice to pack records in inner sleeves.

But I thought: if I don't do that, the records will scratch.

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