Neil Cooper; Founded Independent Cassette Record Label in 1979
Neil Cooper, 71, president and founder of the ROIR rock and reggae record label, died Aug. 13 of cancer in New York.
Cooper, a former agent for MCA and Famous Artists, started the New York-based independent Reach Out International Records in 1979 to release material solely on cassette tapes.
His first release, in 1981, was by James Chance and the Contortions. Cooper produced cassettes by such rock acts as Bad Brains, Glenn Branca, Television, the MC5, Johnny Thunders and the New York Dolls.
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