Independent record label helped launch the career of newer artists with her Maverick label. A&M Records is widely believed to have been the most successful independent label in history due to its 37-year run and catalog of commercially successful and critically acclaimed records. Founded in 1962 by trumpeter Herb Alpert (A) and record promoter Jerry Moss (M), A&M was initially the label and distributor for Alpert's own Tijuana Brass recordings, but the label quickly began signing other artists. Over its 37-year run, A&M sold records from such artists as Sergio Mendes & Brazil '66, Claudine Longet, The Carpenters, Phil Ochs, Carole King (A&M
Jack Daugherty (musician) Roger Nichols, Richard felt that he was producing the records and Daugherty put his name on them. In 1972, Daugherty had his own secretary at A&M and was paid a $25,000 salary (US$ in dollars) in addition to royalties from The Carpenters' records, but after he was fired from A&M, Daugherty sued Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss for wrongful termination and he claimed that his termination undermined his credibility in the music industry. He lost the 9-year lawsuit after the courts ruled in favour of both A&M and The Carpenters, but the defense cost the record label $350,000 (US$ in