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Deram Records was set up by Decca Records (UK) ostensibly as a label for "alternative" or "progressive" artists. As with other UK Decca subsidiary labels, Deram's U.S. counterpart was distributed under the London Records arm. It was active from 1966 until 1979. Decca positioned it against Island Records, Harvest Records (launched by EMI) and Vertigo Records (launched by Philips Records), but it failed to compete long-term.

From the start, Decca placed pop records along side progressive artists on Deram, even though Decca's plan was for Deram to be an "alternative" label. Cat Stevens found early success on the label before moving to Island Records and David Bowie's first album appeared on the label. Three of their earliest hits, Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade Of Pale, The Move's "Night Of Fear" and "I Can Hear The Grass Grow" were not artists actually signed to Deram; they were part of a deal with Straight Ahead Productions, who moved their acts to EMI and EMI reintroduced their Regal Zonophone imprint just for them.

In 1969, Decca launched a true progressive label "Nova", which lasted less than a year. This was even more confusing as simultaneous releases on "Deram Nova" and "Decca Nova" appeared.

Decca released Justin Hayward (of Moody Blues fame)'s "Songwriter" (1977) and "Night Flight" (1980) vinyl albums on Deram. Some of the more progressive jazz musicians of the late 1960s were released under the Deram imprint including Mike Gibbs, John Surman and Mike Westbrook.

Deram was briefly revived in the early 1980s, when its roster included Bananarama, The Modettes, Splodgenessabounds and TV21. Deram has also been used as a reissue imprint for the Decca/London catalog.

Deram became a home for artists such as:

• Aardvark
• Johnny Almond Music Machine
• Amen Corner
• Lionel Bart
• Beefcake
• David Bowie (debut album)
• The Alan Bown
• Brotherhood of Man
• Pete Brown
• Camel
• The Camerata Contemporary Chamber Group
• John Cameron Quartet
• Junior Campbell
• Caravan
• Michael Chapman
• Chicken Shack
• Clouds
• Shirley Collins
• Curved Air
• Terry Durham
• East of Eden
• Egg
• Eyes of Blue
• Bill Fay
• The Flirtations
• The Flower Pot Men
• Frijid Pink
• Galliard
• Giles, Giles and Fripp
• Keef Hartley
• The Hawaiians
• Honeybus
• Clark Hutchison
• Iron Virgin
• Chim Kothari
• Alvin Lee & Company
• Neil MacArthur (pseudonym for Colin Blunstone)
• Stavely Makepeace
• Mellow Candle
• The Moody Blues
• The Move
• Pacific Drift
• Principal Edwards
• Procol Harum
• Les Reed
• Room (band)
• George "Harmonica" Smith
• Whistling Jack Smith
• Cat Stevens
• Streak
• Stud
• The Syn
• Ten Years After
• Tintern Abbey
• Darryl Way's Wolf
• The Web
• The World of Oz
• White Plains
• Zakarrias

• List of record labels

• Deram Records - art label design & artists at www.collectable-records.ru
• List of Deram singles
• A discography of American Deram singles
• A discography of Canadian Deram releases

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