Casablanca Records: Neil Bogart’s Rollercoaster Ride Through Disco’s Golden Age Part 3

The Twelve Inch 001 : The Story Of Casablanca Records Part 3

Welcome to my 4-part series on Casablanca Records. Instead of the usual sensationalized version, I’ll tell the story stripped back to the facts, while also exploring the role of Neil Bogart and the true impact of Casablanca. Along the way, we’ll tackle some key questions: the money, the excess, and whether the fall could have been avoided.

🔁 What went before

Parts 1–2 covered Bogart’s playbook and the label’s arc. Now we dig into why Casablanca became the premier disco label—and how much of that hung on Donna Summer.

🧭 In this post, we’ll answer

• Why did Casablanca become the premier disco label?

• Would they have succeeded without Donna Summer?

• How did Eurodisco shape Casablanca’s sound and success?

• What did sublabels and non-disco acts add (or cost)?