[1] Heilicher, along with his brother Danny, was also in the jukebox and wholesale record distribution businesses, and owned the Musicland chain of retail music stores.
Started in 1954, Soma began mainly recording polka music, old-time country and western, and jazz groups.
Its first hit was Bobby Vee's 1959 "Suzie Baby", which was a regional smash before Liberty Records bought the master and issued it nationally.
Heilicher had some ownership in the Kay Bank Studios, where most of Soma's recordings were made.
Soma recorded many local and regional rock groups during the 1960s at Kay Bank Studios, including The Accents, Gregory Dee and The Avanties, The Underbeats, and The Del Counts, as well as distributing other smaller labels (such as Garrett, Bangar, Golden Ring and Studio City).