Major British based multinational conglomerate operating from 1931 to 1971. (Later known as EMI Ltd.) (This is a company, not a label.)
Electric & Musical Industries Ltd. (often simply referred to as EMI.) is represented on releases by its corporate trademark "boxed EMI logo" mostly alongside primary branded labels such as His Master's Voice, Columbia or Parlophone etc, this branding simply indicates that it was released by one of its subsidiary company's or their labels, which formed part of its record division.
aka. Electric & Musical Industries Limited / E.M.I. Ltd.
Principal activities through its worldwide subsidiary companies and branches - included the manufacture and sale of records and tapes, sound recording, music publishing, film production and distribution, retail, medical, industrial and military defence electronics, domestic electronic products and cinemas.
Electric & Musical Industries Ltd. (E.M.I. Ltd.) (EMI) was founded and incorporated on the 20th Apr 1931 through the merger and acquisition of The Gramophone Co. Ltd., 2 principal companies that were already operating established international branches and subsidiaries in other parts of world, including , , US, Australia, New Zealand, India and Africa.
Following the merger, His Master's Voice was owned by The Gramophone Co. Ltd. In 1956 Electric & Musical Industries Ltd., after more than a half a century of collaboration, ended the matrix and exchange agreements between RCA-Victor and The Gramophone Co. Ltd.
In 1931 the company was forced to sell the Columbia Graphophone Co. Ltd. American subsidiary - Angel Records trademark.
Post merger the Spanish operations of TGCL and CGCL, EMI-Odeon, S.A. in 1972)
The company establishes The Decca Record Company Limited, with Louis Sterling serving as chairman of the PPL board from its incorporation until 1939.
In 1936 the company effects a merger of its of 2 French (indirect subsidiaries) Pathé imprint (label). As of 27th March 2013 successor EMI Music S.A.S. was still the ed owner the of Pathé trademark.
German operations from 1931 continued to operate under the immediate control of (indirect) subsidiaries, EMI Electrola GmbH)
The Gramophone Company Ltd. and Columbia Graphophone Company Ltd. had already established research and development departments, in the early 30s this work progressed through its tly established Central Research Laboratories (CRL) at the Hayes Blythe Road complex, the world’s first system for recording and playing "binaural sound" (stereophonic sound) was developed by one of its scientists, Alan Blumlein (although stereo recordings would not be widely commercially available for another 25 years). The company became increasingly involved within the electronics market, specifically within the domestic, industrial, military defence and medical science sectors, establishing and acquiring numerous new (non music related) companies over the next 4 decades, which carried out pioneering research and development, into e.g. stereo sound recording, studio recording consoles, vinyl presses, photomultipliers, magnetic tape, radar systems, guided missiles, televisions, radios, broadcasting, cameras, computing, integrated circuits, CT scanners.
In 1948 His Master's Voice (NZ) Limited, which was established in 1926 by TGCL.
As of the mid 50s the company (group) primarily operated as 2 main divisions - a records division and an electronics division (headed by E.M.I. Electronics Ltd. - which as of the 1960s included 6 sub divisions). These 2 principal divisions formed the backbone of what became generically known as Electric & Musical Industries Group (EMI Group). (Not to be confused with EMI Group Plc ,which was a successor company formed in 1996 and purely operating within the music / entertainment industry).
In 1956 Capitol Records, Inc. was subsequently acquired in 1955 and would oversea North American operations.
The first in-house publishing company was established in 1958 as Al Gallico Music Corp.
In 1959/60 introduced the "boxed "EMI" logo, as its new principal corporate trademark, replacing [Invalid Label]s former corporate logo used throughout the 50s. In late 1963/64 the company also introduced the "EMI record/globe" "specifically "EMI" and a halved oval design, the left half consisting of the stylized representation of a phonograph record and the right half consisting of a representation of a terrestrial globe". - this new trademark logo represented the record division.
The record division is reorganised in 1965, EMI Records Ltd. on the 1st July 1973 and subsequently took over this role.)
A majority holding is acquired in N.V. Negram-Delta) in 1967, a company with close ties dating back to the 1940s.
In 1968 US subsidiary Capitol Records, Inc. merges with Toshiba EMI Ltd in 1973)
As part of its growing leisure entertainment operations, which already included "The Grade Organisation" (established by MGM-EMI Distributors Ltd.
As of 1970 the company was employing 42.000 people worldwide and operating over 60 principal subsidiaries, 23 UK based companies of which 11 were music related and formed part of the record division, the other 12 consisted of electronic, medical and defence companies which now operated as part of 14 sub divisions. Overseas the company was operating 39 wholly owned / majority owned principal subsidiaries in 26 countries (not including the various local subsidiaries and t partnerships.)
Principal companies that formed part of the recorded music operations as of 1970 - included: UK - Toshiba Musical Industries Ltd. (50%)
In 1970 the board requested approval from shareholders to change the name of the company, quote "Our present name no longer reflects are wide span of activities and interests, secondly, The initials "EMI" have become are primary means of identification throughout the world". In Jan 1971 the company was renamed EMI Ltd. (The removal of "periods" between "E.M.I." company names was reflected across the board within this time period 1971/72, with the majority of its companies being slightly rebranded / renamed.)
Note
Following the introduction of the companies boxed "EMI" corporate trademark, this logo was commonly placed on releases alongside primary branded labels such as - Pathé etc.., the logo simply indicates it was released by one of its operating companies (subsidiaries) who were the direct ed trademark owners of these primary labels / brands.
Trademarks used by its other operating companies (electronics) included - Emitron, Emitape, Emiscope, Marconiphone, G. Marconi, Morpy Richards, Ardente
