Evolution of Major Record Labels Quiz

• The early 1800s saw the emergence of phonographs and phonorecords, which allowed for mass production of records.
• By the end of the century, three record companies had established themselves as the leaders of the industry: the Thomas A. Edison Company, Victor Talking Machine Company, and Columbia Phonograph Company.
• In the late 1910s, the original patents on audio recording technologies expired and entered the public domain. This led to the emergence of independent labels throughout the twenties.
• Simultaneously, the invention of radio was becoming popular and taking consumers away from the recorded music industry.
• The combined result was a decline of the record industry in the late twenties and early thirties. Consolidation continued throughout the thirties and left the American Gramophone Company, Decca, and RCA Victor as the top record labels of the decade.
• The 1940s saw a large number of new independent record labels established. There also began a trend of film studios extending their operations to include a audio divisions. MGM created MGM Records in 1946. Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. followed next by creating ABC Records and Warner Records. Eventually, 20th Century Fox followed by forming 20th Century Records.
• Consolidation occurred again on a larger scale throughout the sixties. At this point, CBS had acquired Columbia Records and American Record Corporation (ARC) along with their stock of subsidiaries.
• Warner Brothers bought Reprise and then Seven Arts. As Warner-Seven Arts, they bought Atlantic and Elektra Records before being purchased and folded into the Kinney Corporations umbrella in 1969.
• In 1967, MCA put subsidiaries Brunswick and Coral under the MCA label. They also bought Decca (US).
• By the end of the sixties, CBS was the top record label followed by Warner Brothers. RCA Victor, Capitol-EMI, Polygram, and MCA also remained on the leaderboard of the recording industry.
• Warner was incredibly active in the 1970s, establishing Casablanca and acquiring Sire and Asylum records. WEA was also created under Warner Communications through the merger of Elektra and Atlantic in 1973. Polygram (formed in 1972 in the merger of Phonogram and Polydor) bought half of Casablanca from Warner. They went on to purchase RSO Records in 1976. By the end of the decade, they owned many labels including Polydor, Mercury, Smash, MGM, and Verve.
• EMI Records, formed by EMI in 1972, partnered with Capitol Records in the late seventies to create EMI-America. EMI purchased Liberty Records in 1979, putting them under the United Artists brand name. EMI was then bought by Thorn, becoming Thorn-EMI.
• By the end of the 1970s the top major labels were CBS (owner of Colgems), EMI, Warner, PolyGram (owner of Poly
• In the early 1990s, the music industry was dominated by a few major record labels.
• MCA was bought by Matsushita in 1990, and CBS Records became Sony Music in 1991.
• Warner Music Group was formed in 1996 after Seagrams bought MCA.
• Universal Music Group formed in 1996 after Seagrams bought MCA.
• Island Records merged with Def Jam and Mercury and merged A&M and MCA.
• Rhino Records purchased the catalog of defunct rap label Sugar Hill Records in 1995.
• Thorn EMI separated and became EMI Group and the Thorn Company, respectively.
• Vivendi came together in 2000 as a result of the merger of Canal+ and Seagrams.

Test your knowledge of the history and evolution of major record labels from the early 1800s to the 2000s. Explore the emergence of independent labels, mergers, acquisitions, and the dominance of key players in the recording industry.