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EMI Group: chronology

Chronology

This chronology is indicative only. It covers -

Antecedents

1889 Columbia Records formed in US

1897 William Barry Owen of US National Gramophone Company establishes independent recording business in UK as The Gramophone Company

1898 'Recording Angel' trademark used on record labels

1899 Francis Barraud's 'His Master's Voice' painting bought by The Gramophone Company

1900 Owen gains manufacturing rights to Lambert typewriter, company renamed The Gramophone & Typewriter Ltd

1900 'His Master's Voice' registered as trademark in Britain

1903 HMV records first complete opera (Verdi's Ernani) on 40 single-sided disks

1904 first Nellie Melba records released.

1907 'Typewriter' dropped from name

1909 Nipper, the Gramophone Dog, appears on British 'His Master's Voice' record labels

1912 factories operating in eight countries, including England and Russia

1913 estimated one-third of British households own a gramophone

1920 Gramophone Company becomes subsidiary of US Victor Talking Machine Company

1922 Columbia Phonograph sells UK subsidiary Columbia Graphophone to Sterling syndicate

1925 electrical recording is introduced, using AT&T's Western Electric System

1925 Columbia Graphophone buys control of Columbia Phonograph (former parent) for US$2.5m

1925 buys Carl Lindstrom record group in Germany

1926 Columbia acquires German Odeon and Parlophone record labels

1929 Gramophone Company opens first overseas factory in Germany, making 2 million records and 35,000 gramophones in its first year.

1929 Columbia Gramophone Company buys Pathé-Frères recording in France

1929 RCA buys Victor Talking Machine for US$154m

1930 RCA spun off from GE and Westinghouse

beginnings

1931 Gramophone Company Ltd and Columbia Graphophone Company Ltd merge as Electric & Musical Industries Ltd (EMI)

1931 Sir Edward Elgar opens the new EMI Studios at Abbey Road

1936 Jules Thorn floats Thorn Electrical Industries

1938 CBS buys Columbia Records in US

1952 EMI launches its first 33rpm LP

Into US

1955 EMI buys Capitol Records in US

1955 establishes Ardmore & Beechwood as US publishing arm

1958 Cliff Richard records with EMI

1960 buys Top Rank Records from Rank group

1960 last 78rpm record on EMI labels is issued

1962 Beatles sign first contract with Parlophone - 'Love Me Do' released

1962 Top Rank Records closed

1965 EMI forms Music For Pleasure with Paul Hamlyn

1965 World Record Club founded

1966 forms consumer appliance partnership with Associated Electrical Industries

absorbs ABPC

1968 buys Delfont and Grade's Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC) - Elstree Studio and cinema chain

1969 EMI buys Keith Prowse Music Publishing and Central Songs

1969 establishes defence electronics arm as EMI Varian in partnership with US Varian group

1971 Electric & Musical Industries changes name to EMI Ltd

1972 buys Affiliated Music Group publishing

1972 markets first UK CAT scanner

1973 Gramophone Company changes its name to EMI Records Ltd

1974 EMI buys Screen Gems and Colgems music publishing companies

1974 buys Liberty records

1976 EMI Records signs The Sex Pistols

1976 EMI buys British Lion Film Corporation

1979 buys United Artists Records Group

As part of Thorn

1979 Thorn Electrical Industries Ltd buys EMI, becomes Thorn-EMI

1979 sells Elstree Studio

1981 buys Robert Mellin Music publishing

1985 buys Sydney Bron Music publishing

1985 buys UK chip maker INMOS, sells it a year later

1986 Myson merges with heating division of Thorn-EMI, creating EU's largest heating manufacturer

1986 sells most film distribution interests

1986 sells film library to Bond

1987 buys Lawrence Wright music publishing

1987 Thorn EMI sells consumer electronics operations

1989 EMI Music buys 50% interest in Chrysalis Records

1989 EMI buys music publishers SBK Entertainment World for US$295m, adding 250,000 titles to existing catalogue

1989 partnership with Varian dissolved

1989 buys German Intercord group

1990 Murdoch-controlled HarperCollins sells Hatchards bookshops to Pentos for £10.5m

1990 Thorn-EMI heating operations sold to Blue Circle conglomerate, lighting business to GE of the US for £69m

1991 Thorn-EMI buys remaining 50% in Chrysalis Records

1991 buys Filmtrax music publishing for £61m

1991 buys further stake in Thames Television, subsequently sold to Pearson

1992 buys Virgin Music Group for US$960m from Richard Branson and Fujisankei

1992 buys Sparrow (largest US Christian music company)

1992 buys Denmark's Medley Records

1993 sells Thorn EMI lighting division

1994 buys Food music group

1994 invests in music video channels VIVA in Germany and Channel [V] in Asia

1995 buys Dillons and Hatchards bookshop chains from Pentos

1995 sells missile unit to French Thomson aerospace group

1996 EMI spun off from Thorn EMI in demerger, becomes EMI Group plc

EMI Group

1996 buys 50% of Jobete music publishing from Berry Gordy for US$132m

1996 buys 50% of US Priority Records

1998 buys remaining 50% of Priority

1998 Seagram makes unsuccessful bid

1998 EMI spins off music and book retailing arms into HMV Retail (43% owned by EMI, 43% by financier Advent International)

1999 EMI buys Windswept Music catalogue for US$200m and Hit & Run publishing

2000 float of Scipher research company spun off from Thorn EMI with valuation of £330m

2002 HMV floated - EMI stake reduced to 14.5%

2002 EMI buys Mute records for £42m

2002 sells 15.3% stake in VIVA Media to AOL Time Warner

2003 withdraws offer to Time Warner for acquisition of Time Warner's recorded music business (later unloaded as Warner Music)

2003 increases stake in Jobete to 80%

2004 Scipher goes into receivership

Out of manufacturing

2004 EMI transfers CD and DVD manufacturing assets in the Netherlands to MediaMotion

2004 pays US$80m to increase Jobete stake from 80% to 100%

2004 closes CD and DVD manufacturing plant in Illinois

2004 sells Australian CD manufacturing unit (joint venture with Warner Music) to Summit Technology Australia

2006 HMV subsidiary Waterstone's pays £62.8m for independent book chain Ottakar's