Metronome

Swedish multinational record label founded in 1949 by the brothers Lars Burman and Anders Burman together with their friend Börje Ekberg to release jazz. The name was taken from the American music magazine Metronome Magazine.

Label Code: LC 0270 / LC 00270

In 1950, Mats Bjerke, together with Bent Fabricius-Bjerre, opened an office in Denmark, Metronome Records A/S. In 1954 Bjerke and Fabricious-Bjerre expanded to West Germany, founding Metronome Records GmbH.

German Metronome also distributed many other labels in the 1970s, including the Ohr group of labels: Ohr, Die Kosmischen Kuriere and Kosmische Musik, and also took over distribution of the MPS label in late 1976 after BASF folded. In 1983 Metronome Musik GmbH had become part of the PolyGram group of companies which in turn became the German division of Universal, with release duties handed over to Motor Musik GmbH. German Metronome ceased oprations in late 1996.

Of the Scandinavian versions of Metronome, the Swedish Metronome Records AB was sold to WEA International Inc. in 1979, later known as Warner Music Sweden AB. The Danish company seems to have had little output since the early 1980s and became Metronome Entertainment A/S in 1992.

See also Metronome Studio, Stockholm and Metronome Studio, Copenhagen.

Swedish releases often mention LC 4281 / LC 04281 due to the fact the Swedish Metronome company was acquired by WEA International Inc. (now Warner Music) in 1979.