EMI Records Ltd. did not exist until 1973. Please do NOT use before that date. Please do not confuse with E.M.I. Records Limited.
Also credited as:
· EMI Records Limited
· EMI Records Ltd
· EMI Records, Ltd.
British record (holding) company and principal company behind EMI Ltd. (EMI) record division.
Established on 1st July 1973 by the renaming of The Gramophone Co. Ltd., EMI Records Limited was the immediate UK parent company behind the "EMI" label (established in the same year) and the registered trademark owner of the imprints / labels (reassigned from predecessor) - His Master's Voice, Angel (Angel Records), Parlophone, Columbia, Regal, Zonophone - Regal Zonophone, Odeon, Stateside, Harvest.
The company manufactured records at their plant based at Uxbridge Road, Hayes, Middlesex using the same press IDs as its predecessor. (please see TGCL profile and EMI Records)
In July 1978 EMI Ltd. reorganised its records division, restructuring and unifying its worldwide music operations under its newly formed division EMI Music - which initially consisted of 2 operational arms - "EMI Music Europe & International" headquartered in London, headed by EMI Records Ltd. covering all interests outside North America, "EMI Music Worldwide" based in Hollywood headed by its principal US subsidiary Capitol Industries-EMI, Inc. (later Capitol-EMI Music, Inc.) covering the music groups interests in North America.
Pre-2004 EMI Records Ltd. was the immediate registered rights owner of various trademarks (label imprints) - including: Columbia, Columbia Grafonola (which were reassigned / acquired by Sony Music Entertainment Inc. in 1990), His Master's Voice, His Master's Voice Digital, La Voix De Son Maître, Hlas Jeho Pána, Nipper, HMV (reassigned to HMV Group in 2003), The Twin, Angel, Angel Records, Angel Digital, Beka, Harvest, Stateside, Parlophone, Parlophon, Electrola, Odeon, Encore!, Encore (13), Encore (2), Talisman (2), Waverley, Regal, Zonophone = Regal Zonophone, Picture Music International, Picture Music, Positiva, Note (4), HMV Greensleeve, Mama's Yard Collective, Nixa (which was acquired from Precision Records & Tapes Limited on the 25th April 1990), Glen, Total Vegas (Total Vegas Recordings), Food, Roulette (Roulette Jazz). In 2004 the rights to the majority of these imprints (trademarks) were reassigned to sister company EMI (IP) Ltd. (an intellectual property holding company for EMI Group Plc)
In September 2012 following the acquisition of ultimate parent EMI Group Ltd. (formerly known as EMI Group Plc) certain US and select international interests, including Virgin Music Group Ltd., Virgin Records Ltd. were acquired by Vivendi S.A. (the owner of the various companies that form part of the Universal Music Group), with the bulk of the EMI Records Ltd. catalog being merged and spun off to be sold.
The company remained an immediate subsidiary of EMI Ltd. until it was sold on 20th Dec 2012 to PLG Holdco Ltd. (Parlophone Label Group) which was formed as part of the divestment of EMI Group Ltd's sale to Vivendi), this company was subsequently purchased by Warner Music Group on 1st July 2013. and the acquired EMI Records Ltd. prior to this acquisition was renamed Parlophone Records Ltd. on May, 30th of that year, with the rights to the Parlophone, Regal, Stateside and Zonophone imprints being transferred from EMI (IP) Ltd. to that company.
EMI's rights to master recordings of The Beatles, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison remained with UMG under Calderstone Productions Limited.
The primary label should be the one which is represented by the branding or logo present, including Parlophone, EMI, Capitol Records, His Master's Voice and many others. Do not forget to document the exact role of this company in the release notes. When this company is credited with a credit role present in the credit list, please use the credit section instead.
