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to SCMW 27 5549 - 1956 |
to SCMW 27 5555 - 1956 |
to 45 DW 5581 - 1957 |
to . |
| The
Columbia Phonograph Company was originally the local company run by Edward
Easton, distributing and selling Edison phonographs and phonograph cylinders
in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Delaware. The company derives its name
from the District of Columbia, which was its headquarters.
In late 1923, Columbia was bought by their English subsidiary, the Columbia Graphophone Company. In 1931, the British Columbia Graphophone Company merged with the Gramophone Company to form Electric & Musical Industries Ltd. (EMI). In 1938, the Columbia label in the USA, was bought by William S. Paley of the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) for $750,000. EMI retained the rights to the Columbia name in most other territories including the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. It continued to operate the label with moderate success until 1972, when it was retired and replaced by the EMI Records imprint. In Germany, the cabel continued to the late 1980s. |
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