Columbia Records, Inc.

Since the founding of the Columbia Graphophone Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in the late 1880s, Columbia Records has pioneered major developments in all areas of the recording industry. Columbia Graphophone's most successful subsidiary, the Columbia Phonograph Company, distributed cylinder recordings and Edison phonographs in the Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C., region. In 1902 Columbia began issuing recorded discs as well as cylinders, and in 1904 it introduced the double-sided disc. In 1935, after CBS acquired the company, its name was changed to Columbia Recording Corporation. That name was changed to Columbia Records, Inc., in 1947, a year before CBS introduced the 33 1/3 rpm long-playing record (LP). In 1988 Columbia was acquired by Sony.

Administrative History

The story of Columbia Records extends back to the late 1880s and the founding of the Columbia Graphophone Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The company's most successful subsidiary, the Columbia Phonograph Company, was a distributor of cylinder recordings and Edison phonographs in the Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C. area. In 1902 Columbia began issuing recorded discs as well as cylinders, and in 1904 it introduced the double-sided disc. Following the post-war boom of 1919, the company underwent a decline, and the American branch of Columbia went into receivership. The new owner of the British branch of the company, Louis Sterling, took control of American Columbia in 1923, and electrical recording replaced the old acoustic process.

Columbia was successful during the 1920s, but it was hit hard by various legal problems and the financial difficulties of the Depression. In 1934 Columbia was sold to the American Record Corporation (ARC), which was itself sold to William Paley's Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) in 1938. A year later ARC became known as the Columbia Recording Corporation. The name of the company was changed to Columbia Records, Inc., in 1947, and one year later CBS introduced the 33 1/3 rpm microgroove long-playing record (LP). In 1988 Columbia was acquired by Sony and is currently a division of Sony BMG.