Parlophone
Parlophone is a
record label which was founded in
Germany prior to
World War I.
During the war, the Transoceanic Trading Company was set up in the Netherlands to look after its overseas assets. In the
1920s, Parlophone had a master leasing arrangement with
United States based
Okeh Records. In
1927,
Columbia Graphophone of the
United Kingdom acquired a controlling interest in its successor and thereby in Parlophone. In 1931, Columbia merged with The
Gramophone Company to form
EMI. Under EMI, Parlophone was mainly a novelty/comedy label until the rock-and-roll era.
The Beatles are probably the most famous act to have appeared on the label. Others have included
Coldplay,
Queen,
Kylie Minogue,
Blur,
Pet Shop Boys,
Radiohead, and The Hollies.
See also: List of record labels