American Record Corporation
Encyclopedia
ARC, the American Record Company, also referred to as American Record(ing) Corporation, or (erroneously) as ARC Records, was a United States
based record company. It resulted from the merger in July 1929 of the Cameo Record Corporation: (Cameo
, Lincoln
and Romeo
labels); the Pathé Phonograph and Radio Corporation: (the US branch of Pathé
and Perfect
labels); the Plaza Music Company: (Banner
, Domino
, Jewel
, Oriole, and Regal
labels); and the Scranton Button Company
, the parent company of Emerson Records
(and the company who pressed most of the above labels).
Louis G. Sylvester (former head of Scranton) became president of the new company located at 1776 Broadway in Manhattan
, New York City
. In October 1929, Herbert Yates
, head of Consolidated Film Industries
took control of ARC. In the following years, the company was very involved in a depressed market, buying failing labels at bargain prices to exploit their catalogue.
In December 1931 Warner Brothers leased Brunswick
, Vocalion
and associated companies to ARC. By 1932, ARC was king of the 3 records for a dollar
market, selling 6 million units, twice as much as RCA Victor. In an effort to get back on top, RCA created its "Timely Tunes" label in 1931, and the Bluebird
and Electradisk labels in 1932. ARC bought out the Columbia
catalogue in 1934, including OKeh
. In the 1930s ARC produced Brunswick
and (after 1934) Columbia
at 75c and Oriole
, Romeo
, Melotone
, Vocalion
, Banner
and Perfect
at 35c. ARC started a theater-only label using instrumental versions of their standard 35c recordings. Also for a time in 1933-34, ARC revived the Domino label exclusively for John Gabel company in Pennsylvania (they were a jukebox distributor).
As with the companies that they bought, some of the labels were created exclusively for specific stores: Challenge and Conqueror (Sears, Roebuck), Oriole (McCrory
), Romeo (Kress
) and when the contracts ended, the labels ended too. Other labels (Banner, Perfect, Melotone) were known to have been sold at enough varied businesses that they are considered "general purpose labels". Many of the remaining labels have not been attributed with a specific store contract, but it's likely that the smaller and shorter-lived labels were exclusive to some business or another.
In April 1938, ARC discontinued Melotone, Banner, Oriole and Perfect. In December 1938, the entire ARC complex was purchased from Consolidated Film for $700,000 by the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS
). CBS revived the Columbia imprint as its flagship label with Okeh as a subsidiary label. This allowed the rights to the Brunswick and Vocalion labels to revert to Warner Brothers, who sold the labels to Decca Records
. The ARC legacy is now part of Sony Music Entertainment
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
based record company. It resulted from the merger in July 1929 of the Cameo Record Corporation: (Cameo
Cameo Records
Cameo was a USA based budget record label, first flourishing in the 1920s, not connected with a later record label of the same name which was active in the 1950s and 1960s.The Cameo Record Company was based in Manhattan, New York...
, Lincoln
Lincoln Records
Lincoln Records was a United States record label in the 1920s.The bulk of material on Lincoln were dance tunes recorded by bands of no particular note. Lincoln Records filled a market niche for people who wanted inexpensive, danceable records of popular tunes and did not particularly care who...
and Romeo
Romeo Records
Romeo Records was a record label based in the United States of America in the 1920s and 1930s. It was a subsidiary of Cameo Records, manufactured to be sold exclusively at the S. H. Kress & Co. department store chain...
labels); the Pathé Phonograph and Radio Corporation: (the US branch of Pathé
Pathé Records
Pathé Records was a France-based international record label and producer of phonographs, active from the 1890s through the 1930s.- Early years :...
and Perfect
Perfect Records
Perfect Records was a United States based record label of the 1920s and 1930s. It was a subsidiary of Pathé Records, producing standard lateral cut 78 rpm disc records for the US market....
labels); the Plaza Music Company: (Banner
Banner Records
Banner Records was a United States based record label of the 20th century.Banner Records was launched in January 1922 by the Plaza Music Company of New York City. Banner was an extremely popular label in the 1920s, concentrating on popular music of the day. To this day, Banners are often found all...
, Domino
Domino Records (pre-1993)
Domino Records was the name of several United States record labels which are now defunct:* Domino Records * Domino Records * Domino Records -First U.S. label:...
, Jewel
Jewel Records (New York record label)
Jewel Records was a label started in 1927 by the Plaza Music Company. With other Plaza properties, it became part of the American Record Corporation in 1929. It released records until 1932....
, Oriole, and Regal
Regal Records (1921)
thumb|150px|First US Regal RecordRegal Records was a US record label owned by the Plaza Music Company that issued recordings from 1921 through 1931. Masters were recorded by Emerson Records, and issued mostly in chain stores for 50 cents each...
labels); and the Scranton Button Company
Scranton Button Company
The Scranton Button Company was a U.S. corporation, founded in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1885.For much of its early history it was controlled by Canadian immigrant William Connell . Connell's family moved to Scranton when he was a small child, and at the age of 7 he left school to work in the coal...
, the parent company of Emerson Records
Emerson Records
Emerson Records was a record label active in the United States between 1916 to 1928. Emerson Records produced between the 1910s and early 1920s offered generally above average audio fidelity for the era, pressed in high quality shellac. The fidelity of the later issues compares less...
(and the company who pressed most of the above labels).
Louis G. Sylvester (former head of Scranton) became president of the new company located at 1776 Broadway in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In October 1929, Herbert Yates
Herbert Yates
Herbert John Yates was the founder and president of Republic Pictures, famous for being the home of John Wayne, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers...
, head of Consolidated Film Industries
Consolidated Film Industries
Consolidated Film Industries was a film laboratory, and film processing company, and was the leading film laboratory in the Los Angeles area for many decades. CFI processed negatives and made prints for motion pictures and television...
took control of ARC. In the following years, the company was very involved in a depressed market, buying failing labels at bargain prices to exploit their catalogue.
In December 1931 Warner Brothers leased Brunswick
Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by E1 Entertainment.-From 1916:Records under the "Brunswick" label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company...
, Vocalion
Vocalion Records
Vocalion Records is a record label active for many years in the United States and in the United Kingdom.-History:Vocalion was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Piano Company of New York City, which introduced a retail line of phonographs at the same time. The name was derived from one of their...
and associated companies to ARC. By 1932, ARC was king of the 3 records for a dollar
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
market, selling 6 million units, twice as much as RCA Victor. In an effort to get back on top, RCA created its "Timely Tunes" label in 1931, and the Bluebird
Bluebird Records
Bluebird Records is a sub-label of RCA Victor Records originally created in 1932 to counter the American Record Company in the "3 records for a dollar" market. Along with ARC's Perfect Records, Melotone Records and Romeo Records, and the independent US Decca label, Bluebird became one of the best...
and Electradisk labels in 1932. ARC bought out the Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
catalogue in 1934, including OKeh
Okeh Records
Okeh Records began as an independent record label based in the United States of America in 1918. From 1926 on, it was a subsidiary of Columbia Records.-History:...
. In the 1930s ARC produced Brunswick
Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by E1 Entertainment.-From 1916:Records under the "Brunswick" label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company...
and (after 1934) Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
at 75c and Oriole
Oriole Records (US)
Oriole Records was a record label of the 1920s and 1930s based in the United States. The label was sold exclusively at the McCrory chain of stores ....
, Romeo
Romeo Records
Romeo Records was a record label based in the United States of America in the 1920s and 1930s. It was a subsidiary of Cameo Records, manufactured to be sold exclusively at the S. H. Kress & Co. department store chain...
, Melotone
Melotone Records (US)
Melotone Records was a United States based record label. In late 1930, Warner/Brunswick Records introduced the Melotone label in the U.S. and Canada as a budget subsidiary issuing 78 rpm disc records. It then became part of the American Record Corporation collection of labels in 1932. The label was...
, Vocalion
Vocalion Records
Vocalion Records is a record label active for many years in the United States and in the United Kingdom.-History:Vocalion was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Piano Company of New York City, which introduced a retail line of phonographs at the same time. The name was derived from one of their...
, Banner
Banner Records
Banner Records was a United States based record label of the 20th century.Banner Records was launched in January 1922 by the Plaza Music Company of New York City. Banner was an extremely popular label in the 1920s, concentrating on popular music of the day. To this day, Banners are often found all...
and Perfect
Perfect Records
Perfect Records was a United States based record label of the 1920s and 1930s. It was a subsidiary of Pathé Records, producing standard lateral cut 78 rpm disc records for the US market....
at 35c. ARC started a theater-only label using instrumental versions of their standard 35c recordings. Also for a time in 1933-34, ARC revived the Domino label exclusively for John Gabel company in Pennsylvania (they were a jukebox distributor).
As with the companies that they bought, some of the labels were created exclusively for specific stores: Challenge and Conqueror (Sears, Roebuck), Oriole (McCrory
McCrory Stores
J.G. McCrory's or McCrory Stores was a chain of five and dime stores in the United States based in York, Pennsylvania. The stores typically sold shoes, clothing, housewares, fabrics, penny candy, toys, cosmetics, and often included a lunch counter or snack bar...
), Romeo (Kress
S. H. Kress & Co.
S. H. Kress & Co. was the trading name of a chain of "five and dime" retail department stores in the United States, which operated from 1896 to 1981....
) and when the contracts ended, the labels ended too. Other labels (Banner, Perfect, Melotone) were known to have been sold at enough varied businesses that they are considered "general purpose labels". Many of the remaining labels have not been attributed with a specific store contract, but it's likely that the smaller and shorter-lived labels were exclusive to some business or another.
In April 1938, ARC discontinued Melotone, Banner, Oriole and Perfect. In December 1938, the entire ARC complex was purchased from Consolidated Film for $700,000 by the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
). CBS revived the Columbia imprint as its flagship label with Okeh as a subsidiary label. This allowed the rights to the Brunswick and Vocalion labels to revert to Warner Brothers, who sold the labels to Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
. The ARC legacy is now part of Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
.
Labels ARC issued or pressed (1929-1938)
+ labels that existed prior to the formation of ARC- ARC sold to theaters for background music 1931-1933?
- BannerBanner RecordsBanner Records was a United States based record label of the 20th century.Banner Records was launched in January 1922 by the Plaza Music Company of New York City. Banner was an extremely popular label in the 1920s, concentrating on popular music of the day. To this day, Banners are often found all...
+1929-1938 - Bernardo
- BroadwayBroadway RecordsBroadway Records was a United States-based record label of the 1920s and 1930s.Broadway Records were first manufactured about 1921 by the Bridgeport Die and Machine Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Most of the early issues were from masters recorded by Paramount Records...
+(from 1932) - BrunswickBrunswick RecordsBrunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by E1 Entertainment.-From 1916:Records under the "Brunswick" label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company...
+1932-1938 (under lease agreement from Warner Brothers Pictures) - CameoCameo RecordsCameo was a USA based budget record label, first flourishing in the 1920s, not connected with a later record label of the same name which was active in the 1950s and 1960s.The Cameo Record Company was based in Manhattan, New York...
+1929-1930 - ChallengeChallenge Records (1920s)Challenge Records was a record label sold by the Sears-Roebuck Company. Releases were drawn from other recordings on other labels in the late 1920s, such as Banner, Gennett, Paramount Records and others. Sears also had the Silvertone label and the same recording of "Black Bottom" by Joe Candullo &...
+for Sears - ColumbiaColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
+late 1934-1938 - CommodoreCommodore RecordsCommodore Records was a United States-based independent record label known for issuing many well regarded recordings of jazz and swing music....
- specialty label for Commodore Music Shops - ConquerorConqueror RecordsConqueror Records was a United States-based record label, active from about 1926 through 1942. The label was sold exclusively through Sears, Roebuck and Company.The record sleeves state that the proper playing speed for Conqueror Records is 80 rpm....
+for Sears - Domino +1929-1931, but was restarted (with a gold label) exclusively for the John Gabel Co. circa 1933-34
- Fox Movietone for Fox Theaters
- Gospel Herald
- Gramophone Shop Varieties - specialty label for The Gramophone Shop
- Hollywood (1936-1937)
- HomesteadHomestead RecordsHomestead Records was a Long Island, NY based sublabel of music distributor Dutch East India Trading. It was founded in 1984 by Sam Berger, who was the American Independent buyer for Dutch East India Trading. Berger was finding that many bands who had perhaps released their own first 45 were...
- mail order label (1929-1930) - Hot Record Society - specialty label for the Hot Record Society
- JewelJewel Records (New York record label)Jewel Records was a label started in 1927 by the Plaza Music Company. With other Plaza properties, it became part of the American Record Corporation in 1929. It released records until 1932....
+(1929-circa 1932) - Liberty Music Shops - specialty label for the Liberty Music Shops
- LincolnLincoln RecordsLincoln Records was a United States record label in the 1920s.The bulk of material on Lincoln were dance tunes recorded by bands of no particular note. Lincoln Records filled a market niche for people who wanted inexpensive, danceable records of popular tunes and did not particularly care who...
+(from 1929-1930) - Master (1937)
- Mel-O-Dee - specialty jukebox label
- MelotoneMelotone Records (US)Melotone Records was a United States based record label. In late 1930, Warner/Brunswick Records introduced the Melotone label in the U.S. and Canada as a budget subsidiary issuing 78 rpm disc records. It then became part of the American Record Corporation collection of labels in 1932. The label was...
+1932-1938 - OrioleOriole Records (US)Oriole Records was a record label of the 1920s and 1930s based in the United States. The label was sold exclusively at the McCrory chain of stores ....
+1929-1938 for McCroryMcCrory StoresJ.G. McCrory's or McCrory Stores was a chain of five and dime stores in the United States based in York, Pennsylvania. The stores typically sold shoes, clothing, housewares, fabrics, penny candy, toys, cosmetics, and often included a lunch counter or snack bar... - PathePathé RecordsPathé Records was a France-based international record label and producer of phonographs, active from the 1890s through the 1930s.- Early years :...
+1929-1930 - PerfectPerfect RecordsPerfect Records was a United States based record label of the 1920s and 1930s. It was a subsidiary of Pathé Records, producing standard lateral cut 78 rpm disc records for the US market....
+1929-1938 - RegalRegal Records (1921)thumb|150px|First US Regal RecordRegal Records was a US record label owned by the Plaza Music Company that issued recordings from 1921 through 1931. Masters were recorded by Emerson Records, and issued mostly in chain stores for 50 cents each...
+1929-1931 - RomeoRomeo RecordsRomeo Records was a record label based in the United States of America in the 1920s and 1930s. It was a subsidiary of Cameo Records, manufactured to be sold exclusively at the S. H. Kress & Co. department store chain...
+1929-1938 for Kress Stores - Shamrock Stores - specialty label for the Shamrock Stores
- SupertoneSupertone RecordsSupertone Records was a United States record label of the 1920s. Supertone Records were marketed by Sears, Roebuck & Co..Supertone was one of several record disc brand names marketed by Sears....
+1930-1931 (short-lived series made by Brunswick after the Gennett period ended, but this rare series probably hails from right before the ARC takeover of Brunswick) - U.H.C.A. - specialty label for United Hot Clubs of America (through Commodore)
- Variety (1937)
- VocalionVocalion RecordsVocalion Records is a record label active for many years in the United States and in the United Kingdom.-History:Vocalion was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Piano Company of New York City, which introduced a retail line of phonographs at the same time. The name was derived from one of their...
+1932-1938 (under lease agreement from Warner Brothers Pictures)