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The American Record Corporation, often known as ARC Records or simply ARC, was a United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 based record company. It resulted from the merger in July of 1929
1929 in music

Events*January 1 - Pianist and composer Abram Chasins makes his professional debut playing his own piano concerto with the Philadelphia Orchestra....
 of Regal Records
Regal Records (1921)

Regal Records was a United States record label that issued recordings from 1921 in music through 1931 in music. Masters were recorded by Emerson Records, and issued mostly in chain stores for 50 United States dollar each....
, Cameo Records
Cameo Records

Cameo was a United States based record label, first flourishing in the 1920s, not connected with a Cameo-Parkway Records which was active in the 1950s and 1960s....
, Banner Records
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....
, the US branch of Pathé Records
Pathé Records

Path? Records was a France based international record label active from the 1890s through the 1930s.Path? was founded by brothers Charles Path? & ?mile Path?, who were owners of a successful bistro in Paris....
 and the Scranton Button Company
Scranton Button Company

The Scranton Button Company was a United States corporation, founded in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1885. In the 1920s it branched out from making buttons into pressing shellac gramophone records....
, 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 Sound recording and reproduction for the era, pressed in high quality shellac....
.

Louis G. Sylvester (former head of Scranton) became president of the new company located at 1776 Broadway in Manhattan
Manhattan

Manhattan is one of the five borough of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.With a United States Census of 1,620,867 living in a land area of 22.96 square miles , Manhattan, coextensive with New York County, is the most population density county in the United States, w...
, New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
. 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. Under Yates' leadership between 1935 and 1959, Republic made 956 feature films and 849 serial chapters, many of which are classics enjoyed today on television and DVD by a whole new generation of appreci...
, head of Consolidated Film Company took control of ARC.






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The American Record Corporation, often known as ARC Records or simply ARC, was a United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 based record company. It resulted from the merger in July of 1929
1929 in music

Events*January 1 - Pianist and composer Abram Chasins makes his professional debut playing his own piano concerto with the Philadelphia Orchestra....
 of Regal Records
Regal Records (1921)

Regal Records was a United States record label that issued recordings from 1921 in music through 1931 in music. Masters were recorded by Emerson Records, and issued mostly in chain stores for 50 United States dollar each....
, Cameo Records
Cameo Records

Cameo was a United States based record label, first flourishing in the 1920s, not connected with a Cameo-Parkway Records which was active in the 1950s and 1960s....
, Banner Records
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....
, the US branch of Pathé Records
Pathé Records

Path? Records was a France based international record label active from the 1890s through the 1930s.Path? was founded by brothers Charles Path? & ?mile Path?, who were owners of a successful bistro in Paris....
 and the Scranton Button Company
Scranton Button Company

The Scranton Button Company was a United States corporation, founded in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1885. In the 1920s it branched out from making buttons into pressing shellac gramophone records....
, 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 Sound recording and reproduction for the era, pressed in high quality shellac....
.

Louis G. Sylvester (former head of Scranton) became president of the new company located at 1776 Broadway in Manhattan
Manhattan

Manhattan is one of the five borough of New York City, located primarily on Manhattan Island at the mouth of the Hudson River.With a United States Census of 1,620,867 living in a land area of 22.96 square miles , Manhattan, coextensive with New York County, is the most population density county in the United States, w...
, New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
. 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. Under Yates' leadership between 1935 and 1959, Republic made 956 feature films and 849 serial chapters, many of which are classics enjoyed today on television and DVD by a whole new generation of appreci...
, head of Consolidated Film Company 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 Records
Brunswick Records

Brunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by Koch Entertainment....
, Vocalion Records
Vocalion Records

Vocalion Records was a record label historically active in the United States and in the United Kingdom.Vocalion was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Piano Company of New York City, which also introduced a line of phonographs at the same time....
 and associated companies to ARC.

In 1932, ARC was king of the 3 records for a dollar
United States dollar

The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States and was defined by the Coinage Act of 1792 to be between 371 and 416 grains of silver ....
 market, selling 6 million units, twice as much as RCA Victor. In an effort to get back on top, RCA created its Bluebird
Bluebird Records

Bluebird Records is a sub-record label of RCA Victor Records originally created in 1932 in music to counter ARC Records in the "3 records for a dollar" market....
 label. ARC bought out the Columbia Records
Columbia Records

Columbia Records is an American record label founded in 1888.Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in pre-recorded sound, being the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders....
 catalogue in 1934, including Okeh Records
Okeh Records

Okeh Records began as an independent record label based in the United States in 1918 in music; from the late 1920s on, it was a subsidiary of Columbia Records....
. In the 1930s ARC produced Brunswick
Brunswick Records

Brunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by Koch Entertainment....
 at 75c and Oriole
Oriole Records

Oriole Records may refer to:* Oriole Records * Oriole Records ...
, Romeo
Romeo Records

Romeo Records was a record label based in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. It was a subsidiary of Cameo Records, manufactured to be sold exclusively at the S....
, Melotone
Melotone Records (US)

Melotone Records was a United States based record label issuing 78 rpm gramophone record from 1930 in music through 1938 in music. In late 1930 Warner/Brunswick Records introduced the Melotone label in the U.S....
, Vocalion
Vocalion Records

Vocalion Records was a record label historically active in the United States and in the United Kingdom.Vocalion was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Piano Company of New York City, which also introduced a line of phonographs at the same time....
, 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....
 and Perfect
Perfect Records

Perfect Records was a United States based record label of the 1920s and 1930s. It was a subsidiary of Path? Records, producing standard lateral cut gramophone record for the US market....
 at 35c.

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 an American radio network and television network. The name is derived from the initials of Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name....
). 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 return to Warner Brothers, which assigned the rights to those labels to Decca Records
Decca Records

Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 in music by Edward Lewis . Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; later the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
.

Labels ARC issued or pressed (1929-1938)

  • ARC sold to theaters for background music 1931-1933?
  • 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....
     1929-1938
  • Bernardo
  • Broadway
    Broadway Records

    Broadway Records was a United States-based record label of the 1920s.Broadway Records were first manufactured about 1921 by the Bridgeport Die and Machine Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut....
     (from 1932)
  • Brunswick
    Brunswick Records

    Brunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by Koch Entertainment....
     1932-1938
  • Cameo
    Cameo Records

    Cameo was a United States based record label, first flourishing in the 1920s, not connected with a Cameo-Parkway Records which was active in the 1950s and 1960s....
     1929-1930
  • Challenge
    Challenge Records

    Challenge Records has been the name of at least three different record labels in the 20th century:* Challenge Records - a United States based company....
     for Sears
  • Columbia
    Columbia Records

    Columbia Records is an American record label founded in 1888.Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in pre-recorded sound, being the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders....
     late 1934-1938
  • Commodore
    Commodore Records

    Commodore 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
  • Conqueror
    Conqueror Records

    Conqueror Records was a United States-based record label, active from about 1926 in music through 1942 in music. The label was sold exclusively through Sears, Roebuck and Company....
     for Sears
  • Fox Movietone for Fox Theaters
  • Gospel Herald
  • Gramophone Shop Varieties specialty label for The Gramophone Shop
  • Hollywood
    Hollywood Records

    Hollywood Records is a record label owned by the Walt Disney Company. It mainly focuses on pop music. The label was started in 1990 in music and initially distributed by Elektra Records in the US and Canada until 1995 in music when distribution switched to PolyGram ....
  • Homestead mail order label (1929-1930)
  • Hot Record Society specialty label for the Hot Record Society
  • Jewel
    Jewel Records

    Jewel Records was a record label which discs were pressed by the Scranton Button Company. Jewel is one of the big three record companies out of Cincinnati, Ohio....
  • Liberty Music Shops specialty label for the Liberty Music Shops
  • Lincoln
    Lincoln Records

    Lincoln Records was a record label in the United States in the 1920s.The bulk of material on Lincoln were dance music tunes recorded by bands of no particular note....
     (from 1929-1930)
  • Mel-O-Dee specialty jukebox label
  • Melotone
    Melotone Records

    Melotone Records has been the name of two unrelated record companies.* Melotone Records - Australia* Melotone Records - United States...
     1932-1938
  • Oriole
    Oriole Records

    Oriole Records may refer to:* Oriole Records * Oriole Records ...
     1929-1938
  • Pathe
    Pathé Records

    Path? Records was a France based international record label active from the 1890s through the 1930s.Path? was founded by brothers Charles Path? & ?mile Path?, who were owners of a successful bistro in Paris....
     1929-1930
  • Perfect
    Perfect Records

    Perfect Records was a United States based record label of the 1920s and 1930s. It was a subsidiary of Path? Records, producing standard lateral cut gramophone record for the US market....
     1929-1938
  • Regal
    Regal Records

    Regal Records has been the name of at least four different 20th century record labels:*Regal Records - a British record label, founded by the Columbia Graphophone Company...
  • Romeo
    Romeo Records

    Romeo Records was a record label based in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. It was a subsidiary of Cameo Records, manufactured to be sold exclusively at the S....
     for Kress Stores 1929-1938
  • Shamrock Stores specialty label for the Shamrock Stores
  • U.H.C.A. specialty label for United Hot Clubs of America
  • Vocalion
    Vocalion Records

    Vocalion Records was a record label historically active in the United States and in the United Kingdom.Vocalion was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Piano Company of New York City, which also introduced a line of phonographs at the same time....
     1929-1938


See also

  • List of record labels
    List of record labels

    This is a list of notable record labels.Owing to the large number of entries, the list has been divided by the first letter of the label's name, with labels starting with a number added to this page:...