British record labels

This is just a selection of the companies producing 78 shellac records during the first half of the 20th. century.

Aco Vocalion’s label from 1922/3 until 1927
Actuelle Owned by Pathé Frères Pathéphone. Issued from September 1921 to December 1928.
Ariel Belonged to J.G.Graves Ltd., a Sheffield mail-order store. Often pressed by Zonophone, Columbia or Parlophone, usually under concealing names. Foundered by 1937.
Bluebird A cheap label owned by Victor.
Broadcast 8 inch Broadcast with red, white and gold label and electrical recording by the Marconi process was introduced by Vocalion in 1927 and manufactured at Hayes in Middlesex. Broadcast Super-Twelve was a 10 inch with a tiny pale pink, orange, white and gold label from1929, with the playing time of a typical 12 inch record and a gold and bright red label from 1931. The 8 inch retailed at 1/3d. Artistes included Sandy Powell, Leslie Sarony and Marius B. Winter.
Brunswick Launched in October 1923 by Chappells, it was taken over in 1927 by British Brunswick. In December 1930, Warner Bros acquired the label. In June 1933 Decca purchased it, and finally phased it out in about 1967.
Capitol US label. Associated with the Decca company in the UK.
Columbia One of the big ones, along with HMV and (later) Decca.
Crown Replaced Eclipse in 1935. First records in September. Nine inch with tiny navy blue label. Produced by Crystalate. Decca bought Crystalate in 1937. Crown records were discontinued in March 1937.
Crystalate Large company controlling several subsidiaries including Imperial, Eclipse and Rex Labels.
Decca Bright blue and gold label introduced in 1929. The Decca name was lost at a takeover in 1980.
Dominion Poor shellac quality meant high surface noise. Plain white label. October 1928 until July1930.
Duophone Launched December 1925 with deep purple label. Used notable US performers under pseudonyms. Ended in May 1930.
Durium Durium products (G.B.) Ltd., of Slough, introduced cardboard disc in April 1932. Easily bent or cracked, few still survive. Went off market in autumn 1933.
Eclipse Eight inch format launched by Crystalate in April 1931 to challenge Broadcast and Radio. Sold for 6d. at Woolworths until July 1935, when replaced by Crown. Good recording but poor wear quality. Often had well-known artistes under pseudonyms.
Edison Bell Radio Edison Bell 8 inch, introduced February 1928 as rival to Broadcast. Navy blue label until summer 1931, when it became gold. Production ceased April 1932. Featured some well known artistes under synonyms. Advertised for “silent surface - finest artists - wonderful wear” and “in a class by themselves.” Retailed at 1/3d.
Electron Edison Bell label from 1927 until 1930.
Embassy Cheap label mainly sold in Woolworths in 1950s and 60s
Guardsman First appeared in 1914. Ended May 1928. Magenta label with gold letttering, replaced by white and gold label during 20s.
HMV His Master’s Voice, The Gramophone Company Ltd.
Horizon Topic Records - an independent UK label
Imperial Launched by Crystalate in 1920. Survived until 1934, when Rex took over. Crystalate ran Imperial and Eclipse Labels simultaneously.
London American recordings of 1950s
Metropole Began in April 1928 and lasted about two years. Label depicted Big Ben and had motto: “A striking record.”
MGM EMI's move into American label licenses came in 1946 with MGM, a label now owned by Polygram. The company's long term licence with RCA Victor finally ended in 1957 but not before HMV had been able to release the first records by an up-and-coming young man from Memphis, Elvis Aaron Presley.
Mood Music Francis Day and Hunter Organisation label recorded by EMI
Nixa Pye popular label from 1950s
Odeon When Columbia bought The Carl Lindström company in Germany in the 1920's, it acquired two labels Odeon and Parlophone.
Oriole 1950s label associated with Mercury
Panachord A Decca-owned label in 1930s. Record jacket had the text: "Panachord Records for Gaiety and Romance. Made by DECCA."
Parlophone Started as Parlophon in Germany in 1922 by Carl Lindström. Acquired by Columbia in 1927.
Perfect Owned by Pathé Frères Pathéphone. Issued record from December 1927 to December 1928.
Philips Popular label from the 1950s
Phoenix Acoustic Music Hall recording label
Piccadilly Metropole’s cheaper label, launched April 1928 and lasting until April 1932. Price was 1/6d. Tommy Handley made several records for them.
Pioneer Pioneer Record Co., London. Acoustic music hall recordings. Red label with gold lettering.
Plaza An eight inch disc issued by British Homophone in 1933, lasting until July 1935. Rapid surface wear. Heavily disguised artistes included Charlie Kunz.
Polygon English label from the 1950s
Pye Label for vinyl 78s of the 1950s onwards
Radio Edison Bell 8 inch, introduced February 1928 as rival to Broadcast. Navy blue label until summer 1931, when it became gold. Production ceased April 1932. Advertised for “silent surface - finest artists - wonderful wear” and “in a class by themselves.” Retailed at 1/3d.
RCA Radio Corporation of America
RCA Victor See Victor
Regal Columbia’s cheaper label from April 1914 until 1931 when Gramophone Company merged with Columbia to form EMI. Functioned independently until end of 1932, when Regal-Zonophone was introduced.
Regal Zonophone Introduced in 1932 with matt red and green label, changed in 1935 to red and gold. In 1935 Gracie Fields insisted on recording on the company's cut-price Regal-Zonophone label, because, as the then Chairman explained, she wanted to give her public "which is so largely provincial and poor an opportunity to buy her records."
Rex Crystalate launched this in September 1933. Later acquired by Decca, and discontinued in February 1948.
Scala Early acoustic music hall records
Sterno Launched in 1926 by W.D.Sternberg, boss of British Homophone Co. Ltd. Red and gold label with Union Jack. “Boxy” sound, perhaps because of non-standard equalisation curve accentuating bass. Advertised as The Supertone Record; Every Record a Celebrity. Artistes included Mantovani and his Tipica Band, Percival Mackey, Rudy Starita and Oscar Rabin Demise in May 1935.
Topic An independent UK label of the 1950s
Twin Published records with yellow label in 1930s but had them manufactured by "Dum Dum". Possibly related to Regal as matrix numbers included initials CAR.
Victor Linked to HMV in UK.
Victory Launched by Crystalate in 1928 as seven inch electrical recording. Often featured established performers such as Cavan O'Connor under different names. Low durability and high surface noise.
Victrola Early HMV label of Victor Taking Machine Co.
Vocalion Abandoned upper end of market in 1927, discontinuing 10 and 12 inch Vocalion and Aco labels. Introduced new 8 inch Broadcast with red, white and gold label and electrical recording by the Marconi process in 1927.
Vogue Coral 1950s pop music label
Winner Edison Bell launched “The Winner” in 1912. Became “Winner” in early 20s. Put up for auction by receiver in 1933. Bought by Decca, who discarded it in 1935.
Zonophone HMV’s cheaper label 1903-1931 when Gramophone Company merged with Columbia to form EMI. Functioned independently until end of 1932, when Regal-Zonophone was introduced.