Editing PolyGram (section)

=== Hollandsche Decca Distributie (HDD), 1929–1950 ===
In 1929, [[Decca Records]] (London) licensed record shop owner H.W. Van Zoelen as a distributor in the Netherlands. By 1931, his company '''Hollandsche Decca Distributie''' ('''HDD''') had become exclusive Decca distributor for all of the Netherlands and its colonies.<ref name="DL">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9TMDAwAAQBAJ&q=Hollandsche+Decca+Distributie&pg=PT75 |title=Download! How The Internet Transformed The Record Business | access-date=15 April 2016 | author=Hardy, Phil |date=20 November 2012 | pages=Chapter 4|publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=9780857128034 }}</ref> Over the course of the 1930s, HDD put together its own facilities for [[Artists and repertoire|A&R]], recording, and manufacturing.

HDD was commercially successful during World War II because of the absence of American and British competition. Van Zoelen wanted to sell to [[Philips]] so that HDD would have sufficient financial backing when their major competitors returned after the war. This led Philips to purchase HDD in 1942.<ref name="DL"/>

In the mid 20th century, the majority of large recording companies manufactured both gramophones and records; Philips CEO [[Anton Philips]] noted the risk in creating gramophones without an interest in music recording and record manufacture, and that [[RCA|Radio Corporation of America]] (RCA) had merged with the [[Victor Talking Machine Company]] in 1929<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5dGig0fYlj8C&q=rca+merges+with+victor+talking+machine+in+1929&pg=PA352 | title=Radio Industry | encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of American Business History | access-date=15 April 2016 | author=Geisst, Charles R. | date=14 May 2014 | pages=352| isbn=9781438109879 }}</ref> for this reason. Philips' labs were developing [[magnetic tape]] and [[LP record|LPs]], and they could support eventual new formats, although other record companies were notably unenthusiastic about experimenting with new formats.

After the war, Philips built a large factory in [[Doetinchem]] to produce 78 rpm records. Recording took place in Hilversum, whereas development took place in Eindhoven.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}