Editing Polydor Records

{{Short description|British record label}}
{{Redirect-distinguish|Polydor|Polydore (disambiguation){{!}}Polydore}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox record label
| name        = Polydor Limited
| image       = Polydor Logo 1963 001.svg
| parent      = [[Universal Music Group]] (UMG)
| founded     = {{start date and age|1913|4|2|df=yes}}
| founder     = <!-- name of founders, separate with commas or <br /> -->
| distributor = {{ubl|Self-Distributed (UK and France)|[[Interscope Capitol Labels Group]] (US)|[[Island Records|Island]] (Pre-1998 reissues in US)|[[Republic Records]] ([[James Brown]], [[MGM Records|MGM]] and [[Verve Records|Verve]] pop reissues in US)|[[Universal Music Group]] (International)|[[Universal Music Japan]] (Japan)}}
| genre       = Various
| country     = Germany<br />United Kingdom
| location    = London, England
| website     = {{URL|polydor.co.uk}}
| url         = 
}}
'''Polydor Limited''', also known as '''Polydor Records''', is a British [[record label]] that operates as part of [[Universal Music Group]]. It has a close relationship with Universal's [[Interscope Geffen A&M Records]] label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. In turn, Polydor distributes Interscope releases in the United Kingdom. Polydor Records Ltd. was established in London in 1954 as a British subsidiary of German company [[Deutsche Grammophon|Deutsche Grammophon/Schallplatte Grammophon]] GmbH. It was renamed Polydor Ltd. in 1972. The company is usually mentioned as "Polydor Ltd. (UK)", or a similar form, for holding copyrights.

Notable current and past artists signed to the label include [[Rainbow (rock band)|Rainbow]], [[Siouxsie and the Banshees]], [[Yngwie J. Malmsteen]], [[the Cure]], [[James Brown]], [[Ray, Goodman & Brown]], [[Atlanta Rhythm Section]], [[John Mayall]],<ref>[https://www.bluesmagazine.nl/3-rare-john-mayall-polydor-albums-released-on-cd/ Jon Mayall Polydor albums], ''Bluesmagazine.nl'', Retrieved 13 March 2023</ref> [[Deep Purple]], [[Cream (band)|Cream]], [[the Moody Blues]], [[the Who]], [[Jimi Hendrix]], [[Bee Gees]], [[Lana Del Rey]], [[Stephen Fretwell]], [[the Jam]], [[Style Council]], [[the Shadows]], [[James Last]], [[Eric Clapton]], [[Gloria Gaynor]], [[Level 42]], [[Sam Fender]], [[S Club]], [[Girls Aloud]], [[Ellie Goulding]], [[Jesy Nelson]], [[Cian Ducrot]] and [[Destroy Lonely]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Artists |url=https://www.polydor.co.uk/artists/ |access-date=2024-07-02 |website=Polydor Official Website}}</ref>

==Label history==
===Beginnings===
Polydor Records was founded on 2 April 1913 by German Polyphon-Musikwerke AG in [[Leipzig]] and registered on 25 July 1914 (Nr. 316613). The label was founded as Firma Brachhausen & Riesener in 1887 by Gustav Adolf Brachhausen and Ernst Paul Riessner, for manufacturing their new mechanical disc-playing [[music box]] [[Polyphon]], invented in 1870.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://grammophon-platten.de/page.php?107|title=Schellackplatten Label - Polyphon - Grammophon und Schellackplatten Portal 78rpm|work=grammophon-platten.de|access-date=17 February 2017}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=March 2025}} During [[World War I]] on 24 April 1917, Polyphon-Musikwerke AG acquired the German [[Deutsche Grammophon]]-Aktiengesellschaft record plant and company from the German government. The German state had taken over British-held Grammophon as enemy property during World War I.<ref name="BerlinerStudios">{{cite web|url=http://www.emil-berliner-studios.com/en/chronik0.html|title=EMIL BERLINER STUDIOS - About us - Chronicle|first=Emil Berliner|last=Studios|work=emil-berliner-studios.com|access-date=17 February 2017}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=March 2025}}
Polydor was originally an [[independent record label|independent branch]] of the [[Polyphon]]-[[Grammophon]]-Konzern group. It was used as an export label from 1924. After the British and German branches of the [[Gramophone Company]] were separated during [[World War I]], Deutsche Grammophon claimed the rights to the [[Nipper]]-dog and gramophone trademark for Germany, where [[His Master's Voice (British record label)|His Master's Voice]] recordings were to be released under the [[Electrola]] [[trademark]] replacing the company lost during the war. [[File:Polydorearly78.JPG|thumb|left|160px|1920s vintage Polydor export label with its double-horn gramophone logo Playing [[Ave verum corpus (Mozart)|Ave verum corpus]] - [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Wolfgang Amadeus mozart]]]] In turn, Deutsche Grammophon records exported from Germany were released on the [[Polyphon Musik]] and [[Polydor]] [[record labels|labels]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-FOSAgAAQBAJ&q=Polyphon+Record&pg=PA585|title=Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound|first=Frank|last=Hoffmann|date=12 November 2004|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781135949501}}</ref> New foreign branches were founded, for example in Austria, Denmark, Sweden and France.

In 1941, Deutsche Grammophon (including Polydor) was purchased by [[Siemens & Halske]]. Polydor became a [[popular music]] label in 1946, while the new Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft label became a [[European classical music|classical music]] label in 1949.<ref name="BerlinerStudios"/> The previously used label, Grammophon, was disbanded. DGG gave, by an agreement dated 5 July 1949, an exclusive license from 1 July 1951 to use the Nipper-dog with gramophone to the original owner's company [[Electrola]], the German branch of [[EMI]]. (In Germany, it was impossible to sell the trademark without selling the company.)<ref>[http://www.dg-111.com/en_GB/history Dg-111.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305145646/http://www.dg-111.com/en_GB/history |date=5 March 2012 }}</ref> Polydor remained Deutsche Grammophon's export label, including classical music, in France and the Spanish-speaking world for the remainder of the long-playing era, as a result of language and cultural concerns. DGG established a subsidiary in London called Polydor Records Ltd. in 1954.

In the early 1960s, [[orchestra]] leader [[Bert Kaempfert]] signed unknowns [[Tony Sheridan]] and [[The Beatles]], credited as ''The Beat Brothers'', to Polydor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.friktech.com/btls/tony/tony.htm|title=The Beatles with Tony Sheridan|website=Friktech.com|access-date=19 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707220058/http://www.friktech.com/btls/tony/tony.htm|archive-date=7 July 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[http://www.beatlesource.com/savage/1962/62.01.XX%20top%20ten%20-%20ringo/62.01.00topten-ringo.html Infosite], Beatlesource.com; accessed 19 April 2015.</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Coleman|first=Miriam |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/beatles-collaborator-tony-sheridan-dead-at-72-20130217|title=Beatles collaborator Tony Sheridan dead at 72|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=17 February 2013|access-date=23 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nme.com/news/the-beatles/68758|title=One-time Beatles frontman Tony Sheridan dies|website=Nme.com|date=18 February 2013|access-date=23 February 2013}}</ref><ref>[[Mark Lewisohn|Lewisohn, Mark]]: ''All These Years'' Volume 1:''The Beatles Tune In'', Little Brown, London 2013,{{ISBN|978-0-316-72960-4}}</ref> Popular International entertainers such as [[James Last]], Bert Kaempfert, [[Kurt Edelhagen]], [[Caterina Valente]] and the [[Kessler Twins]] appeared on the Polydor label, as well as many French, Spanish and Latin-American figures.

Siemens entered into a joint venture with [[Philips]] in 1962 creating the Grammophon-Philips Group, of which Polydor became a subsidiary label. Throughout the late 1960s, Polydor released albums of [[John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers]], [[Cream (band)|Cream]], [[The Who]], [[Jimi Hendrix]], [[Bee Gees]] and [[Eric Clapton]].

Polydor opened a US branch in 1969 (in years prior, they licensed their catalogue to [[Atlantic Records]]),<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zygEAAAAMBAJ&q=polydor+++1969+++%22united+states%22&pg=PA64|title=College Music Contest Opens Talent Hunt| magazine=Billboard |page=64 |date=15 March 1969|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.}}</ref> but did not become a real presence in the US record industry until its purchase of the recording contract and back catalogue of [[rhythm and blues|R&B]] performer [[James Brown]] in 1971, and the absorption of the [[MGM Records]] label by its parent company PolyGram in 1972.

In 1970, Polydor acquired the Hong Kong–based [[Diamond Records (Hong Kong)|Diamond Records]], which had been owned and founded by the local [[Portugal|Portuguese]] merchant Ren da Silva in the late 1950s.

===PolyGram===
[[File:Polydor orange II.JPG|thumb|left|150px|In 1954 Polydor Records introduced their distinctive orange label.]]
In 1972, the Grammophon-Philips Group (GPG) reorganised to create [[PolyGram]], from '''Poly'''dor and Phono'''Gram'''.  The ''Polydor'' label continued to run as a subsidiary label under the new company. Throughout the 1970s, Polydor Incorporated became a major rock label, also releasing records by hit makers such as the [[Bee Gees]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bee-gees-mn0000043714/discography|title=Bee Gees - Album Discography - AllMusic|work=allmusic.com|access-date=17 February 2017}}</ref> [[Gloria Gaynor]], [[Atlanta Rhythm Section]] and [[Ray, Goodman & Brown]].<ref>[https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ray-goodman-brown-mn0000872794/discography  Ray, Goodman & Brown], ''[[AllMusic]]'', Retrieved 5 May 2023</ref>

Into the 1980s, Polydor continued to do respectable business, in spite of becoming increasingly overshadowed by its PolyGram sister label [[Mercury Records]]. Polydor took over management of [[Decca Records|British Decca's]] pop catalogue. [[A&R]] manager Frank Neilson was able to score a major top ten hit in March 1981 for the label with "Do the Hucklebuck" by [[Coast to Coast (band)|Coast to Coast]] as well as signing [[Ian Dury]] and [[Billy Fury]] to the company. In 1984, the company name was parodied in the [[rockumentary]] film ''[[This Is Spinal Tap]]'' (whose [[This Is Spinal Tap (album)|soundtrack album]] was distributed by Polydor), where "Polymer Records" was the band's record company.

By the early 1990s, Polydor had begun to underperform. PolyGram subsequently trimmed most of Polydor's staff and roster, and shifted it to operate under the umbrella of '''PolyGram Label Group''' (PLG), a newly constructed "super label" specifically designed to oversee the operations of PolyGram's lesser performing imprints, which included [[Island Records]], [[London Records]], [[Atlas Records]] and [[Verve Records]] at the time.

In 1994, as Island Records recovered from its sales slump, PolyGram dissolved most of PLG into it. Meanwhile, Polydor Records and Atlas Records merged, briefly called "Polydor/Atlas", and began operating through [[A&M Records]], another PolyGram subsidiary. In 1995, Polydor/Atlas became simply Polydor Records again.

=== Twilight years in the United States ===
{{unreferenced section|date=December 2023}}
Over the next few years, Polydor endeavored to sustain its operations through the signing of new artists, and the reissuing of past works, even as it increasingly became less active. In 1998, PolyGram was acquired by [[Seagram]] and combined with its [[Universal Music Group]]. During the merger of these two music powerhouses, Polydor's operations in the United States were assimilated into the [[Interscope-Geffen-A&M]] label group. Meanwhile, its international division remained operational, with its records still being distributed domestically via [[Interscope Records|Interscope]] and A&M.

Today, in North America, the Polydor Records name and logo is mostly used on reissues of older material from its 1960s and 1970s heyday. [[Island Records]] handles the US distribution of most pre-1998 Polydor releases, including the reissues from the British Decca pop/rock collections. In contrast [[Republic Records]] handles reissues from [[James Brown]] and the MGM Records and Verve Records pop catalog. Nevertheless, during the 2010s, Interscope Records occasionally released music by artists such as [[Azealia Banks]] and [[Lana Del Rey]] under the Polydor name and branding.

Polydor joined UMG's [[Interscope Capitol Labels Group]] in 2024.

==Polydor Nashville==
Record producer [[Harold Shedd]] founded Polydor's [[Nashville, Tennessee]], division in 1994, which specialised in [[country music]]. Among the acts signed to Polydor Nashville were Shane Sutton, Tasha Harris, [[4 Runner]], [[the Moffatts]], [[Chely Wright]], Mark Luna, [[Clinton Gregory]], [[Amie Comeaux]],<ref>{{Cite magazine | title= A&M Nashville a Victim of Country Label Growth | last1=Evans Price |first1=Deborah |last2=Flippo |first2=Chet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wwkEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22A%26M%22+%22chely+wright%22&pg=PA6 | page=6 |magazine = Billboard | publisher = Nielsen Business Media Inc. | date = 21 September 1996}}</ref> along with [[Toby Keith]] and [[Davis Daniel]], who transferred from [[Mercury Nashville]] in 1994.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Mercury Focuses on Tighter Roster| last1=Morris |first1=Edward | url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_SggEAAAAMBAJ/page/n39 |page=40 | magazine = Billboard| publisher = Nielsen Business Media Inc. | date = 14 May 1994}}</ref> The Nashville division was renamed A&M Nashville in March 1996 and closed in September of the same year, as PolyGram consolidated all its Nashville operations under the Mercury name. Today, Polydor, along with [[EMI Records]] in the UK and Australia and UMG itself in Canada distribute [[Lost Highway Records]]' albums in the [[Commonwealth realms]].

==Polydor UK==
In 1972, the British Polydor Records Ltd. was renamed to Polydor Ltd. In the early 1970s, the main source of income for the label was the successful UK band [[Slade]] as well as [[the New Seekers]] and [[the Who]]. At the time, between the 1970s and 1980s, the Polydor/PolyGram Senior VP (who was originally the first head of their new at the time rock department) was Jerry Jaffe, who also signed acts such as [[Motörhead]], [[Dexys Midnight Runners]], and [[the Jam]]. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the label was home to the Who and the Jam (as well as its successor act [[the Style Council]]). Jaffe also interacted with many famous and successful artists while in his position, including [[Nick Lowe]] and [[John Lennon]], as well as going on to work with groups such as [[the Jesus and Mary Chain]] and [[Saint Etienne (band)|Saint Etienne]] in the late 1980s and 1990s. 

Although Polydor's American branch is nearly inactive, in the United Kingdom Polydor remains one of the most prominent labels in the country—with artists such as [[Take That]], [[Cheryl (singer)|Cheryl]], [[Duffy (singer)|Duffy]], [[Girls Aloud]], [[S Club]], [[the Saturdays]], [[Kaiser Chiefs]], [[Ellie Goulding]], [[Mabel (singer)|Mabel]] and [[Lawson (band)|Lawson]]. Polydor also has a strong indie roster through the [[Fiction Records|Fiction]] imprint with acts such as [[Ian Brown]], [[Bright Eyes (band)|Bright Eyes]], [[Elbow (band)|Elbow]], [[Stephen Fretwell]], [[White Lies (band)|White Lies]], [[Kate Nash]], [[Snow Patrol]], [[Filthy Dukes]], and [[Crystal Castles (band)|Crystal Castles]]. Polydor has also survived in Canada, becoming the home label for [[Drake (musician)|Drake]]. It also acts as the UK label for American-based acts under [[Interscope-Geffen-A&M]] such as [[Eminem]], [[the All-American Rejects]], [[the Black Eyed Peas]], [[Billie Eilish]], [[Camila Cabello]], [[Gwen Stefani]], [[Dr. Dre]], [[Lana Del Rey]], [[Lady Gaga]], [[Olivia Rodrigo]], [[Selena Gomez]] and [[Sting (musician)|Sting]].{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}

In 2006, Polydor launched [[Fascination Records]], a music label dedicated to pop music. Both [[Girls Aloud]] and [[Sophie Ellis-Bextor]] transferred to the new label and created groups such as [[the Saturdays]] and [[Girls Can't Catch]]. Several pop acts from US label [[Hollywood Records]], such as [[Demi Lovato]], [[Jonas Brothers]], [[Miley Cyrus]], and [[Selena Gomez & the Scene]] were also signed to Fascination.

In 2008, A&M Records UK was founded as an imprint of Polydor UK. The same year, Polydor obtained distribution of [[the Rolling Stones]]' back catalogue as well as new releases.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7525887.stm|title=Stones ditching EMI for Universal | work=BBC News | date=25 July 2008}}</ref> With the establishment of A&M Records UK, A&M Records' Canadian division became a separate entity for the first time since the formation of Universal Music Group. Polydor, meanwhile, continued to distribute Interscope, Geffen and selected Lost Highway releases in Canada through [[Universal Music Canada]], as it does to this day.

Polydor UK rejected British singer-songwriter [[Raye]]'s album ''[[My 21st Century Blues]]'' and one of its lead singles, "[[Escapism (Raye song)|Escapism]]" for release under the label, leading her to release the former independently.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cragg |first=Michael |date=2021-09-25 |title='I'm angry, I'm raging': how Raye took on her record label – and won |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/sep/25/im-angry-im-raging-how-raye-took-on-her-record-label-and-won |access-date=2024-03-15 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> At the [[2024 Brit Awards]], Raye received 6 awards, all for works released with labels other than Polydor, breaking the record for the most nominations received by a single artist in a year.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-03-03 |title=Raye: Singer-songwriter makes history winning six Brit Awards |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68458922 |access-date=2024-03-15 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

== Polydor Japan ==
Polydor Records initially launched in Japan in 1926 as Nippon Polydor. During World War II, the company rebranded as {{nihongo|Daitōa Chikuonki|大東亞蓄音器株式會社}}. In 1950, the company name was changed to {{nihongo|Polydor Chikuonki K.K.|ポリドール蓄音器株式会社|Poridōru Chikuonki [[Kabushiki gaisha]]}}. In 1952, Polydor Chikuonki rebranded as Japan Polydor K.K.; later becoming Nippon Grammophon K.K.. 

In 1972, the company became a subsidiary of PolyGram as {{nihongo|Poloydor K.K.|ポリドール株式会社|Poridōru Kabushiki gaisha}}.

In 1990, [[Universal Music Japan|PolyGram Co., Ltd.]] was founded as a supervising corporation of the Polygram group in Japan. Polydor K.K. continued to operate as a production company when its parent company rebranded as Universal Music Japan in 1999 until 2001 when it was merged with Universal Victor and rebranded as Universal Polydor. In 2002, Universal Polydor was rebranded as [[Universal J]].<ref name=":1" />

In December 2022, Universal Japan reorganized Universal J.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=ありがとうスピッツ、20年ぶりに復活したPolydor Recordsが感謝の新聞広告 |trans-title=Thank You Spitz, Polydor Records Revived After 20 Years Newspaper Ad |url=https://natalie.mu/music/news/518077 |access-date=3 April 2023 |website=Music Natalie |language=ja}}</ref> The label was split into two record labels, UJ and Polydor Records.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=ユニバーサル ミュージック、1/1付の役員人事および組織変更と人事異動を発表 {{!}} Musicman |trans-title=Universal Music Announces Executive Appointments, Organizational Changes, and Personnel Changes on 1/1 |url=https://www.musicman.co.jp/business/524946 |access-date=28 February 2023 |website=Musicman |date=26 December 2022 |language=ja}}</ref> Polydor Records began operations as a division of Universal Japan on 01 January 2023.<ref name=":0" />

Polydor's Japanese division currently has three imprints which are [[Perfume (Japanese band)|Perfume Records]], [[HY (band)|Asse!! Records]], and [[Akina Nakamori|Utahime Records]]. It also has distribution rights for [[NHK]] Records.

==See also==
* [[List of Polydor Records artists|Polydor Records artists]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.polydor.co.uk/ Polydor.co.uk UK site]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20171227211510/http://www.polydor.de/ Polydor.de German site]
* [http://www.discogs.com/label/Polydor Polydor] at [[Discogs]]
* [http://www.hitquarters.com/index.php3?page=search.php3&artistsearch=&relation=+&genre=+&country=+&freesearch=Polydor+Records&search.x=0&search.y=0 Polydor A&R team contact list]

{{Universal Music Group}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:German companies established in 1913]]
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