Odeon Records

Odeon Records is a historic German record label established in Berlin in 1903 by Max Straus and Heinrich Zuntz through the International Talking Machine Company, an enterprise associated with the Carl Lindström record business. The name and distinctive dome logo were derived from the Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe in Paris. From its earliest years, Odeon was notable for issuing double-sided discs at a time when many competing labels still concentrated on single-sided records. Its catalogue eventually covered popular songs, classical music, opera, folk traditions, speeches, dramatic performances, jazz, dance music and regional repertories. The label became part of the expanding Carl Lindström organization in the early twentieth century. Lindström controlled or operated a network of labels that included Beka, Parlophone, Fonotipia, Lyrophon and Homophon. This structure gave Odeon access to manufacturing, recording and distribution infrastructure across Europe and beyond. In 1909 the label issued a four-disc set of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite, conducted by Hermann Finck with the London Palace Orchestra. The release is often described as one of the earliest examples of a large-scale orchestral recording and a precursor of the modern album format. Odeon developed an unusually international operating model. Its Berlin facilities recorded, processed and exported discs for markets including Greece, Scandinavia, India, the Middle East, the Netherlands, Estonia, Portugal, Romania, Turkey, Hungary, China, the Dutch East Indies, Siam, the Balkans and South and Central America. During the 1920s and 1930s, approximately 70 percent of German Odeon production was reportedly exported. The label also had commercial relationships with Okeh Records, including the release of foreign recordings in the United States and the circulation of American jazz recordings in several European countries. India became one of Odeon's most significant non-European recording territories. Between approximately 1900 and 1940, the label recorded and issued more than 2,700 Indian music titles. The output included classical and folk music, drama songs, speeches, skits, plays, instrumental recordings and other regional material. Odeon engineers travelled to Indian cities during the earlier phase of activity, with records manufactured in Berlin and shipped back to the subcontinent. A later phase, from 1932 to 1938, involved operations based in Mumbai and Madras. World War II, trade restrictions and embargoes ultimately forced the winding-up of the Indian business. A portion of this historical material survives in private collections and has been digitised by institutions including the British Museum. Carl Lindström was acquired by the English Columbia Graphophone Company in 1926. Columbia subsequently joined with Electrola and other businesses in 1931 to form EMI, bringing Odeon into the EMI family. After World War II, the label continued as an EMI imprint in West Germany, France, Spain, Scandinavia, Japan, Latin America and other non-English-speaking markets. Local versions often retained the dome emblem while using market-specific label designs and catalogues. The breakup and sale of EMI's recorded-music assets in the 2010s divided Odeon's post-war catalogue between Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group. Universal retained rights to selected Japanese, Latin American, German and European material, while Warner acquired rights to much of the French, Scandinavian, Spanish and other European repertoire as part of regulatory divestitures. In October 2018, Universal Music Germany revived Odeon as an active release imprint with the brass-pop band Querbeat's album Randale & Hurra. Odeon therefore exists today both as a major historical catalogue and, in selected markets, as a revived contemporary label brand.

Odeon Records originated in Berlin in 1903 when Max Straus and Heinrich Zuntz established the label through the International Talking Machine Company. The business was connected to the Carl Lindström enterprise, which had been founded in 1897. In the same period, the organization acquired Fonotipia Records and developed a broader corporate structure around Carl Lindström A.G. Odeon's name was taken from the Paris Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe, whose architectural identity also inspired the label's dome logo. The label's early technical and commercial strategy helped distinguish it from competitors. Odeon issued double-sided discs while single-sided records remained common elsewhere. Its 1909 release of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite, performed by the London Palace Orchestra under Hermann Finck, appeared as a four-disc set and represented an important step toward recording and marketing extended musical works as unified collections. Odeon became part of the Carl Lindström Company on 30 January 1904, although the supplied historical account also describes the broader Lindström acquisition and consolidation process as occurring during the following decade. Lindström's label portfolio included Beka, Parlophone, Fonotipia, Lyrophon and Homophon. Through this network, Odeon expanded beyond Germany and used Berlin-based facilities to record, manufacture and export discs to a wide range of markets. Its catalogues included regionally tailored releases for Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas, and a substantial majority of German production was exported during the interwar period. International repertoire was central to the label's identity. Odeon recorded extensive Indian music, producing more than 2,700 titles from approximately 1900 through 1940. These recordings covered classical and folk traditions, dramatic performances, speeches, popular songs and instrumental music. The company initially sent engineers to Indian cities and manufactured the resulting discs in Berlin. During a later operating phase, it maintained bases in Mumbai and Madras. World War II and associated trade restrictions ended this activity, but surviving discs remain important sources for the study of South Asian performance and recording history. The label also participated in transatlantic repertoire exchange. An American Odeon manufacturing attempt in the mid-1900s was halted after a patent dispute involving Columbia. Later, Okeh Records issued foreign recordings in the United States under the Odeon name, while Odeon distributed American jazz in Germany, Italy, France and Spain during the 1920s. In the 1930s and 1940s it marketed Swing Music Series releases alongside its other repertory. The corporate chain continued to evolve. The English Columbia Graphophone Company acquired Carl Lindström in 1926. Columbia then merged with Electrola and other companies in 1931 to form EMI. Odeon remained an EMI-associated label after World War II, particularly in West Germany, France, Spain, Scandinavia, Japan and Latin America. Regional editions often had different visual treatments and catalogues, but the dome logo preserved a common identity. EMI's recorded-music assets were reorganized in the 2010s. Universal Music Group acquired most EMI properties in September 2012, while Warner Music Group acquired remaining divested assets in February 2013 under European Commission conditions. As a result, Odeon rights were divided: Universal retained selected German, Japanese, Latin American and other European catalogues, while Warner handled much of the French, Scandinavian, Spanish and other European repertoire. Universal Music Enterprises manages relevant Universal-held Odeon material, with other catalogue administration conducted through Warner's music businesses. In October 2018 Universal Music Germany brought Odeon back as a current imprint for Querbeat's third album, Randale & Hurra. The revival linked the label's historical German identity with a contemporary domestic release, while the wider Odeon name continued to represent a dispersed international archive of recordings.

• 2018

  Odeon is revived in Germany

  [1]Odeon Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Universal Music Germany revives the label for Querbeat's album Randale & Hurra.

• 2013

  Warner acquires additional former EMI assets

  [1]Odeon Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Warner Music Group receives rights to further Odeon material through the European Commission's divestiture process.

• 2012

  Universal Music Group acquires most EMI properties

  [1]Odeon Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The transaction begins the modern division of Odeon's historical catalogues between Universal and Warner.

• 1931

  Odeon enters the EMI structure

  [1]Odeon Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Columbia merges with Electrola and other companies to form EMI, which subsequently operates Odeon in numerous markets.

• 1926

  Carl Lindström is acquired by Columbia Graphophone

  [1]Odeon Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The acquisition places Odeon within the corporate lineage that later becomes EMI.

• 1909

  Early orchestral album set is issued

  [1]Odeon Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Odeon releases a four-disc edition of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite, an early example of packaging an extended orchestral work as an album-like set.

• 1904

  Odeon joins the Carl Lindström organization

  [1]Odeon Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Odeon becomes part of the wider Carl Lindström Company, alongside labels such as Beka, Parlophone and Fonotipia.

• 1903

  Odeon Records is founded in Berlin

  [1]Odeon Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Max Straus and Heinrich Zuntz establish the label through the International Talking Machine Company and introduce the Odeon name and dome identity.

A historically international record label associated with technological experimentation, large-scale classical recordings, extensive export activity and the documentation of regional music cultures. In its modern form, Odeon functions primarily as a revived imprint and a catalogue brand within the former EMI and current Universal and Warner rights ecosystems.

• 78 rpm records · 1903

  Early Odeon double-sided discs

  The label's early shellac output included double-sided discs, a format that helped distinguish Odeon from companies still issuing many single-sided records. Releases covered popular, classical, vocal and instrumental material and were manufactured for both German and export markets.

• Classical album set · 1909

  The Nutcracker Suite

  Odeon's 1909 four-disc edition of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite, conducted by Hermann Finck with the London Palace Orchestra, is associated with the early development of the album concept and with the label's ambition to record extended orchestral works.

• Regional and ethnic recordings · 1900

  Indian music catalogue

  Odeon recorded more than 2,700 Indian music titles during the period approximately 1900–1940. The catalogue included classical and folk music, drama songs, speeches, skits, plays, vocal performances and instrumental recordings, with material produced for varied regional audiences.

• Jazz and popular music · 1930

  Swing Music Series

  During the 1930s and 1940s Odeon marketed a Swing Music Series as part of its popular-music output. The label also circulated American jazz recordings in several European countries through its international network.

• Contemporary album · 2018

  Randale & Hurra

  Randale & Hurra is the third album by German brass-pop band Querbeat and the release used by Universal Music Germany to reactivate Odeon as a contemporary German imprint in 2018.

• 2018

  Universal Music Germany revives Odeon as a current imprintStrategy

  Background

  After decades primarily associated with historical EMI catalogues, Universal Music Germany chose to reactivate the Odeon identity for a new German release.

  Action taken

  The company issued Querbeat's third album, Randale & Hurra, under the revived Odeon brand.

  Aftermath

  The release re-established Odeon as an active label name in Germany while its historical catalogue remained distributed across Universal and Warner rights structures.

  Source

• 2012

  Transfer of EMI-era Odeon catalogue rightsM&A

  Background

  Universal Music Group acquired most EMI properties, requiring the historical Odeon catalogue to be allocated among acquiring businesses and regulatory divestiture recipients.

  Action taken

  Universal retained selected German, Japanese, Latin American and other European Odeon material; further Odeon rights were later transferred to Warner Music Group.

  Aftermath

  Odeon became a split catalogue brand, with Universal Music Enterprises administering Universal-held material and Warner entities handling other European releases.

  Source

1. 1Odeon Recordsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Odeon record label recordings from the Indian subcontinentbritishmuseum.org