R.E.X. Records

R.E.X. Records, also referred to as Rex Records, was a United States record label operated by the Rex Talking Machine Corporation of Wilmington, Delaware. The label was active during the early commercial development of the phonograph-record industry, beginning in 1912 and continuing until 1919. Its catalog consisted of vertically cut, double-sided disc records in ten-inch and twelve-inch formats. These records were designed for compatibility with the Pathé record system, a format that differed from the lateral-cut groove technology later adopted as the dominant industry standard. The label occupied a specialized position in the early record market. Rather than functioning as a modern, artist-centered label with a widely documented roster and long-term catalog strategy, R.E.X. Records appears to have been primarily a branded publishing and distribution operation tied to the Rex Talking Machine Corporation. The surviving historical descriptions emphasize its physical record format and technical compatibility more than its performers, repertoire, or promotional campaigns. This reflects the limited documentation available for many small and short-lived record labels of the 1910s. R.E.X. Records issued both ten-inch and twelve-inch double-sided discs. The vertical-cut format recorded sound information in the depth of the groove rather than primarily through side-to-side movement. Its compatibility with the Pathé system indicates that the label participated in an alternative technical ecosystem within the early record business. Such format distinctions affected playback equipment, stylus requirements, manufacturing methods, and the potential audience for a record catalog. The company remained in business for approximately seven years. In 1919, R.E.X. Records was bought out by Okeh Records, bringing the label's independent existence to an end. Available reference material does not establish the detailed terms of the transaction, the complete size of the catalog, the identities of the label's executives, or whether all of its recordings were transferred into Okeh's catalog. The brand is therefore best understood as a defunct early American record label associated with the formative period of recorded music, rather than as a continuing commercial music brand.

R.E.X. Records emerged in 1912 during a period when the United States record industry contained several competing technical formats and numerous small labels. The label was owned and operated by the Rex Talking Machine Corporation, a Wilmington, Delaware company. Its history is documented primarily through references describing the label's corporate ownership, operating dates, record formats, and eventual acquisition, while detailed information about its recording artists and releases remains limited. The label's principal products were double-sided disc records measuring ten or twelve inches in diameter. Unlike the lateral-cut discs that ultimately became the prevailing format for much of the commercial record industry, R.E.X. Records used vertical-cut grooves. In a vertical-cut record, the audio signal is represented mainly by variations in groove depth. The records were compatible with the Pathé system, linking R.E.X. Records to one of the important alternative technologies in the early phonograph market. This compatibility was commercially significant because records and playback machines were not yet standardized across the industry; consumers often had to match a record's groove system and playing equipment. R.E.X. Records consequently occupied a technically defined niche rather than a position based on a clearly documented musical genre or star roster. The available account does not identify a founder, named executives, principal recording artists, signature series, or a surviving corporate website. Nor does it provide enough information to reconstruct the label's distribution network, manufacturing arrangements, advertising strategy, or complete release chronology. The absence of such details should not be taken as evidence that the label had no significant recordings, only that the currently cited reference material does not document them. The company continued operating through 1919. That year, Okeh Records bought out R.E.X. Records. The acquisition concluded the label's separate business history and placed it within the broader consolidation of early record-industry enterprises. The available sources do not specify the transaction's financial terms or explain precisely how the R.E.X. catalog, equipment, contracts, or trademarks were handled afterward. R.E.X. Records is therefore principally remembered as a short-lived American label associated with the Pathé-compatible vertical-cut record format and with the transitional technology of the 1910s.

• 1919

  Acquired by Okeh Records

  [1]Rex Records (1912)en.wikipedia.org

  Okeh Records buys out R.E.X. Records, ending the label's documented independent operating period.

• 1912

  Label founded and begins business

  [1]Rex Records (1912)en.wikipedia.org

  R.E.X. Records begins operating in the United States under the ownership of the Rex Talking Machine Corporation of Wilmington, Delaware.

An early American specialist record label offering vertically cut discs compatible with the Pathé recording and playback system.

• Phonograph records · 1912

  Ten-inch vertical-cut discs

  R.E.X. Records issued double-sided ten-inch discs using vertical-cut grooves. These records were intended for playback on equipment compatible with the Pathé system, placing them within the alternative-format market of the early 1910s.

• Phonograph records · 1912

  Twelve-inch vertical-cut discs

  The label also produced double-sided twelve-inch vertically cut discs. As with its ten-inch records, the format was associated with Pathé-compatible playback technology rather than the later dominant lateral-cut standard.

• 1919

  Sale to Okeh RecordsM&A

  Background

  After several years of operation as a Rex Talking Machine Corporation label, R.E.X. Records was subject to a buyout.

  Action taken

  Okeh Records acquired the R.E.X. Records business.

  Aftermath

  The separate R.E.X. Records operation ceased to be an independent label. The available source does not document the subsequent treatment of its catalog or assets.

  Source

• 1912

  Launch of Pathé-compatible vertical-cut recordsProduct launch

  Background

  The early record market contained competing groove technologies and playback systems, including the Pathé format.

  Action taken

  R.E.X. Records issued double-sided ten-inch and twelve-inch discs using vertical-cut technology compatible with the Pathé system.

  Aftermath

  The label operated within this specialized format market until it was bought out by Okeh Records in 1919.

  Source

1. 1Rex Records (1912)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Talking Machine World, 1918 issuesmainspringress.com