History Creator / HisMastersVoiceRecords

This may be why EMI decided to make HMV a strictly classical label at the end of 1967; the British pop acts switched to Parlophone or Columbia, while ABC acts moved to the pre-existing Creator/{{Stateside|Records}} label. (The situation was different in Australia and New Zealand, where the local branches continued with pop and rock music through 1972.) This state of affairs lasted until 1988, when Music/{{Morrissey}} (whose band Music/TheSmiths had just broken up) signed to EMI as a solo artist. When asked which label he wanted to be on, he chose to revive HMV as a pop label for his own releases, which he did until 1992. (He even put out two singles -- "You're the One For Me, Fatty" and "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" -- as promo-only 78s!) At that point, EMI was still using HMV for classical releases, but with the UsefulNotes/CompactDisc creating a new worldwide marketplace for music, executives decided that using a trademark that was divided between three companies in different nations (EMI, RCA and the Japanese Victor Company) was no longer feasible. Therefore, HMV changed its name to EMI Classics throughout the world, while Morrissey moved to Parlophone for the remainder of his stay at EMI.

This may be why EMI decided to make HMV a strictly classical label at the end of 1967; the British pop acts switched to Parlophone or Columbia, while ABC acts moved to the pre-existing Creator/{{Stateside|Records}} label. (The situation was different in Australia and New Zealand, where the local branches continued with pop and rock music through 1972.) This state of affairs lasted until 1988, when Music/{{Morrissey}} (whose band Music/TheSmiths had just broken up) signed to EMI as a solo artist. When asked which label he wanted to be on, he chose to revive HMV as a pop label for his own releases, which he did until 1992. (He even put out two singles as promo-only 78s!) At that point, EMI was still using HMV for classical releases, but with the UsefulNotes/CompactDisc creating a new worldwide marketplace for music, executives decided that using a trademark that was divided between three companies in different nations (EMI, RCA and the Japanese Victor Company) was no longer feasible. Therefore, HMV changed its name to EMI Classics throughout the world, while Morrissey moved to Parlophone for the remainder of his stay at EMI.

This may be why EMI decided to make HMV a strictly classical label at the end of 1967; the British pop acts switched to Parlophone or Columbia, while ABC acts moved to the pre-existing Stateside label. (The situation was different in Australia and New Zealand, where the local branches continued with pop and rock music through 1972.) This state of affairs lasted until 1988, when Music/{{Morrissey}} (whose band Music/TheSmiths had just broken up) signed to EMI as a solo artist. When asked which label he wanted to be on, he chose to revive HMV as a pop label for his own releases, which he did until 1992. (He even put out two singles as promo-only 78s!) At that point, EMI was still using HMV for classical releases, but with the UsefulNotes/CompactDisc creating a new worldwide marketplace for music, executives decided that using a trademark that was divided between three companies in different nations (EMI, RCA and the Japanese Victor Company) was no longer feasible. Therefore, HMV changed its name to EMI Classics throughout the world, while Morrissey moved to Parlophone for the remainder of his stay at EMI.

!!HMV performers with Wiki/TVTropes pages

The story begins in 1899, when the newly formed Gramophone Company Ltd., the precursor of Creator/{{EMI}}, bought the rights to Francis Barraud's painting ''His Master's Voice'', which showed a terrier named Nipper sitting on a coffin, listening to a wax cylinder phonograph with a QuizzicalTilt to his head. Since both Nipper and his master, Barraud's brother Mark, had been dead for years by the time the painting was completed, an UrbanLegend arose that Nipper was listening to a recording of his late master. (He wasn't, at least while Barraud was working on the image.) The Gramophone Company had Barraud change the cylinder player to a gramophone, then adopted the image as its corporate symbol. It became so strongly associated with the company that the label changed its name to His Master's Voice in England, and translations of the phrase in other countries. HMV quickly became a successful company throughout Europe and Oceania, with celebrities such as Enrico Caruso on its roster. It also became a well-known name in electronics and retail.

In America, the Barraud painting was licensed by the Victor Talking Machine Company, the predecessor to Creator/RCARecords; this led to a reciprocal relationship in which HMV licensed RCA releases in Europe, giving the British company access to talent such as Perry Como, Music/EarthaKitt, Music/GlennMiller, Music/FatsWaller, and the earliest Music/ElvisPresley records. This arrangement ended in 1957, when RCA got its own label identity overseas through a new distribution deal with [[Creator/DeccaRecords British Decca]]. However, by then HMV was already licensing other American labels like [[Creator/ABCRecords ABC-Paramount]][[note]]including sublabels such as [[Creator/ImpulseRecords Impulse!]], Bluesway and Music/RayCharles' imprint Tangerine; another ABC label, Creator/{{Dunhill|Records}}, had a separate deal with RCA[[/note]], Creator/{{United Artists|Records}}, Creator/{{Verve|Records}}, Creator/{{Disney}}-owned labels Disneyland and Buena Vista, and various indies. (While most of these companies eventually began releasing under their own names in England, ABC ''couldn't'' use its own name due to the UK TV studio Associated British Corporation.) HMV also had plenty of its own domestic talent, such as Creator/BernardBresslaw, Kenny Lynch, Creator/MorecambeAndWise, and (unfortunately) the cast of ''Series/TheBlackAndWhiteMinstrelShow''. HMV's English roster was more oriented toward GenreMotif/EasyListening and ClassicalMusic than its EMI stablemates Creator/{{Parlophone|Records}} and [[Creator/EMIColumbiaRecords Columbia]], which got most of UsefulNotes/TheBritishInvasion acts; however, it did manage to sign Music/ManfredMann, The Swinging Blue Jeans and a few less successful bands.

* Music/SamCooke

In America, the Barraud painting was licensed by the Victor Talking Machine Company, the predecessor to Creator/RCARecords; this led to a reciprocal relationship in which HMV licensed RCA releases in Europe, giving the British company access to talent such as Perry Como, Music/EarthaKitt, Music/GlennMiller, Music/FatsWaller, and the earliest Music/ElvisPresley records. This arrangement ended in 1957, when RCA got its own label identity overseas through a new distribution deal with [[Creator/DeccaRecords British Decca]]. However, by then HMV was already licensing other American labels like [[Creator/ABCRecords ABC-Paramount]][[note]]including sublabels such as [[Creator/ImpulseRecords Impulse!]], Bluesway and Music/RayCharles' imprint Tangerine; another ABC label, Creator/{{Dunhill|Records}}, had a separate deal with RCA[[/note]], Creator/{{United Artists|Records}}, Creator/{{Verve|Records}}, Creator/{{Disney}}-owned labels Disneyland and Buena Vista, and various indies. (While most of these companies eventually began releasing under their own names in England, ABC ''couldn't'' use its own name due to the UK TV studio Associated British Corporation.) HMV also had plenty of its own domestic talent, such as Creator/BernardBresslaw, Kenny Lynch, Creator/MorecambeAndWise, and (unfortunately) the cast of ''Series/TheBlackAndWhiteMinstrelShow''. HMV's English roster was more oriented toward GenreMotif/EasyListening and ClassicalMusic than its EMI stablemates Creator/{{Parlophone|Records}} and [[Creator/EMIColumbiaRecords Columbia]], which got most of UsefulNotes/TheBritishInvasion acts, although it did manage to sign Music/ManfredMann, The Swinging Blue Jeans and a few less successful bands.

In America, the Barraud painting was licensed by the Victor Talking Machine Company, the predecessor to Creator/RCARecords, which led to a reciprocal relationship in which HMV licensed RCA releases in Europe, giving the British company access to talent such as Perry Como, Music/EarthaKitt, Music/GlennMiller, Music/FatsWaller, and the earliest Music/ElvisPresley records. This arrangement ended in 1957, when RCA got its own label identity overseas through a new distribution deal with [[Creator/DeccaRecords British Decca]]. However, by then HMV was already licensing other American labels like [[Creator/ABCRecords ABC-Paramount]][[note]]including sublabels such as [[Creator/ImpulseRecords Impulse!]], Bluesway and Music/RayCharles' imprint Tangerine; another ABC label, Creator/{{Dunhill|Records}}, had a separate deal with RCA[[/note]], Creator/{{United Artists|Records}}, Creator/{{Verve|Records}}, Creator/{{Disney}}-owned labels Disneyland and Buena Vista, and various indies. (While most of these companies eventually began releasing under their own names in England, ABC ''couldn't'' use its own name due to the UK TV studio Associated British Corporation.) HMV also had plenty of its own domestic talent, such as Creator/BernardBresslaw, Kenny Lynch, Creator/MorecambeAndWise, and (unfortunately) the cast of ''Series/TheBlackAndWhiteMinstrelShow''. HMV's English roster was more oriented toward GenreMotif/EasyListening and ClassicalMusic than its EMI stablemates Creator/{{Parlophone|Records}} and [[Creator/EMIColumbiaRecords Columbia]], which got most of UsefulNotes/TheBritishInvasion acts, although it did manage to sign Music/ManfredMann, The Swinging Blue Jeans and a few less successful bands.

This may be why EMI decided to make HMV a strictly classical label at the end of 1967; the British pop acts switched to Parlophone or Columbia, while ABC acts moved to the pre-existing Stateside label. (The situation was different in Australia and New Zealand, where the local branches continued with pop and rock music through 1972.) This state of affairs lasted until 1988, when Music/{{Morrissey}} (who had just left Music/TheSmiths) signed to EMI as a solo artist. When asked which label he wanted to be on, he chose to revive HMV as a pop label for his own releases, which he did until 1992. (He even put out two singles as promo-only 78s!) At that point, EMI was still using HMV for classical releases, but with the UsefulNotes/CompactDisc creating a new worldwide marketplace for music, executives decided that using a trademark that was divided between three companies in different nations (EMI, RCA and the Japanese Victor Company) was no longer feasible. Therefore, HMV changed its name to EMI Classics throughout the world, while Morrissey moved to Parlophone for the remainder of his stay at EMI.

[[folder:American acts licensed from ABC and its sublabels Impulse!, Bluesway and Tangerine]]

This may be why EMI decided to make HMV a strictly classical label at the end of 1967; the British pop acts switched to Parlophone or Columbia, while ABC acts moved to the pre-existing Stateside label. (The situation was different in Australia and New Zealand, where the local branches continued with pop and rock music through 1972.) This state of affairs lasted until 1988, when Music/{{Morrissey}} (who had just left Music/TheSmiths) signed to EMI as a solo artist. When asked which label he wanted to be on, he chose to revive HMV as a pop label for his own releases, which he did until 1992. (He even put out two singles as promo-only 78s!) At that point, EMI was still using HMV for classical releases, but with the UsefulNotes/CompactDisc creating a new worldwide marketplace for music, the company decided that using a trademark that was divided between three companies in different nations (EMI, RCA and the Japanese Victor Company) was no longer feasible. Therefore, HMV changed its name to EMI Classics throughout the world, while Morrissey moved to Parlophone for the remainder of his stay at EMI.

The story begins in 1899, when the newly formed Gramophone Company Ltd., the precursor of Creator/{{EMI}}, bought the rights to Francis Barraud's painting ''His Master's Voice'', which showed a terrier named Nipper sitting on a coffin, listening to a wax cylinder phonograph with a QuizzicalTilt to his head. Since both Nipper and his master, Barraud's brother Mark, had been dead for years by the time the painting was completed, an UrbanLegend arose that Nipper was listening to a recording of his late master. (He wasn't, at least while Barraud was working on the image.) The Gramophone Company had Barraud change the cylinder player to a gramophone, then adopted the image as its corporate symbol. It became so strongly associated with the company that the label changed its name to His Master's Voice in England, and translations of the phrase in other countries. HMV quickly became a successful company throughout Europe and Oceania, with celebrities such as Enrico Caruso on its roster. It also became a well-known company in electronics and retail.

In America, the Barraud painting was licensed by the Victor Talking Machine Company, the predecessor to Creator/RCARecords, which led to a reciprocal relationship in which HMV licensed RCA releases in Europe, giving the British company access to talent such as Perry Como, Music/EarthaKitt, Music/GlennMiller, Music/FatsWaller, and the earliest Music/ElvisPresley records. This arrangement ended in 1957, when RCA got its own label identity overseas through a new distribution deal with [[Creator/DeccaRecords British Decca]]. However, by then HMV was already licensing other American labels like [[Creator/ABCRecords ABC-Paramount]][[note]]including sublabels such as [[Creator/ImpulseRecords Impulse!]] and Bluesway; another ABC label, Creator/{{Dunhill|Records}}, had a separate deal with RCA[[/note]], Creator/{{United Artists|Records}}, Creator/{{Verve|Records}}, Creator/{{Disney}}-owned labels Disneyland and Buena Vista, and various indies. (While most of these companies eventually began releasing under their own names in England, ABC ''couldn't'' use its own name due to the UK TV studio Associated British Corporation.) HMV also had plenty of its own domestic talent, such as Creator/BernardBresslaw, Kenny Lynch, Creator/MorecambeAndWise, and (unfortunately) the cast of ''Series/TheBlackAndWhiteMinstrelShow''. HMV's English roster was more oriented toward GenreMotif/EasyListening and ClassicalMusic than its EMI stablemates Creator/{{Parlophone|Records}} and [[Creator/EMIColumbiaRecords Columbia]], which got most of UsefulNotes/TheBritishInvasion acts, although it did manage to sign Music/ManfredMann, The Swinging Blue Jeans and a few less successful bands.

[[folder:American acts licensed from ABC and its sublabels Impulse! and Bluesway]]

This may be why EMI decided to make HMV a strictly classical label at the end of 1967; the British pop acts switched to Parlophone or Columbia, while ABC acts moved to the pre-existing Stateside label. (The situation was different in Australia and New Zealand, where the local branches continued with pop and rock music through 1972.) This state of affairs lasted until 1988, when Music/{{Morrissey}} (who had just left Music/TheSmiths) signed to EMI as a solo artist. When asked which label he wanted to be on, he chose to revive HMV as a pop label for his own releases, which he did until 1992. (He even put out two singles as promo-only 78s!) At that point, EMI was still using HMV for classical releases, but with the UsefulNotes/CompactDisc creating a new worldwide marketplace for music, the company decided to using a trademark that was divided between three companies in different nations (EMI, RCA and the Japanese Victor Company) was no longer feasible. Therefore, HMV changed its name to EMI Classics throughout the world, while Morrissey moved to Parlophone for the remainder of his stay at EMI.

[[/folder]]

However, the venerable trademark had one last hurrah in May 2000, when the original HMV store moved from 363 Oxford Street in UsefulNotes/{{London}} (where it had been located since 1921) to a new, larger store across the street. To mark the occasion, EMI released a limited edition 78 of Music/RobbieWilliams' 1998 hit "Millennium" backed by a 1920 recording of Music/EdwardElgar conducting "Nimrod", a movement from his ''Enigma Variations'' suite. Elgar, along with Francis Barraud, had launched the original store 79 years earlier. While the record label ended with that release, the retail arm of HMV continues today.

[[/index]]

In America, the Barraud painting was licensed by the Victor Talking Machine Company, the predecessor to Creator/RCARecords, which led to a reciprocal relationship in which HMV licensed RCA releases in Europe, giving the British company access to talent such as Perry Como, Music/EarthaKitt, Music/GlennMiller, Music/FatsWaller, and the earliest Music/ElvisPresley records. This arrangement ended in 1957, when RCA got its own label identity overseas through a new distribution deal with [[Creator/DeccaRecords British Decca]]. However, by then HMV was already licensing other American labels like [[Creator/ABCRecords ABC-Paramount]][[note]]including sublabels such as [[Creator/ImpulseRecords Impulse!]] and Bluesway; another ABC label, Creator/{{Dunhill|Records}}, had a separate deal with RCA[[/note]], Creator/{{United Artists|Records}}, Creator/{{Verve|Records}}, Creator/{{Disney}}-owned labels Disneyland and Buena Vista, and various indies. (While most of these companies eventually began releasing under their own names in England, ABC ''couldn't'' use its own name due to the UK TV studio Associated British Corporation.) HMV also had plenty of its own domestic talent, such as Creator/BernardBresslaw, Kenny Lynch, Creator/MorecambeAndWise, and (unfortunately) the cast of ''Series/TheBlackAndWhiteMinstrelShow''. HMV's English roster was more oriented toward GenreMotif/EasyListening and ClassicalMusic than its EMI stablemates Creator/{{Parlophone|Records}] and [[Creator/EMIColumbiaRecords Columbia]], which got most of UsefulNotes/TheBritishInvasion acts, although it did manage to sign Music/ManfredMann, The Swinging Blue Jeans and a few less successful bands.

This may be why EMI decided to make HMV a strictly classical label at the end of 1967; the British pop acts switched to Parlophone or Columbia, while ABC acts moved to the pre-existing Stateside label. (The situation was different in Australia and New Zealand, where the local branches continued with pop and rock music through 1972.) This state of affairs lasted until 1988, when Music/{{Morrissey}} (who had just left Music/TheSmiths) signed to EMI as a solo artist. When asked which label he wanted to be on, he chose to revive HMV as a pop label for his own releases, which he did until 1992. At that point, EMI was still using HMV for classical releases, but with the UsefulNotes/CompactDisc creating a new worldwide marketplace for music, the company decided to using a trademark that was divided between three companies in different nations (EMI, RCA and the Japanese Victor Company) was no longer feasible. Therefore, HMV changed its name to EMI Classics throughout the world, while Morrissey moved to Parlophone for the remainder of his stay at EMI.

However, the venerable trademark had one last hurrah in 2000.

The story begins in 1899, when the newly formed Gramophone Company Ltd., the precursor of Creator/{{EMI}}, bought the rights to Francis Barraud's painting ''His Master's Voice'', which showed a terrier named Nipper sitting on a coffin, listening to a wax cylinder phonograph with a QuizzicalTilt to his head. Since both Nipper and his master, Barraud's brother Mark, had been dead for years by the time the painting was completed, an UrbanLegend arose that Nipper was listening to a recording of his late master. (He wasn't, at least while Barraud was working on the image.) The Gramophone Company had Barraud change the cylinder player to a gramophone, then adopted the image as its corporate symbol. It became so strongly associated with the company that the label changed its name to His Master's Voice in England, and translations of the phrase in other countries. HMV quickly became a successful company throughout Europe, with celebrities such as Enrico Caruso on its roster.

In America, the painting was licensed by the Victor Talking Machine Company, the predecessor to Creator/RCARecords, which led to a reciprocal relationship in which HMV licensed RCA releases in Europe, giving the British company access to talent such as Perry Como, Music/EarthaKitt, Music/GlennMiller, Music/FatsWaller, and the earliest Music/ElvisPresley records. This arrangement ended in 1957, when RCA got its own label identity overseas through a new distribution deal with [[Creator/DeccaRecords British Decca]]. However, by then HMV was already licensing other American labels like [[Creator/ABCRecords ABC-Paramount]][[note]]including sublabels such as [[Creator/ImpulseRecords Impulse!]] and Bluesway; another ABC label, Creator/{{Dunhill|Records}}, had a separate deal with RCA[[/note]], Creator/{{United Artists|Records}}, Creator/{{Verve|Records}}, Creator/{{Disney}}-owned labels Disneyland and Buena Vista, and various indies. (While most of these companies eventually began releasing under their own names in England, ABC ''couldn't'' use its own name due to the UK TV studio Associated British Corporation.) HMV also had plenty of its own domestic talent, such as Creator/BernardBresslaw, Kenny Lynch, Creator/MorecambeAndWise, and (unfortunately) the cast of ''Series/TheBlackAndWhiteMinstrelShow''.

[[quoteright:255:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/his_masters_voice_records_logo.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:255:An iconic logo for an iconic label.]]

The story begins in 1899, when the newly formed Gramophone Company Ltd., the precursor of Creator/{{EMI}}, bought the rights to Francis Barraud's painting ''His Master's Voice'', which showed a terrier named Nipper sitting on a coffin, listening to a wax cylinder phonograph with a QuizzicalTult to his head. Since both Nipper and his master, Barraud's brother Mark, had been dead for years by the time the painting was completed, an UrbanLegend arose that Nipper was listening to a recording of his late master. (He wasn't, at least while Barraud was working on the image.) The Gramophone Company had Barraud change the cylinder player to a gramophone, then adopted the image as its corporate symbol. It became so strongly associated with the company that the label changed its name to His Master's Voice in England, and translations of the phrase in other countries.