COMPANYHISTORIES
SIC 3652

Prerecorded Records and Tapes

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

12companies1835–1996founding years10still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedBertelsmann AG
1835
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedVictor Company of Japan, Limited
1927
FoundedThe Seagram Company Ltd.
1928
FoundedMuzak, Inc.
1934
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedThe Atlantic Group
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedMotown Records Company L.P.
1959
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedK-tel International, Inc.
1968
FoundedPolyGram N.V.
1972
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedThe Really Useful Group
1977
FoundedGeffen Records Inc.
1980
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedNimbus CD International, Inc.
1982
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedEMI Group plc
1996
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
1999
TechnologyNapster ignites the digital disruption of recorded music.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Bertelsmann AG →
Active · founded 1835 · Germany
Bertelsmann AG is the largest media group in Germany and Europe, and the second-largest in the world to the U.S.-based…
Victor Company of Japan, Limited →
Active · founded 1927 · Japan
Victor Company of Japan, Limited (JVC) is one of several Japanese companies that has evolved to dominate the…
The Seagram Company Ltd. →
Active · founded 1928 · Canada
The Seagram Company Ltd., which is 32-percent owned by the Bronfman family, is a major international liquor giant…
Muzak, Inc. →
Active · founded 1934
A fixture of the American soundscape, Muzak, Inc.
The Atlantic Group →
Active · founded 1947
The Atlantic Group consistently ranks among the most successful recording companies in the United States.
Motown Records Company L.P. →
Active · founded 1959
The New Republic has called it "the most successful Black-owned business in American history." Many first think of the…
K-tel International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
An international marketing and distribution company, K-tel International, Inc.
PolyGram N.V. →
Defunct · founded 1972
Netherlands-based PolyGram N.V.
The Really Useful Group →
Active · founded 1977 · United Kingdom
The Really Useful Group is the umbrella corporation over a welter of entertainment and leisure companies that operate…
Geffen Records Inc. →
Active · founded 1980
Geffen Records Inc.
Nimbus CD International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1982
In the mid-1990s Nimbus CD International, Inc.
EMI Group plc →
Defunct · founded 1996 · United Kingdom
EMI Group plc is the fourth largest of the world's "big six" music giants.
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