Parlophone Records

Parlophone Records

Parlophone Records is a German-British major record label, which began in Germany in 1896. It is best known as one of the record labels who put out music by The Beatles in the 1960s. Parlophone's L-shaped logo began as the logo of the German Lindstrom label, which became part of Parlophone.

The company became part of EMI in 1931, and was known at the time especially for jazz and comedy records. They also issued records of "regional music", including works by Scottish and Latin recording artists. George Martin, staff producer, sometimes travelled to Scotland to record popular artists there.

The Beatles were signed to Parlophone in 1962, and released most of their albums on the label.

Parlophone continues today with artists like Coldplay, Lily Allen, and Radiohead.

In 2012, Universal Music Group bought EMI (the owner of Parlophone), but Universal chose to sell Parlophone to Warner Music Group. However, The Beatles’ catalogue still remains with UMG, through its Calderstone Productions label.