PolyGram was a medium company, which originated in to 1971 from the group of firms German Grammophon society (DGG) and Philips Phonographi industry (PPI).

History

Already 1962 created Philips daughter Philips Phonografi industry N.V. (PPI) and the Siemens daughter German Grammophon society (DGG) Gramophon Philips Group (GPG), whereby Philips took over 50 per cent at DGG and in response Siemens 50 per cent at PPI. The two enterprises were fused by at the beginning of 1972 formally to PolyGram, in which the parent companies Philips and Siemens were involved to 50 per cent each.

Despite the fusion the old firm's structures continued to exist still until 1977 parallel, up to the complete operational pool of PPI and DGG. Since that time recording, clay/tone carrier production, selling and marketing are united in a only one "“PolyGram"”. The various disk label within PolyGram Trade Union of German Employees-evenly remained to a large extent autonomous also after the unification, which applied also to PolyGrams Artist&Repertorie enterprise.

Since GPG was present particularly in Continental Europe, one expanded the USA and Great Britain by participation and contracts on the markets: 1962 - Purchase of Mercury record (US), 1969 - purchase of Chambell Music Publishing (US & UK) 1970 - purchase of RSO (UK). The expansion continued also PolyGram: 1972 - Purchase of Verve record (US) and MGM record (US) of Metro Goldwyn Mayer, 1976 - purchase of United distribution corporation (UDG) (US), 1976 - participation with 50% during the reestablishment of RSO (US) 1976 - distribution contracts with 20th Century record (world-wide) and MCA (world-wide, except the USA) 1977 - participation with 50% with Casablanca film & record Works (US) (complete acquisition: 1980 - 100%), 1980 - purchase by Decca record Company Ltd. (UK).

During the Disco boom PolyGram profited from the US market and increased there the market share of 5 to 20 per cent - for a short time ascended PolyGram to the world-wide largest disk company.

Into the 1980ern then the case followed: the purchase the much to large marketing company United distribution corporation (UDC) 1973 prepared losses starting from 1978. The aggressive expansion and the production out of touch with reality of clay/tone carriers their demand one realized themselves not, led with the abrupt end of the Disco boom at the end of of 1979 to GAU. The enormous sales network was hardly working at full capacity and one sat on exorbitant quantities of clay/tone carriers, which wanted now nobody more. Starting from 1980 PolyGram brought enormous losses in, official documents numbers the net loss at that time on 220 million US Dollar.

In order to stop the downward spiral, the enterprise received 1983 a new CEO, which reduced the number of coworkers of 13.000 to 7.000 and whom number of manufacturing plants for clay/tone carriers of 18 to five reduced. In addition one solved from the concentration on few superstar, in favor of a broad support on regional and locally embodied itself artists and various of music category. With the reorientation of the enterprise PolyGram became already 1985 again profitable.

After in the course a fusion aimed at with the Warner Music Group 1983 failed to the crisis, Siemens began to withdraw itself from the enterprise. Philips bought 1983 and 1985 of Siemens a 40%-Anteil between and took over 1987 also the remaining 10 per cent, with which one became the however owner.

1989 released Philips to 16 per cent of the share capital of PolyGram at the Amsterdamer stock exchange to the trade; the value of the entire enterprise became estimated on 5.6 billion US Dollar. With the new capital from the sales at the stock exchange PolyGram acquired further disk label: 1989 A&M records and Iceland record, 1993 Motown and 1994 Def Jam.

1991 was paged out the participation in film enterprises by Philips into that particularly for it created enterprises PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (PFE).

In the year 1998 the company was sold to Music Group (UMG) at Seagram and came up in the enterprise universal. By the sales of Seagram to the French mixing company Vivendi in the year 2000, belongs to UMG today Vivendi universal.

Label

PolyGram label were among other things: Archives production, Brunswick record, Decca record (starting from 1979), Fontana record, roundabout (label), Mercury record, Polydor, Polystar, Vertigo record, Verve record, since beginning of the 90's also polar Music.

Articles in category "PolyGram"

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