EMI
EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its acquisition by Universal Music in 2012, it was the fourth largest business group and record label conglomerate in the music industry, and was one of the "Big Four" record companies (now the "Big Three"). Its labels included EMI Records, Parlophone, Virgin Records, and Capitol Records, which are now referenced under Universal Music due to their acquisition with the exception of Parlophone, as it is now owned by Warner Music.
This article is about the defunct British music company. For other uses, see EMI (disambiguation).Company type
31 March 1931[1]
28 September 2012
Broken up:
EMI Music Publishing acquired by a consortium led by Sony/ATV Music Publishing comprising
- Sony Corporation of America
- The Estate of Michael Jackson
- Mubadala Development Company PJSC
- Jynwel Capital Limited
- The Blackstone Group's GSO Capital Partners LP
- David Geffen[2] (Currently wholly owned by and absorbed into Sony/ATV)
- Warner Music Group acquired Parlophone, Chrysalis Records (UK artists and Ramones catalogue until 2016), EMI Classics, Virgin Classics, 2CD Originals Series and EMI's Belgian, Czech/Slovak, Danish, French, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish operations (including Russian EMI partner SBA/Gala and Chinese EMI partner Gold Typhoon)[3]
- Universal Music Group acquired Capitol Records, Virgin Records, The Blue Note Label Group and Positiva Records amongst the bulk.
- BMG Rights Management acquired Mute Records and Virgin Music Publishing[4]
- Blue Raincoat Music (parent since 2019 is Reservoir Media Management) in 2016 acquired the Chrysalis British catalogue (except 3 artists and Ramones)
Worldwide
Founding CEO Lenard John Brown
Roger Faxon (Former CEO)
Ruth Prior (Former CFO)
£1.072 billion (2009)
$1.65 billion (2009)
£163 million (2009)
(EMI Music)[5]
£135 million (2009)
(EMI Music Publishing)[6]
- Terra Firma Capital Partners (2007–2011)
- Citigroup (2011 – 28 September 2012)
- Universal Music Group (28 September 2012 – present) (EMI Group)
- Sony/ATV Music Publishing (28 September 2012 – present) (EMI Music Publishing)
- Warner Music Group (7 February 2013 – present) (EMI Records Ltd; renamed Parlophone Records Ltd.)
5,500 (2008)
EMI was listed on the London Stock Exchange, and was also once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, but faced financial problems and US$4 billion in debt, leading to its acquisition by Citigroup in February 2011.[7][8] Citigroup's ownership was temporary, as EMI announced in November 2011 that it would sell its music arm to Vivendi's Universal Music Group for $1.9 billion and its publishing business to a Sony/ATV consortium for around $2.2 billion. Other members of the Sony consortium include the estate of Michael Jackson, the Blackstone Group, and the Abu Dhabi–owned Mubadala Development Company. EMI's locations in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada were all disassembled to repay debt, but the primary head office located outside those countries is still functional.[9]
EMI Music Publishing is now owned by Sony Music Publishing, the music publishing division of Sony Music which bought another 70% stake in EMI Music Publishing.[10][11]
Electronics research and development[edit]
Television[edit]
In 1934, an EMI research team led by Sir Isaac Shoenberg developed the electronic Marconi-EMI system for television broadcasting, which quickly replaced Baird's electro-mechanical system following its introduction in 1936.[14] After the Second World War, EMI resumed its involvement in making broadcasting equipment, notably providing the BBC's second television transmitter at Sutton Coldfield. It also manufactured broadcast television cameras for British television production companies as well as for the BBC. The commercial television ITV companies also used them alongside cameras made by Pye and Marconi. Their best-remembered piece of broadcast television equipment was the EMI 2001 colour television camera, which became the mainstay of much of the British television industry from the end of the 1960s until the early 1990s. Exports of this piece of equipment were low, however, and EMI left this area of product manufacture.
Blumlein and radar[edit]
EMI engineer Alan Blumlein received a patent for the invention of stereophonic sound in 1931.[15] He was killed in 1942 whilst conducting flight trials on an experimental H2S radar set.
During and after World War II, the EMI Laboratories in Hayes, Hillingdon developed radar equipment (including the receiver section of the British Army's GL-II anti-aircraft fire-control radar), microwave devices such as the reflex klystron oscillator (having played a crucial role in the development of early production types following on from the British Admiralty Signal School's pioneering NR89, the so-called "Sutton tube"), electro-optic devices such as infra-red image converters, and eventually guided missiles employing analogue computers.
Photomultipliers[edit]
The company was also for many years an internationally respected manufacturer of photomultipliers. This part of the business was transferred to Thorn as part of Thorn-EMI, then later became the independent concern Electron Tubes Ltd.
Computers and CT scanner[edit]
The EMI Electronic Business Machine, a valve and magnetic drum memory computer, was built in the 1950s to process the British Motor Corporation payroll.[16][17]
In 1958 the EMIDEC 1100, the UK's first commercially available all-transistor computer, was developed at EMI's Central Research Laboratories
in Hayes under the leadership of Godfrey Hounsfield, an electrical engineer at EMI.[17]
In the early 1970s, with financial support by the UK Department of Health and Social Security as well as EMI research investment,[18] Hounsfield developed the first CT scanner, a device which revolutionised medical imaging. In 1973 EMI was awarded a prestigious Queen's Award for Technological Innovation for what was then called the EMI scanner,[19] and in 1979 Hounsfield won the Nobel Prize for his accomplishment.[20]
After brief, but brilliant, success in the medical imaging field, EMI's manufacturing activities were sold off to other companies, notably Thorn (see Thorn EMI). Subsequently, development and manufacturing activities were sold off to other companies and work moved to other towns such as Crawley and Wells.
Operations[edit]
Entertainment and Leisure[edit]
In 1964 EMI acquired Blackpool Tower from the Bickerstaffe family.[83] In 1967, they also took over the Winter Gardens complex in Blackpool.[84]
In 1967, EMI acquired the Grade Organisation, the UK's largest showbusiness talent agency, for £7.5 million.[85] This also included the recently acquired Shipman and King chain of 32 cinemas in the Home Counties.[86]