The History of EMI

  • Huge British corporation
  • Formed in 1931
  • 20,000 employees
  • Invented the tape recorder 
  • Head office in Manchester Square
  • Owned own recording studios in St Johns Wood
  • EMI mould- well spoken men
  • EMI were mainstream and conservative 
  • Before the 60s they manufactured cameras for the new television industry, early computers and radar for the Ministry of Defence 
  • 50s- artists wouldn't hear what they recorded (50s and 60s they were told what to do)
  • Rise in the teenager (education continuing for everyone, money-making) and the success of Elvis Presley's early singles (licensed and released in UK by EMI) the music business booming. 
  • 3 profitable record labels- Columbia (Helen Shapiro and Cliff Richard), HMV (his master's voice- Manfred Mann  and Parlophone (releasing comedy records- Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers).
  • 1962- Beatles signed to EMI- manager Brian Epstein- wouldn't have got a deal if he had been to public school and spoke the proper way. It helped that at Parlohone there was another smartly dressed man- label boss and producer George Martin. 
  • Beatles- 2 years on Parlophone, EMI production line released 8 singles and 4 studio albums
  • Beatles became the dominant force in global pop music and Parlophone were now the most famous record label on the planet, a multi million pound money making machine. 
  • 1967- growing pressure to sign the next great band in popular music- Pink Floyd signed- well spoken young gentlemen- fitted the traditional EMI mould. 
  • Pink Floyd- Psychedelia- drugs
  • 1967- The Beatles stopped touring- recorded at Abbey Road
  • 1972- recording company formed a label called EMI records- A&R recruited T-Rex, Cockney Rebel
  • By the early 70s EMI corporation had expanded its interests- pouring millions into a new medical division after an EMI scientist developed first CAT scanner.
  • Become owners of a cinema chain and brought their way into a television studio- early 70s (BRITAIN'S BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT ORGANISATION)
  • 1973- Pink Floyd had 8 successful albums- gained creative control
  • Pink Floyd set about making a record with no instruments called Household Objects created sound of a bass guitar by stretching a rubber band across a table with two things on it- egg slices, pencil sharpeners etc.- abandoned the project
  • February 1975- Make Me Smile by Cockney Rebel got to number 1.
  • Throughout the 70s 10 million people regularly listened to the radio one chart show and its peak over 15 million watched Top of the Pops
  • 1975- Queen released Bohemian Rhapsody- 6 minute single- twice as long as most standard singles- most sophisticated and expensive single ever released-new video promo. 
  • October 1976- signed the Sex Pistols (punk rock) - for 17 year olds and unemployed 
  • Sex Pistols appeared on Today with Bill Grundy (tea time show) - replaced Queen -affected EMI record label and EMI business corporation -electronic companies didn't want to work alongside EMI- MPs writing letters.
  • Sex Pistols sacked from EMI- lasted for 90 days
  • Ended up on Virgin- independent label- promoted itself as the polar opposite of mainstream, conservative corporation (EMI).
  • Kate Bush- first female artist to top the UK chart with a self written song Wuthering Heights (1978 debut release) at age 19- signed at age 17.
  • 1979- world went into recession- record sales slumped, EMI medical division had spectacular losses- corporation in financial crisis. 
  • salvation came from electrical business Thorn, the king of lightbulb proposed a merger. Thorn EMI was mainly involved in electronics, defence and retail.
  • 1979- Margaret Thatcher came to power, punk was failing
  • 1980s- new scene of escapism, aspiration and dreams of material wealth
  • Duran Duran were signed when there was a new music channel in America in 1981- recording industry into video age- MTV hunger for music videos.
  • 1985- introduction of Pet Shop Boys- first to understand power of branding- on the Parlophone label. They had a huge impact on the the artistic style, design and production of pop music in the 80s. 
  • 1986- signed The Smiths- one of the most important indie groups- they split before they could relate anything.
  • 1988- associate with Food Records, a rising young independent label with acts like Jesus Jones- to remove uncool image- first mission to see a band called Seymour with one song She's So High- became Blur.
  • Americans spoilt the party with Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit- Blur reacted with second album- very British- led to Britpop.
  • Mid 90s- cool Britannia was promoting the British great art, fashion and music scenes to the world. Blur were at the centre with their brand of Britishness.
  • With a 500 million pound deal EMI bought Virgin Records- artists such as The Spice Girls, The Rolling Stones and Robbie Williams.
  • Before this Oasis and Blur battle for number one grabbed the headlines- Blur triumphed.
  • EMI and Parlophone attracted Supergrass, Coldplay and Radiohead.
  • CDR- privacy and file sharing swept the globe- new technologies would threaten the existence of the music industry- Britain's oldest record company was struggling to survive.
  • After a brief takeover and the 2008 financial crash The Rolling Stones and Radiohead parted company.
  • 2013- Parlophone went its separate way, Virgin and EMI began a new chapter together- people started signing up to subscription services- paying for music again.
  • 2015- in business terms it was the most successful year for the music industry since the 1990s.

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