Oriole Records (U.S.)
| Company type | Record label |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1921 |
| Founder | McCrory's retail chain |
| Defunct | 1938 |
| Fate | Phased out; parent company acquired by Columbia Broadcasting System |
Area served | United States |
| Products | Records (discs) |
| Parent | American Record Corporation (later) |
Oriole Records was a United States-based record label established in 1921 by the McCrory's retail chain.
The Oriole brand was launched in 1921, with discs priced at 25 cents each. Initially, pressing was handled by the Cameo Record Company, though the majority of the recordings were licensed from other companies, mainly Emerson. Pressing responsibilities transitioned to Grey Gull around release number 115, notable for combining popular tunes with standards or classical pieces in unconventional pairings. By the time the catalog reached approximately 250 releases, production shifted to the Plaza Music Company, recognized for manufacturing budget labels such as Banner Records. Oriole and comparable labels frequently substituted artist names with pseudonyms. The Plaza-produced Orioles featured "control numbers" to obscure matrix numbers, a technique later adopted by Banner. Following Plaza's integration into the American Record Corporation (ARC), these control numbers were replaced by ARC matrix identifiers.
From 1930 to 1932, ARC eliminated several labels but preserved Oriole due to its contractual obligation with McCrory's. Oriole continued its sequential numbering system, surpassing 2000 issues and including specialized series dedicated to country and race record genres. In August 1935, ARC implemented a date-coded numbering scheme for its budget labels that incorporated year, month, and a serial sequence; race and country records commenced their serials at number 51.
The decline in record sales caused by the Great Depression and the emergence of radio broadcasting led to many store brands being discontinued. Moreover, younger audiences showed preference for recordings by specific artists—such as Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman—rather than anonymous releases. Oriole's last discs appeared in January 1937, with all low-cost labels phased out by April 1938. Later that same year, ARC was acquired by the Columbia Broadcasting System.
See also
- Conqueror Records: Sears' proprietary record label
- Embassy Records: Woolworth's UK store brand label
- List of record labels
External links
- Oriole Records at the Internet Archive's Great 78 Project