Pathé Records
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music, phonographs |
| Founded | 1894 |
| Founder | Charles Pathé, Émile Pathé |
| Defunct | 1928 |
| Headquarters | Paris , France |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Phonographs, cylinders, disc records |
Pathé Records was a global record company and producer of phonographs and record labels headquartered in France, operating from the 1890s until the 1930s.
Early years
The enterprise was established by brothers Charles and Émile Pathé, who originally ran a Parisian bistro. Their venture commenced in 1894 by retailing Edison and Columbia phonographs along with cylinder records. Shortly thereafter, they began manufacturing their own phonographs that integrated features from other manufacturers and started selling pre-recorded cylinders. By 1896, Pathé had expanded its presence with offices and recording studios located in Paris, London, Milan, and St. Petersburg.
Pathé cylinders and discs
Pathé initially focused on producing phonograph cylinders up until approximately 1914, offering various sizes such as the standard (2+1/4 in), "Salon" (3+1/2 in), "Stentor" (5 in), and the largest commercial cylinder known as "Le Céleste" measuring 5 inches in diameter and 9 inches in length.
In 1905, the company ventured into the disc record market utilizing distinctive technology to circumvent patent restrictions. Their early discs were single-sided with wax coatings applied to cement bases; by October 1906, they transitioned to shellac materials. These discs featured vertically cut grooves that required a specialized spherical stylus and rotated at a speed of 90 rpm, which differed from prevailing industry norms. Initially, the grooves began near the center of the disc and spiraled outward; this was reversed in 1916 to start at the rim moving inward, with playback speed adjusted to about 80 rpm and paper labels replacing embossed text. Disc diameters ranged from 6+1/2 inches up to 20 inches, although the largest sizes were commercially unsuccessful due to their fragility and high cost.
While Pathé dominated the French market for cylinder records and phonographs, it faced challenges internationally where competing brands held stronger positions. Their cylinders had limited appeal outside France; however, their disc records achieved solid sales across countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Russia.
A notable innovation by Pathé involved recording master copies on large wax "Master Cylinders," which differed from consumer formats. Beginning in 1913, they introduced "Paradis" cylinders that enhanced sound quality. Commercial cylinders and discs were produced by dubbing from these masters—a method that allowed releases across multiple formats but occasionally introduced audio imperfections complicating discographical research.
The firm employed a block system for cataloging masters alongside a serial numbering system for commercial pressings. Prior to adopting conventional master-stamper disc production methods after 1927, this approach enabled tracing recordings back to their original master cylinders. Due to financial difficulties following economic downturns, the Master Cylinder archive was dismantled after 1929.
Pathé discs necessitated specialized phonographs equipped with sapphire ball styli that did not require frequent replacement. The company also marketed adapters enabling playback of Pathé’s vertical-cut discs on standard phonographs as well as playing conventional discs on Pathé machines.
In 1920, Pathé launched Pathé Actuelle, a series of "needle-cut" laterally cut records compatible with standard players initially targeted at the US market; these expanded into the UK by 1921 and surpassed vertical-cut record sales within several years. Marketing of vertical-cut discs outside France ceased by 1925 but continued domestically until 1932.
Midway through 1922, Pathé introduced Perfect Records as an affordable label that became one of the leading dime-store brands throughout the 1920s and persisted until 1938 despite US Pathé operations ending in 1930.
January 1927 marked Pathé’s transition from acoustic to electronic microphone recording technology.
In December 1928, British Columbia Graphophone Company acquired French and British Pathé phonograph interests; in July 1929 American Pathé merged into American Record Corporation. The label remained active in Italy under the VCM group ('Voce de Maestro - Columbia - Marconiphone') starting in 1931.
Today, Pathé and Pathé-Marconi imprints survive as part of EMI’s heritage under Parlophone Records. EMI Italiana obtained the Italian catalog in 1967; Universal Music Group assumed control of EMI Italiana in 2013. Meanwhile, the film division of Pathé Frères continues operations within France.
See also
External links
- Official website of Pathé (currently focused mainly on film distribution)
- Collection of Pathé cylinder recordings
- Pathe Records available through the Internet Archive's Great 78 Project