Columbia - Biography

Biography - Columbia

Canada

For many years, U.S. and Canadian Columbia releases can't easily be distinguished because the labels list prices in both U.S. and Canadian currency. Some releases, however, featured only Canadian prices.

Around Fall 1914, the Canadian branch of Columbia produced a Canadian P-series (P for Patriotic). Around the same time, it began releasing a Canada-specific R-series with recordings made by the British company Columbia-Rena (R = Rena).

In July 1924, though, the struggling American parent company, Columbia Phonograph Company, Inc. sold off its Canadian operation.

The Columbia brand reappears on the Canadian market in September 1939, after CBS has acquired the Columbia label from the American Record Corporation.

The earliest CBS labels look very similar to the U.S. versions, except they were used much longer, until mid-1953. Like them, they bear the phrase "Trade Mark" under the two round logos on top (Columbia's pair of beamed semiquavers and the CBS microphone). Below the COLUMBIA name, they also bear a three-line text "Registered Trade Mark / Canadian Pressing by Sparton at London, Canada / Copyrighted - Not Licensed for Radio Broadcast."

In mid-1953, the the phrase "Trade Mark" under the two round logos on top disappears. In the three-line text below the COLUMBIA name the middle line becomes twice as big and the wording changes very slightly: "Trade Marks Registered / Canadian Pressing by Sparton at London, Canada / Copyrighted Not Licensed for Radio Broadcast."

In mid-1954, the legal text below the COLUMBIA name is reduced to just one line, "Copyrighted. Made in Canada. "Columbia" and [2 round logos] Trade Marks."

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