Ducretet Thomson
Ducretet et cie., later Ducretet Thomson was a French company founded by scientist Eugène Adrien Ducretet which produced, among other scientific instruments, an early "plate phonograph", or tinfoil disc player (1879) and a tinfoil phonograph for cylinders.[1] The company was later absorbed into the French Thomson Group and the division's product line extended to early televisions.
The company brand was also used for a record label until the end of the 1950s.[2] The label eventually became part of London Records.
French label that was introduced in 1950 by Compagnie Française Thomson-Houston and Maurice Selmer of Henri Selmer Paris and the Selmer label. CFTH were a manufacturer of radios.
In 1958 Compagnie Française Thomson-Houston went into a partnership with Pathe Marconi, with the companies distributing each other's products.
Eventually Les Industries Musicales Et Electriques Pathé Marconi [EMI] took over the label in 1961.
The "Ducretet" part of the name comes from "Ducretet et cie." a company that CFTH acquired in 1929. Ducretet et cie. was a French company founded by scientist Eugène Adrien Ducretet which produced, among other scientific instruments, an early "plate phonograph", or tinfoil disc player (1879) and a tinfoil phonograph for cylinders. The repertoire focused on world music, including UNESCO recordings.
Today back catalog is owned by Warner Music France [Warner Music Group].
References
- ↑ Hoffmann, F. (2004), Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound, p.671: "DUCRETET. ET. CIE. A French firm of instrument makers, which produced a "plate phonograph"(i.e., a tinfoil disc player) in 1879. The company also marketed a tinfoil phonograph for cylinders."
- ↑ Hoffmann, F. (2004), Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound, p.671: "DUCRETET-THOMSON. (LABEL). A French record, issued by Decca in Britain from October 1954. The repertoire focused on world music, including UNESCO recordings. In 1958 the label made its final appearance in the English catalog."