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American Record Corporation

American record company

American Record Corporation (ARC), also referred to as American Record Company, American Recording Corporation, or ARC Records, was an American record company in operation from 1929 to 1938, and again from 1978 to 1982.2 It is part of Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc.1 It ceased to exist in 1939.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

Jul 25, 1929Founded1

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American Recording Company
Photo: w:Sony Music, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons4

American Record Corporation (ARC), also referred to as American Record Company, American Recording Corporation, or ARC Records, was an American record company in operation from 1929 to 1938, and again from 1978 to 1982.2

Corporate structure

American Record Corporation sits at the top of its group. 9 entities, 1 country on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

  • American Record Corporation
    • Scranton Button Company Subsidiary · Scranton
    • Banner Records Subsidiary · United States
    • Cameo Record Corporation Subsidiary · United States
    • Master Records Subsidiary
    • Oriole Records Subsidiary · United States
    • Pathé Phonograph & Radio Corp. Subsidiary · United States
    • Perfect Subsidiary · United States
    • Romeo Subsidiary · United States

Built from subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0); major holders from Schedules 13D and 13G. Each entity in the chart links to its source.

The story

Labels that existed prior to the formation of ARC are marked +

ARC (sold to theaters for background and intermission music 1931–1933?, 1978–1982 vanity label for Maurice White)

Banner +1929–1938

Bernardo (client label)

Broadway +from 1932 (fulfilling a contract with Montgomery Ward after Paramount ceased production)

Brunswick +1932–1938 (under lease agreement from Warner Bros. Pictures)

Cameo +1929–1930

Columbia +late 1934–1938

Read the full text

Commodore (client label for Commodore Music Shops)

Conqueror +(client label for Sears from 1929–1938)

Domino +1929–1931 (but was restarted as a client label for the John Gabel Co. circa 1933–34)

Fox Movietone (client label sold only at Fox Theaters, taken over from Victor, circa 1934)

Gospel Herald (client label)

Gramophone Shop Varieties (client label for The Gramophone Shop)

Hollywood 1936–1937 (client label)

Homestead +(mail order label 1929 to circa 1931, when it was taken over by Crown Records)

Hot Record Society (client label for the Hot Record Society)

Jewel +1929 to circa 1932

Liberty Music Shops (client label for the Liberty Music Shops)

Lincoln +from 1929–1930

Master 1937

Mel-O-Dee (client label as a specialty jukebox label for Will F. Dillion Associates, Inc.) 1931

Melotone +1932–1938

Oriole +1929–1938 (client label for McCrory)

Paramount +1932 to circa 1934. Pressed last of the 13000 series and the short-lived 9000 series

Pathé +1929–1930

Perfect +1929–1938

Regal +1929–1931

Romeo +1929–1938 (client label for Kress Stores)

Shamrock Stores – (client label for the Shamrock Stores)

Supertone +1930 to circa 1931 (client label for Sears whose short-lived series made by Brunswick after the Gennett period ended. This rare series probably hails from right before the ARC takeover of Brunswick)

U.H.C.A. – (client label specializing in reissues for United Hot Clubs of America through Commodore)

Variety 1937

Vocalion +1932–1938 (under lease agreement from Warner Bros. Pictures)

From Wikipedia’s article on American Record Corporation, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Subsidiaries and ownership

Subsidiaries

  • Banner Records
  • Master Records
  • Oriole Records
  • Perfect
  • Romeo
  • Cameo Record Corporation since Jul 1929
  • Pathé Phonograph & Radio Corp. since Jul 1929
  • Scranton Button Company since Jul 1929

Divisions

  • Brunswick Records since Dec 1931

Former owners and parents

From Wikidata.1

Acquisitions

  1. Jul 1934Columbia Phonograph Company, Inc. became a subsidiary1
  2. Dec 3, 1931Brunswick Record Corporation became a subsidiary1
  3. Jul 1929Acquired Cameo Record Corporation1
  4. Jul 1929Acquired Pathé Phonograph & Radio Corp.1
  5. Jul 1929Acquired Scranton Button Company1
  6. Succeeded by Columbia Recording Corporation1

Timeline

  1. Apr 4, 1939Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. Dec 17, 1938Acquired Acquired by Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc.1
  3. Jul 25, 1929Founded Founded1
  4. Jul 1929Acquired Acquired by Consolidated Film Industries1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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