Compo Company
Encyclopedia
Compo Company Ltd. was Canada's first independent record company.
The Compo Company was founded in 1918 in Lachine, Quebec
by Herbert Berliner, an executive of Berliner Gramophone
of Canada and the oldest son of disc record inventor Emile Berliner
.
Compo was created to serve the several American independent record companies such as Okeh Records
which wanted to distribute records in Canada. Its initial business was pressing records in Canada for these companies. Herbert Berliner broke with Berliner Gramophone in 1921, taking several senior Berliner Gramophone executives with him. This allowed Compo to immediately expand into a full-fledged record company by establishing the Sun
and Apex
record labels among others. Apex was the longest lasting of the Compo labels, lasting into the 1970s.
Compo was one of only two Canadian record companies to survive the Great Depression
. RCA Victor Records of Canada—formerly Berliner Gramophone
-was the other (it is currently the oldest Canadian label that forms part of Sony Music Entertainment
in Canada).
Warner Bros. Records
used Compo as its Canadian distributor until it established its own Canadian branch in 1967. That branch later became Warner Music Canada
.
In 1935, Compo became the Canadian licencee for the American Decca Records
. American Decca bought Compo in 1951 with Berliner staying on as president until his death in 1966. MCA Inc. acquired Compo when it acquired American Decca. Compo was renamed MCA Records
(Canada) in 1970. The company eventually evolved into Universal Music Canada.
The Compo Company was founded in 1918 in Lachine, Quebec
Lachine, Quebec
Lachine was a city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is now a borough within the city of Montreal.-History:...
by Herbert Berliner, an executive of Berliner Gramophone
Berliner Gramophone
Berliner Gramophone was an early record label, the first company to produce disc "gramophone records" .-History:...
of Canada and the oldest son of disc record inventor Emile Berliner
Emile Berliner
Emile Berliner or Emil Berliner was a German-born American inventor. He is best known for developing the disc record gramophone...
.
Compo was created to serve the several American independent record companies such as Okeh Records
Okeh Records
Okeh Records began as an independent record label based in the United States of America in 1918. From 1926 on, it was a subsidiary of Columbia Records.-History:...
which wanted to distribute records in Canada. Its initial business was pressing records in Canada for these companies. Herbert Berliner broke with Berliner Gramophone in 1921, taking several senior Berliner Gramophone executives with him. This allowed Compo to immediately expand into a full-fledged record company by establishing the Sun
Sun Records (other companies)
Sun Records has been the name of multiple 20th century record labels.The first "Sun Records" in Europe were single-sided disc records put out by The Crystalate Gramophone Record Manufacturing Company Ltd. of Tonbridge, Kent, England, from about 1905 to 1910...
and Apex
Apex Records (Canada)
Apex Records was a Canadian record label owned by the Compo Company which lasted as late as 1980.Compo established the Apex label in July, 1921 in Toronto. It released American recordings from Okeh Records and Gennett Records among others...
record labels among others. Apex was the longest lasting of the Compo labels, lasting into the 1970s.
Compo was one of only two Canadian record companies to survive the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. RCA Victor Records of Canada—formerly Berliner Gramophone
Berliner Gramophone
Berliner Gramophone was an early record label, the first company to produce disc "gramophone records" .-History:...
-was the other (it is currently the oldest Canadian label that forms part of Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
in Canada).
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
used Compo as its Canadian distributor until it established its own Canadian branch in 1967. That branch later became Warner Music Canada
Warner Music Canada
Warner Music Canada is the Canadian division of Warner Music Group. The label previously operated as WEA Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of WEA International, which later changed its name to Warner Music International in 1990. It was founded in 1967 as Warner Reprise Canada Ltd...
.
In 1935, Compo became the Canadian licencee for the American Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
. American Decca bought Compo in 1951 with Berliner staying on as president until his death in 1966. MCA Inc. acquired Compo when it acquired American Decca. Compo was renamed MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
(Canada) in 1970. The company eventually evolved into Universal Music Canada.