Although the Columbia brand name has a long and distinguished history as a record label, it only reflected the work of an independent commercial organization in the United Kingdom between 1923 and 1931. At all other times it was part of a larger body. This article considers the work and achievements of the Columbia Graphophone Company during this short period, and assesses its influence, particularly in relation to the classical music repertoire and the performers who committed their interpretations to disc. The commercial and cultural impact of the merger of this company in 1931 with its rival, the Gramophone Company, to form Electric and Musical Industries Ltd. (EMI), is then considered, together with the longer-term influence of the American media industrialist, David Sarnoff, the chief executive officer of RCA-Victor and a board member of the Gramophone Company and of EMI at this time.
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