His Master's Voice

Last updated

His Master's Voice
Owner
  • Talisman Brands, Inc. (United States, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Indonesia, South Korea and Uruguay)
  • Hilco Capital (United Kingdom, Australia, Brunei, European Union, Iceland, Israel, Kenya, Namibia, Norway, Switzerland, Sudan and New Zealand)
  • JVCKenwood/Victor Entertainment (Japan)
  • HMV Brand Pte Ltd. (Singapore, China, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand)
  • Palm Green Capital Limited (Albania, Bahrain, Estonia, India, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Oman, Serbia, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Ukraine)

His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark used by numerous sound equipment manufacturers, record labels and entertainment retailers globally. It is derived from the painting of the same name that depicts a dog named Nipper listening to a wind-up disc gramophone whilst tilting his head, created in 1899 by Francis Barraud. [1]

Contents

In December 1899, the painting was sold to William Barry Owen of London's Gramophone Company (later a division of EMI), using the imagery on its sound equipment. It would create the His Master's Voice record label in 1909, and the HMV retail chain in 1921. The Victor Talking Machine Company (later RCA Victor), the American affiliate of the Gramophone Company, also adopted the name and imagery on its products and advertising, beginning in 1901. [2]

With the Gramophone Company and RCA Victor both eventually operating outside of their respective countries, the His Master's Voice painting became one of the world's best-known trademarks, featured on sound equipment, music releases and retail stores worldwide. Some international divisions would later be divested, leading to the ownership of the 'His Master's Voice' brand to be fragmented. [3] [4]

His Master's Voice (Music Award EMI-Bovema) Gouden Hond alias His Master's Voice.jpg
His Master's Voice (Music Award EMI-Bovema)

History

The phrase was coined in the late 1890s from the title of a painting by English artist Francis Barraud, which depicted a dog named Nipper listening to a wind-up disc gramophone and tilting his head. [5] In the original, unmodified 1898 painting, the dog was listening to a cylinder phonograph. [6]

In early 1899, Francis Barraud applied for copyright of the original painting using the descriptive working title Dog looking at and listening to a Phonograph. He was unable to sell the work to any cylinder phonograph company.[ citation needed ] The painting had been originally offered to James Hough, manager of Edison-Bell in London, but he declined, saying "dogs don't listen to phonographs".[ citation needed ] William Barry Owen, the American founder of the Gramophone Company in England, offered to purchase the painting for £100, under the condition that Barraud modify it to show one of their disc machines. [7] Barraud complied and the image was first used on the company's catalogue from December 1899. As the trademark gained in popularity, several additional copies were subsequently commissioned from the artist for various corporate purposes. [8]

A coloured vinyl single released by HMV His Master's Voice (red trans m) ubt 24.jpeg
A coloured vinyl single released by HMV
Victor Talking Machine Company advertisement from 1921 with His Master's Voice trademark VictorTalkingLogo.jpg
Victor Talking Machine Company advertisement from 1921 with His Master's Voice trademark

In June 2003, the formal His Master's Voice trademark transfer took place from EMI Records to HMV Media Group plc. [9] In January 2013, HMV Group plc would later be rescued by Hilco Capital, who retained the His Master's Voice trademark rights when they sold the HMV stores to Sunrise Records. [10]

In January 2017, Warner Music Group launched Warner Classics digital efforts as 'Dog and Trumpet' due to not having the 'His Master's Voice' trademark rights. [11] [12] Most reissues of former His Master's Voice-pop material previously controlled by EMI are now re-issued on Warner's Parlophone label. [13]

Use of "His Master's Voice"

Current

Retail

  • HMV UK (Since 1921, "HMV" initials owned by JD Sports, and "His Master's Voice" owned by Hilco Capital).
  • HMV Ireland (Since 1986, "HMV" initials and "His Master's Voice" are both owned by Hilco Capital).
  • HMV Canada (Since 1986, "HMV" initials owned by Hilco Capital, but "His Master's Voice" is owned by Talisman Brands, Inc).
  • HMV Belgium (Since 2023, "HMV" initials and "His Master's Voice" are both owned by Hilco Capital).
  • HMV Japan (Since 1990, "HMV" initials are owned by Lawson).

Sound equipment and recording labels

Former

Retail

  • HMV Australia (1989–2010, "HMV" initials and "His Master's Voice" are both owned by Hilco Capital).
  • HMV Germany (1990s–2000s, "HMV" initials and "His Master's Voice" are both owned by Hilco Capital).
  • HMV Hong Kong and HMV Singapore (1990s–2010s, "HMV" initials and "His Master's Voice" are both owned by HMV Brand Pte Ltd).
  • HMV Middle East (2015–2022, "HMV" initials are owned by Al Mana Lifestyle Trading in Oman and Qatar, but by Palm Green Capital Limited in United Arab Emirates.
  • HMV United States (1990s–2000s, "His Master's Voice" is owned by Talisman Brands, Inc).

Sound equipment and recording labels

Advertisement for "His Master's Voice" gramophones in the Dutch East Indies, 1930s His Master's Voice Advertisement, Surabaya (c 1930s).jpg
Advertisement for "His Master's Voice" gramophones in the Dutch East Indies, 1930s

References

  1. ↑ "Francis Barraud & Nipper". London Remembers. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  2. ↑ Meador, Granger (5 December 2023). "Remembering His Master's Voice". MEADOR.ORG. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  3. ↑ audiopolitan (21 June 2013). "His Master's Voice". audiopolitan. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  4. ↑ Harrison, Kieran (19 October 2017). "His Master's Voice". FGD1 The Archive. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  5. ↑ Sommese, Andrea; Miklósi, Ádám; Pogány, Ákos; Temesi, Andrea; Dror, Shany; Fugazza, Claudia (2022). "An exploratory analysis of head-tilting in dogs". Animal Cognition. 25 (3): 701–705. doi:10.1007/s10071-021-01571-8. PMC   9107419 . PMID   34697669.
  6. ↑ Wetzel, Corryn, Why Do Dogs Tilt Their Heads? New Study Offers Clues , Smithsonian, 3 November 2021
  7. ↑ Rye, Howard (2002). Kernfeld, Barry (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Vol. 2 (2nd ed.). New York: Grove's Dictionaries Inc. p. 249. ISBN   1-56159-284-6.
  8. ↑ "The Nipper Saga". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2006.
  9. ↑ "Trade Mark Details as at 28 February 2013: HMV Group plc". Patent.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  10. ↑ Butler, Sarah (28 January 2013). "HMV next for Hilco – restructuring expert that preys on dying brands". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  11. ↑ "Gramophone". reader.exacteditions.com. May 2017. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017.
  12. ↑ "Claude Debussy – Vladimir Horowitz: Complete HMV Recordings 1930–1951". Warner Classics. 12 October 2014. Archived from the original on 11 May 2018.
  13. ↑ "At Abbey Road". Amazon.

Further reading

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