![]() His Master's Voice (1899) by Francis Barraud | |
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His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark that has been used by retailers, record labels and sound equipment manufacturers. It is derived from the painting of the same name that depicts a real dog named Nipper, quizzically peering into the horn of wind-up gramophone. The scene was painted posthumously by Nipper's owner, Francis Barraud, in 1898. [1] [2] [3]
In early 1899, Francis Barraud applied for copyright of the original 1989 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 the cylinder phonograph to show one of their disc machines. [4] 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. [5]
The company also began using the imagery on its gramophones. In 1909, The Gramophone Company launched the His Master's Voice record label. In 1921, the company launched His Master's Voice retailer. The company also created overseas divisions, such as His Master's Voice India. The Gramophone Company later became EMI. [6]
In 1993, EMI closed the His Master's Voice record label, and in 1998, spun off the retailer to become its own company. [7]
In June 2003, the formal His Master's Voice trademark transfer took place from EMI Records to HMV Media Group plc. [8] 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. [9]
Emile Berliner, inventor of the gramophone, saw the picture in London and registered it as a trademark in the USA in July, 1900. In 1901, the Victor Talking Machine Company (later RCA Victor) in Camden, New Jersey, the American affiliate of the Gramophone Company, adopted the name and imagery and used it extensively on its products and advertising. In 1929, the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) purchased the Victor Talking Machine Company and expanded the use of the trademark on radios, television sets and other electronics. [10] The company also expanded to Japan, but lost the business in 1943 due to World War II, with the business continuing as its own entity. [11]
Sound equipment manufacturers and recording labels
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