Editing His Master's Voice (section)

=== [[The Gramophone Company]] / [[EMI Records]] / [[HMV]] (United Kingdom) ===
In early 1899, Francis Barraud applied for copyright of his original 1898 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|date=November 2024}} 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|date=November 2024}} 

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.<ref name="New Grove">{{cite book |last1=Rye |first1=Howard |title=The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz |date=2002 |publisher=Grove's Dictionaries Inc. |isbn=1-56159-284-6 |editor1-last=Kernfeld |editor1-first=Barry |edition=2nd |volume=2 |location=New York |page=249}}</ref> Barraud complied and the image was first used on the company's catalogue from December 1899. The company also began using the imagery on its [[Gramophone|gramophones]]. As the trademark gained in popularity, several additional paintings were subsequently commissioned from the Barraud for various corporate purposes.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Nipper Saga |url=https://www.designboom.com/history/nipper.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924073551/http://www.designboom.com/history/nipper.html |archive-date=24 September 2015 |access-date=27 May 2006}}</ref>

In 1909, The Gramophone Company began using the dog and gramophone trademark on its record labels, replacing the former "recording Angel" trademark. The company rapidly became known as [[His Master's Voice (British record label)|His Master's Voice]] due to the prominence of that phrase around the top perimeter of the label. The Gramophone Company (HMV) distributed it's recordings throughout Europe and later established dedicated international divisions in several countries. In regions without these divisions, such as [[Scandinavia]] and [[Greece]], the British HMV company  exported its releases.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-19 |title=His Masters Voice - Catalogue of Records - 1933 by 78rpm Club |url=https://issuu.com/78rpm.club/docs/his_masters_voice_-_catalog_1933 |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=Issuu |language=en}}</ref>

In 1921, The Gramophone Company launched the [[HMV|His Master's Voice]] retail shop on [[Oxford Street]]. Additional shops appeared, turning His Master's Voice into a large music retail chain.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Skinner |first=Tom |date=2022-09-22 |title=HMV launches its own label 1921 Records, announces first signing |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/hmv-launches-its-own-label-1921-records-announces-first-signing-3314984 |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In the mid-1980s, EMI began to open international HMV retail outlets, but were unable to use the "His Master's Voice" trademark in the United States, Canada or Japan. However, EMI's use of just the "HMV" initials in these regions was permitted.

In 1990, EMI began to phase out the His Master's Voice record label, gradually replacing it with the [[EMI Classics]] label in 1993. In 1998, it divested the HMV retailer, which became an independent company, HMV Media Group plc.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brooks2013-01-15T11:27:00 |first=David |title=HMV timeline: Charting the company's history |url=https://www.retail-week.com/hmv-timeline-charting-the-companys-history/5044865.article |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=Retail Week |language=en}}</ref> However, EMI held onto the His Master's Voice intellectual property, licensing the name to the retailer, and continuing it for its only remaining license in India.

In June 2003, the formal His Master's Voice trademark transfer took place from EMI Records to HMV Media Group plc.<ref>{{cite web |title=Trade Mark Details as at 28 February 2013: HMV Group plc |url=http://www.patent.gov.uk/tm/t-find/t-find-number?detailsrequested=H&trademark=1170322 |access-date=28 February 2013 |publisher=Patent.gov.uk}}</ref> This meant that EMI's only remaining license agreement, the His Master's Voice record label in India, would be discontinued, and record releases in this region would be renamed to Saregama from 2003 onwards.

In January 2013, HMV Group plc would later be rescued by [[Hilco Capital]], who retained the "His Master's Voice" trademark rights in a number of continents when they later sold the HMV stores to [[Sunrise Records]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Butler |first=Sarah |date=2013-01-28 |title=HMV next for Hilco – restructuring expert that preys on dying brands |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/jan/28/hmv-hilco-restructuring-expert-downturn |access-date=2025-01-02 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The rightsholders in some territories is Palm Green Capital Limited, a company based in [[British Virgin Islands]], instead of Hilco Capital.<ref>{{Cite web |title=WIPO Domain Name Decision: D2015-0761 |url=https://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/text/2015/d2015-0761.html |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=www.wipo.int}}</ref>

In February 2013, HMV Group plc sold the HMV stores in Hong Kong and Singapore to AID Partners Capital Limited, which also included the rights to "His Master's Voice" for a select number of Asian countries, currently owned by HMV Brand Pte Ltd.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AID Partners acquires HMV |url=https://www.theasset.com/article/23755/aid-partners-acquires-hmv |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=www.theasset.com |language=en}}</ref>

==== Germany ====
{{Further|Deutsche Grammophon|Electrola}}
[[Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft]], the Gramophone Company's German subsidiary, also used the "His Master's Voice" trademark and continued to do so after the company seceded from the parent Gramophone Company in 1914, as a result of the hostilities between Germany and Great Britain during [[World War I]]. DGG retained the "His Master's Voice" trademark for use in Germany until 1949.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Deutsche Grammophon |url=https://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/company/history |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=Deutsche Grammophon |language=en}}</ref>

In 1949, Deutsche Grammophon sold the German rights to the His Master's Voice trademark to [[Electrola]], EMI's affiliated record label in Germany.<ref>{{cite web |title=DG History: The Fifth Decade (1940–1949) |url=http://history.deutschegrammophon.com/en_GB/1940-1949 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161030081117/http://history.deutschegrammophon.com/en_GB/1940-1949 |archive-date=2016-10-30 |access-date=2016-10-29}}</ref>

==== France and Italy ====
{{Further|La Voix de son maître|La voce del padrone}}
In 1901 and 1904, the Gramophone Company entered France and Italy, and later created versions called [[La Voix de son maître]] and [[La voce del padrone]] respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |title=La Voce del Padrone; Milano manufacturer in I, radio technol {{!}} Radiomuseum.org |url=https://www.radiomuseum.org/dsp_hersteller_detail.cfm?company_id=1965 |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=www.radiomuseum.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Le disque |url=https://gramophone.fr/le-disque/ |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=Gramophone.fr |language=fr-FR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-04-16 |title=LA VOCE DEL PADRONE (1930) |url=http://www.icbsa.it/index.php?it/290/la-voce-del-padrone&show=1&paginate_pageNum=1#img |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=www.icbsa.it}}</ref> 

===== Australia and New Zealand =====
{{Further|EMI Music Australia|Universal Music New Zealand}}
In 1925 and 1926, The Gramophone Company created record label divisions in [[EMI Music Australia|Australia]] and [[Universal Music New Zealand|New Zealand]] respectively. Through sales and mergers, the Gramophone Company became part of [[EMI]] in 1931.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Page 13 Record Labels :Howard Friedman MusicWeb-International |url=https://www.musicweb-international.com/friedman/page13.htm |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=www.musicweb-international.com}}</ref>

==== India ====
{{Further|Saregama}}

In 1985, The Gramophone Company India (formed in 1901) was sold from EMI to [[RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group]], however "His Master's Voice" would continue to appear as a record label under a license agreement from EMI, until 2003.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Saregama India Limited {{!}} Businesses |url=https://www.rpsg.in/business/saregama |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=www.rpsg.in}}</ref>[[File:HMV, 13-15 Smithford Way, Coventry.jpg|thumb|Following EMI's retirement of the British His Master's Voice record label in 1993, the trademark then became best known in the United Kingdom as the logo for the [[HMV]] entertainment retailer.]]
[[File:VictorTalkingLogo.jpg|thumb|The [[Victor Talking Machine Company]] in the United States used the His Master's Voice trademark from 1901 onwards. The above example is an advertisement from 1921.]]