Editing Capitol Records (section)

===Ownership under EMI===
[[File:Capitol Records logo 1969 vector.svg|thumb|right|150px|Capitol logo from 1969 to 1978, designed by Roland Young.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Staff writer | date=July 5, 1969 | url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/60s/69/Record-World-1969-07-05.pdf#page=22 | title=New Capitol Logo | journal=Record World | volume=24 | issue=1151 | page=22 | publisher=Record World Publishing | via=World Radio History}}</ref> Revived in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.friktech.com/btls/capitol/capitollabels.pdf|title=Capitol labels|website=Friktech|access-date=October 15, 2019}}</ref>]]
In 1955, the British record company [[EMI]] (which evolved into [[Universal Music Group]]) purchased Capitol Records, ending the 55-year mutual distribution agreement between EMI and [[RCA Victor]] in the Western Hemisphere in 1957. EMI acquired 96% of Capitol's stock for $8.5&nbsp;million. EMI built a [[Capitol Records Building|studio]] at Hollywood and Vine to match its state-of-the-art [[Abbey Road Studios]] in London.

In the 1950s, [[Decca Records]] broke its distribution contract with [[Panart]], the first independent [[Cuba]]n record company. This provided an opening for Capitol, which then contracted with Panart to have Capitol and Odeon records distributed in Cuba. In turn, Capitol distributed Panart records in the United States, growing the export percentage of Panart records from 20 percent to 50 percent. This was a coup for Capitol, as [[RCA Victor]] up to this point had huge predominance in the United States distribution of Cuban music recordings.<ref>Schlicke, Cornelius (2003). Tonträgerindustrie und Vermittlung von Livemusik in Kuba (in German). Berlin: LIT Verlag. pp. 225–238. {{ISBN|9783825802400}}.</ref><ref name="Moore">{{cite book|last1=Moore|first1=Robin|title=Music and Revolution: Cultural Change in Socialist Cuba|date=2006|publisher=University of California Press|location=Los Angeles, CA|pages=40–41|isbn=9780520247109|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q55Z8YPH_XoC}}</ref>

In 1957, EMI's classical label [[Angel Records|Angel]] was merged into Capitol. Some classical recordings were issued in high fidelity and [[stereophonic]] sound. These included [[William Steinberg]] and the [[Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra]], [[Leopold Stokowski]] with various orchestras (including the [[Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra]]) and [[Sir Thomas Beecham]] and the [[Royal Philharmonic Orchestra]], as well as light classical albums by [[Carmen Dragon]] and the [[Hollywood Bowl Orchestra]] and albums of film music conducted by Hollywood composers such as [[Alfred Newman (composer)|Alfred Newman]].

In the realm of "Sweet Jazz" [[big-band]] music, Capitol also joined forces with the bandleader [[Guy Lombardo]] starting in the mid 1950s to issue a series of approximately thirty recordings until the late 1960s.<ref>[https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/guy-lombardo-and-his-royal-canadians-emc The Canadian Encyclopedia: "Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians" Mookg, Edward B. (6 April 2008 rev. 4 March 2015)  on thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en]</ref>

The Capitol of the World series introduced in 1956 and active into the 1970s encompassed ''German Beer Drinking Songs'', ''Honeymoon in Rome'', ''Australian Aboriginals'', and ''Kasongo! Modern Music of the Belgian Congo''. Many were produced by Dave Dexter Jr. This series contained over 400 albums. It was also in this period that Capitol issued [[Christmas music]] recordings from various countries outside the United States.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Designed for hi-fi living : the vinyl LP in midcentury America |last=Borgerson|first=Janet|publisher=[[MIT Press]]|others=Schroeder, Jonathan E.|year=2017|isbn=9780262036238|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |oclc=958205262 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/23/arts/hands-on-leader-fuels-rare-revival-in-record-industry.html |last=Nelson |first=Chris |date=March 23, 2004 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |title=Hands-On Leader Fuels Rare Revival in Record Industry}}</ref> In the 1960s Capitol established subsidiary labels including [[Tower Records (record label)|Tower Records]]. Capitol was the US distributor of [[the Beatles]]' [[Apple Records]].

In October 1979, EMI merged with [[Thorn Electrical Industries]] to form [[Thorn EMI]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3670516/EMI-A-giant-at-war-with-itself.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/3670516/EMI-A-giant-at-war-with-itself.html |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=EMI: a giant at war with itself |website=The Telegraph |location=London |date=January 18, 2008}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and, due to business models increasingly diverging, on August 16, 1996, Thorn EMI's shareholders voted to demerge. The resulting media company was then known as the EMI Group.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/vote-solid-for-thorn-demerger-1310081.html|title=Vote solid for Thorn demerger|date=August 17, 1996|website=Independent}}</ref> In June 1997, Capitol, together with [[Virgin Records]], absorbed [[EMI Records|EMI USA]], which folded.<ref>{{Cite news |agency=Bloomberg News |date=June 21, 1997 |title=EMI shutting 2 New York-based record labels |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/21/business/emi-shutting-2-new-york-based-record-labels.html}}</ref>