EMI Electrola GmbH

Do not use as a label.
German subdivision of EMI Records from 1972 to 2002.
Responsible holding company of the EMI Electrola trademark / label.
Also operating recording and mastering studios as well as a vinyl pressing plant until 1993.

The vinyl pressing plant is the successor of Carl Lindström GmbH.
On December 1, 1972, EMI Electrola GmbH.

Vinyl identification:
German releases show
- a stamped runout pattern #####-A-1 / B-1 | ## ### A-1 / B-1 | ## #### - A-1 / B-1 (1972 - 1979) or ####### A1 / B1 (1980 - 1993), without any further information. #####, ## ###, ## #### or ####### are the partial cat.no.
- GEMA only.

Releases with GEMA and STEMRA, etched matrix or additional letters / numbers, were pressed by EMI Services Benelux B.V. (until mid 1987 only).
When the Dutch vinyl production ended in mid 1987, the 7" single manufacturing was transferred to EMI Electrola GmbH (ca. 2.8 million units).
The LP and 12" output (ca. 4.8 million LPs and 1.2 million 12"s) was split 50-50 between the Cologne and Chatou plants.
Dutch records pressed in Cologne since 1987 also carry GEMA and STEMRA.

7" center label / stamper rings:
Paper labels with diameter = 8,1 cm
Slight slope starting at ca. 1,2 cm (from label edge), ca. 1 cm wide (until center hole).
A 0,5 cm wide elevated ring with serrations and another ~0,5 cm wide ring between the serrations and the paper labels.

12" and LP center labels / stamper rings:
Printed paper labels with diameter = 10 cm.
Stamper ring diameter = 3,2 cm (width 1,2 cm to spindle hole). A second and smaller pressing ring (1,6 cm in diameter | width 0,5 cm to spindle hole) may appear as well; e.g. on this test pressing.
The overall label area is slightly elevated from the runout area and the stamper ring itself is very accentuated so that the area to the spindle hole may appear slightly lower or slightly elevated. Often the ring has damaged the paper labels.

The Cologne plant was the very first of the EMI plants to press from DMM copper plates (and the second one in , after Teldec Nortorf). Initial trials began mid 1983 and the results were sufficiently impressive to also implement DMM presses in the EMI Records UK and French plants (where pressing began in early/mid 1984).

Known mastering and cutting engineers:
Horst D. Krohn,
Hr. Fricke ?

And helping out:
Ulf Horbelt

2002 was a year of reorganisation within the German EMI companies. EMI Music GmbH & Co. KG.

This is a company profile, please use this page only as 2nd label on releases with the appearance of "EMI Electrola GmbH", where appropriate.
For "EMI Electrola"-branded releases (1972-2002), use EMI Electrola.
For "ELECTROLA"-branded EMI releases use Columbia.
Don't submit releases without the proper label (brand). It's recommended to add the labelcode (LC) to the identifiers and all company info (P&C etc.) in the release notes field.

Labels handled by EMI Electrola GmbH were:
Papagayo (LC 6712)
etc.

For adding a company (manufacturer/distributor/marketer) to releases prior to 1972 please use EMI Electrola GmbH's predecessor Electrola Gesellschaft m.b.H. when appropriate.