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Victor Talking Machine Company
A powerhouse of the early recording era, this company helped bring recorded music into American homes and turned the phonograph into a mass-market sensation. Its famous "His Master's Voice" branding and Victrola machines became lasting symbols of the industry.
1 Audiobook
How To Get the Most Out of Your Victrola
by Victor Talking Machine Company
About the author
Founded in Camden, New Jersey, in 1901, this American record company and phonograph manufacturer became one of the most important names in early sound recording. It grew out of the work of inventor Emile Berliner and engineer-entrepreneur Eldridge R. Johnson, and it quickly built a reputation for both recording stars and well-made machines.
The company was especially known for popularizing the Victrola, a home phonograph with a more furniture-like design that helped make recorded music a familiar part of everyday life. It also became closely associated with the "His Master's Voice" image of Nipper the dog listening to a gramophone, one of the most recognizable trademarks in music history.
Victor remained an independent force through the 1920s before being absorbed by RCA in 1929, after which its legacy continued under the RCA Victor name. Today, it is remembered as one of the defining companies of the acoustic and early electrical recording age.