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Independent Labels

In 1919, Victor and Columbia's patents on the ten-inch, laterally cut record expired, paving the way for independent companies to sell records to be played on standard Victor (or equivalent) phonographs. Prior to 1919, some companies produced records different than the standard phonograph record, such as the "Standard" records, which featured a larger spindle hole, or the seven-inch Emerson discs. Independent record labels thrived during the 1910s and 1920s, but many went under during the Great Depression. In the 1940s however, independent labels began to make a comeback due to imroved wartime and post-war economy.




All images on this page created by R. Connor Montgomery, please do not reproduce without permission.