CBS (CBS Records’ international imprint from 1962–1990; renamed since 1991 as Columbia)
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Annotation
In 1961, CBS Inc. ended its decade-long distribution deal with Philips Records, and from 1962, began to release recordings internationally beyond the US and Canada under its new CBS label. Managed by a newly set up internal division named CBS Records that did not formally become the CBS subsidiary known as CBS Records Inc. until ca. 1966, the label was first introduced to the UK and Ireland in May 1962, and in July its debut in Japan was announced. It was also introduced to Columbia's wholly-owned subsidiaries in Latin-America: Columbia Argentina S.R.L., Columbia do Brazil, S.A., Discos Columbia de Mexico (later renamed Discos CBS, apparently) in August 1962; in Greece in September 1962; in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, and Italy by December of 1962.
In Feb 1963, the CBS label was further introduced to Spain, France and the Benelux nations after distribution deals with Hispavox, S.A. (ES) and Artone Gramophone (NL) were announced/sewn up between Oct–Dec the previous year. The CBS label was also introduced to Australia in 1963.
On Nov 17, 1987, Sony Corporation of America acquired CBS Records Inc. Between then and the end of 1990, CBS Inc. (later CBS Corporation) still retained the rights to the CBS name for music recordings, but granted Sony a temporary license to use the CBS name. In 1990, Sony's newly-acquired CBS Records renamed the CBS Records Masterworks classical music label as Sony Classical Records.
On Jan 1, 1991, after it had acquired the international rights to the "Columbia" brand from EMI by 1990, Sony Corporation renamed CBS Records Inc. as Sony Music Entertainment Inc., and reintroduced the Columbia imprint for worldwide use, except in Spain (where Sony only acquired the rights by 2004 through its brief merger with BMG) and Japan. Japan remains the only country where Sony does not have rights to the Columbia name, as it is controlled by Nippon Columbia, an unrelated company.
CBS Corporation subsequently founded its own new CBS Records in 2006.
