The history

“Decca Records” is a British record label.

The name dates back to a portable gramophone called the "Decca Dulce phone" patented in 1914 by musical instrument makers “Barnett Samuel & Sons”.

That company was eventually renamed “The Decca Gramophone Co. Ltd.” and then sold to former stockbroker Edward Lewis in 1929. Based on that a new recording company was founded named “Decca Records”.

Its U.S. label was established in 1934, however due to World War II, the link between the U.K. and U.S. “Decca” labels was broken for several decades. Both wings are now part of the “Universal Music Group”, which is owned by “Vivendi”, a media conglomerate headquartered in Paris, France.

Within years, “Decca Records Ltd.” was the second largest record label in the world, calling itself "The Supreme Record Company".

On 1 January 1962 “The Beatles”, not very known then, were auditioned by “Decca” staff and rejected claiming they had no future in show business.

This is considered one of the biggest mistakes in the music industry history.