EMI
defunct British music recording and publishing company
EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, abbreviated as EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its acquisition by Universal Music in 2012, it was the fourth largest business group and record label conglomerate in the music industry, and was one of the "Big Four" record companies (later the "Big Three"). Its labels included EMI Records, Parlophone, Virgin Records, and Capitol Records. Following EMI's dissolve, most were acquired by Universal Music Group. Parlophone was acquired by Warner Music.
EMI was listed on the London Stock Exchange, and was also once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, but faced financial problems and was sold to Terra Firma Capital Partners in 2007. After the acquisition, EMI underwent a profound restructuring and became a private company. During Terra Firma's ownership, EMI accumulated around $4billion in debt. This led to its acquisition by Citigroup in February 2011. Citigroup's ownership was temporary, as EMI announced in November 2011 that it would sell its music arm to Vivendi's Universal Music Group for $1.9 billion and its publishing business to a Sony/ATV consortium for around $2.2 billion.
The public source identifies “EMI” as defunct British music recording and publishing company. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around defunct, British and music.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “EMI”, the useful work is to connect “defunct British music recording and publishing company” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 1, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q183412. VIAF identifies the subject as 153494571. The Library of Congress control number is no97009953. 4 of 7 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2007, 1931, 2012 and 2011.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “EMI”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow EMI primary sources, EMI archive and defunct research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “EMI”?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
- How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “EMI” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.