| 1910 - 1926 |
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- Established as Nippon phonograph Co., the predecessor of Columbia Music Entertainment, Inc. (Then president : Fredrick W. Horn)
- Released single-sided records on labels such as Symphony, Royal, American, Universal and Globe.
- Introduced 4 models of Nipponophone, the first Japanese-made gramophone to the market.
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Single-sided records
Nipponophone
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- Sumako Matsui's "Song of Katyusha" became a country-wide hit.
- Double-sided records start to become the norm.
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| 1926 - 1989 |
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- Released first domestically pressed Columbia black vinyl records featuring western music.
- Marketed the Eagle gramophone.
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Poster of when domestically pressed Columbia black vinyl records featuring western music first released.
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- Adopted the Columbia brand name from Columbia UK and standardized record logo to the current musical note.
- Raised the neon sign of the Columbia logo, which is the largest neon sign in Asia, on the roof of the Kawasaki factory.
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- Announced a domestically produced TV set and demonstrated it in Takashimaya department store.
- Released "Marching song for beloved horse" and "Starting from a cup of coffee" by Noboru Kirishima and Misao Matsubara.
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Domestically produced TV set
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- Changed the company name to Nippon Columbia Co., Ltd.
- "The Apple Song" by Michiko Namiki a big hit.
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- Released the first long playing (LP) record in Japan.
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The first long playing (LP) record in Japan
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- Launched Elepian, an electric piano.
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- Acquired Nihon Electric Sound Co.
- Developed DL-103 cartridge in conjunction with NHK.
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DL-103 cartridge
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- Established a business alliance with Hitachi, Ltd.
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- Began sales of DENON products, including DP players and PMA amps.
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- Released world's first CDs and CD players.
- Commenced full-scale video cassette sales.
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- The CD player "DCD-1500" gained an excellent reputation both in Japan and overseas, including receiving the highest evaluation in the USA and Germany.
- Recorded a cumulated total production of 100 million music cassettes.
- Awarded the Japan Audio Society Prize for our promotion of digital recording.
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| 1989 - |
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- Hibari Misora, a renowned artist under exclusive contract passed away. Demand for her work, including "The Complete Works of Hibari Misoraquot", grew significantly.
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- Completed the central research center in the Kawasaki factory compound.
- Columbia Music Entertainment celebrated its 80th anniversary.
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- Established a multimedia studio in Yoyogi, Tokyo.
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- Transferred the AV / media device section to a separate company, DENON, Ltd.
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- Changed the company name to Columbia Music Entertainment, Inc.
- Spun off the main production operation of the Kawasaki factory into a separate company, Columbia Digital Media, Inc.
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- Closed Columbia Akasaka Studio.
- Moved the head office from Akasaka to Roppongi.
- Established Columbia Artist Management company.
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- Acquired all shares of TDK Core, Ltd.
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- Changed company name of TDK Core, Ltd. to Creative Core, Ltd.
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- Moved Head office from Roppongi to Toranomon.
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- Reverted Company name from Columbia Music Entertainment Co., Ltd to Nippon Columbia Co., Ltd
- Consolidated Creative Core’s music, audio-visual, and game divisions into Nippon Columbia.
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