29 Facts About EMI

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.

In October 1979, EMI merged with Thorn Electrical Industries to create Thorn EMI.

EMI was killed in 1942 whilst conducting flight trials on an experimental H2S radar set.

In 1973 EMI was awarded a prestigious Queen's Award for Technological Innovation for what was then called the EMI scanner, and in 1979 Hounsfield won the Nobel Prize for his accomplishment.

Over 150, 000 78-rpm recordings from around the world are held in EMI's temperature-controlled archive in Hayes, some of which have been released on CD since 2008 by Honest Jon's Records.

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However, EMI was forced to sell Columbia USA due to anti-trust action taken by its American competitors.

EMI retained the rights to the Columbia name in most other territories including the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

In 1990, following a series of major takeovers that saw CBS Records acquired by the Sony Corporation of Japan, EMI sold its remaining rights to the Columbia name to Sony and the label is operated exclusively throughout the world by Sony Music Entertainment; except in Japan where the trade mark is owned by Columbia Music Entertainment.

EMI released its first LPs in 1952 and its first stereophonic recordings in 1955.

In 1967, while shifting their pop and rock music roster to Columbia and Parlophone, EMI converted HMV solely to a classical music label exclusively.

In February 1979, EMI Ltd acquired United Artists Records and with it their subsidiary labels Liberty Records and Imperial Records.

Six months after completing the buyout of Chrysalis, Thorn EMI bought Virgin Records from Richard Branson in one of its highest-profile and most expensive acquisitions in record music history.

In 1992, Thorn EMI entered the Christian music market by acquiring Sparrow Records.

On 21 November 2000, Streamwaves and EMI signed a deal licensing EMI's catalogue in a digital format for their online streaming music service.

On 2 April 2007, EMI announced it would be releasing its music in DRM-free formats.

In May 2006, EMI attempted to buy Warner Music Group, which would have reduced the world's four largest record companies to three; however, the bid was rejected.

In 2008, EMI withdrew from the South-East Asian market entirely, forcing its large roster of acts to search out contracts with other unaffiliated labels.

The Philippine branch of EMI changed its name to PolyEast Records, and was a joint venture between EMI itself and Pied Piper Records Corporation.

Meanwhile, the Korean branch of EMI had its physical releases distributed by Warner Music Korea.

On 12 November 2011, it was announced that EMI would sell its recorded music operations to Universal Music Group for £1.

In March 2012, the European Union opened an investigation into Universal's purchase of EMI's recorded music division and had asked rivals and consumer groups whether the deal will result in higher prices and shut out competitors.

In 1964 EMI acquired Blackpool Tower from the Bickerstaffe family.

In 1967, EMI acquired the Grade Organisation, the UK's largest showbusiness talent agency, for £7.

EMI Films was created in 1969 following the acquisition of Associated British Picture Corporation.

On formation, EMI Cinemas ran 272 cinemas in the UK, including those of ABC.

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In 1972 EMI Hotels won a bidding war against Ralston Purina to buy the Golden Egg group from the Kaye brothers for £14 million, which included a stake in Angus Steakhouse restaurants and the Selfridge Hotel, which opened in July 1973.

EMI Music Publishing has won the Music Week Award for Publisher of the Year every year for over 10 years; in 2009, for the first time in history the award was shared jointly with Universal Music Publishing.

EMI owns the recorded catalogue of Philles Records, with distribution handled by Sony's Legacy Recordings.

On Internet Freedom Day in January 2013, EMI evoked controversy after the removal of Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech from Vimeo due to a copyright violation.