The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Just found this record in my pile, that has a label more interesting than its music. As you see, it is an English record that was sold in Berlin, and it has two other half labels glued on top of the original HMV: one Electrola, barely visible, and on top of it a Special Record. I suppose these labels were added to disguise its origin and allow it to be sold in Germany, at a time when such records were censored and their merchants jailed or worse.

Interesting! The Elrctrola label seems to have been pasted over with great care to match the Golden ring!

Interesting. In my research of mandolin recordings, I have seen the country of origin concealed so that they could be sold in other countries.

The Berliner Mandolinen - und Lautenorchester E.V. 1896 recorded on Odeon in 1928. In France they were sold as "Grand Orchestre de Mandolines," and in England they were sold on Parlophone simply as "Mandolin Orchestra."

I do not think it has anything to do with censorship. Deutsche Gramophon was separated from The Gramophone Company parent during WW1. DG carried on and The Gramophone Company re-established itself in Germany under the Electrola label. It is the Nipper logo which is in contention for I believe DG retained the rights to it in Germany. Hence the Gramophone Company had to paste over the logo if they were to export UK issues to Germany.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsche_Grammophon

Maybe because it was a record not interesting for Electrola to enter into the expenditure of importing the mother and pressing it in Germany. Maybe they expected few copies to be sold and was cheaper to import British pressings directly.

Governor Flyball wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 12:02 pm I do not think it has anything to do with censorship. Deutsche Gramophon was separated from The Gramophone Company parent during WW1. DG carried on and The Gramophone Company re-established itself in Germany under the Electrola label. It is the Nipper logo which is in contention for I believe DG retained the rights to it in Germany. Hence the Gramophone Company had to paste over the logo if they were to export UK issues to Germany.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsche_Grammophon

But what explains the second label Special Record?

Maybe somebody knows at the German forum https://grammophon-platten.de
Could it be a price politics for promoting sales or something...

The second label infers that it is specially imported and not in the Electrola catalog.
EMI did the same in the '40's with exports to the US and Canada. A Special Record sticker was overlaid across the Nipper logo because RCA Victor had American rights to the logo.
Did you know that Panasonic subsidiary JVC (Japan Victor Conpany) retains exclusive rights to the Nipper Logo in Japan?