Beautifully engraved certificate from
Thorn Electrical Industries issued
in 1962. This historic document was printed by Albert Wolage & Company and has an
ornate border around it with a vignette of the Thorn logo. This item is over 41 years old.
Certificate Vignette
1971 Electric & Musical Industries changes name to EMI Ltd
1972 buys Affiliated Music Group publishing
1972 markets first UK CAT scanner
1973 Gramophone Company changes its name to EMI Records Ltd
1974 EMI buys Screen Gems and Colgems music publishing companies
1974 buys Liberty records
1976 EMI Records signs The Sex Pistols
1976 EMI buys British Lion Film Corporation
1979 buys United Artists Records Group
as part of Thorn
1979 Thorn Electrical Industries Ltd buys EMI, becomes Thorn-EMI
1979 sells Elstree Studio
1981 buys Robert Mellin Music publishing
1985 buys Sydney Bron Music publishing
1985 buys UK chip maker INMOS, sells it a year later
1986 Myson merges with heating division of Thorn-EMI, creating EU's largest heating manufacturer
1986 sells most film distribution interests
1987 buys Lawrence Wright music publishing
1987 Thorn EMI sells consumer electronics operations
1989 EMI Music buys 50% interest in Chrysalis Records
1989 EMI buys music publishers SBK Entertainment World for US$295m, adding 250,000 titles to existing catalogue
1989 partnership with Varian dissolved
1989 buys German Intercord group
1990 Murdoch-controlled HarperCollins sells Hatchards bookshops to Pentos for £10.5m
1990 Thorn-EMI heating operations sold to Blue Circle conglomerate, lighting business to GE of the US for £69m
1991 Thorn-EMI buys remaining 50% in Chrysalis Records
1991 buys Filmtrax music publishing for £61m
1991 buys further stake in Thames Television, subsequently sold to Pearson
1992 buys Virgin Music Group for US$960m from Richard Branson and Fujisankei
1992 buys Sparrow (largest US Christian music company)
1992 buys Denmark's Medley Records
1993 sells Thorn EMI lighting division
1994 buys Food music group
1994 invests in music video channels VIVA in Germany and Channel [V] in Asia
1995 buys Dillons and Hatchards bookshop chains from Pentos
1995 sells missile unit to French Thomson aerospace group
1996 EMI spun off from Thorn EMI in demerger, becomes EMI Group plc
EMI Group
1996 buys 50% of Jobete music publishing from Berry Gordy for US$132 million
1996 buys 50% of US Priority Records
1998 buys remaining 50% of Priority
1998 Seagram makes unsuccessful bid
1998 EMI spins off music and book retailing arms into HMV Retail (43% owned by EMI, 43% by financier Advent International)
1999 EMI buys Windswept Music catalogue for US$200 million and Hit & Run publishing
2002 HMV floated - EMI stake reduced to 14.5%
2002 EMI buys Mute records for £42m
2002 sells 15.3% stake in VIVA Media to AOL Time Warner