Decca

Decca, founded in Britain in 1929, is one of the major labels in the classical music industry with a long and illustrious history behind it. Post WWII it was involved in the development of the latest recording technologies, through its FFRR (Full Frequency Range recording). The 1950s and 60s saw the pioneering complete studio recording of Wagner's Ring cycle. During the 1960s and 70s with their sales of popular music in decline Decca eventually became solely a classical concern Although Decca has recorded extensively across all classical genres is especially noted for is operatic recordings with an almost unequalled roster of opera stars that have sung for the label down the years including Luciano Pavarotti and Joan Sutherland (who both had exclusive Decca contracts), Renata Tebaldi, Regine Crespin and latterly Cecilia Bartoli and Renee Fleming. In the United States, Decca was known as London Records to distinguish it from Decca USA.