Volta Graphophone Company
Alexandria, Virginia (1886)

Columbia Phonograph Company
District of Columbia / Washington DC (1887)

American Graphophone Co.
New York, NY (1887)

Columbia Graphophone Co.
Woolworth Building, New York (1906)
174 Tremont St., Boston, Massachusetts (1915)

Columbia Phonograph Co. Inc.
55 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY

1886 - The Volta Graphophone Company is created on January 6 and incorporated on February 3 to control the patents derived from the Volta Laboratory's work on the Edison phonograph. It is later merged with the American Graphophone.

1887 - Columbia Phonograph Company founded by stenographer Edward Easton and a group of investors. Headquartered in the District of Columbia.

6/22/1887 - American Graphophone Company was established to manufacture and sell graphophones in the United States and Canada.

1888-1896 - North American Phonograph Company formed to market machines made by both American Graphophone Company and Edison Phonograph Company.

1889 - Columbia Phonograph Company became licensed by the American Graphophone Company to sell graphophones in the Washington D.C. area.

1893 - Edward Easton, president of Columbia Phonograph Company, also be came president of American Graphophone Company, now controlling both companies.

1895 - American Graphophone Company acquired the stock of Columbia Phonograph Company and they consolidated, with American Graphophone Company being the manufacturer, and Columbia Phonograph Company being the distributor, of graphophones.

1897 - Columbia set up European headquarters in Paris, and in 1900 a sales office in London.
Towards end of 1900 London became the European headquarters.

1906 - The companies reorganized and became Columbia Graphophone Company.

1918 - Columbia Graphophone Manufacturing Company is set up for the manufacture, while Columbia Graphophone Company is retailer.

1922 - Columbia Phonograph Company, Ltd. formed in England by Louis Sterling as a spin off from Columbia Graphophone Company.

Feb. 1924 - Columbia Graphophone Company was in receivership and emerged as Columbia Phonograph Company, Inc.

March 1925 - Louis Sterling of the Columbia Phonograph Co., Ltd. of London, bought a controlling interest in Columbia Phonograph Company, Inc. and reorganized it.

March 1931 - Electric and Musical Industries, Ltd. (EMI) was formed by the merger of the Gramophone Company, the Columbia Graphophone Co., Ltd. and Parlophone.