Aretino Records facts for kids
Aretino was an American company that made music records. It operated from about 1907 to 1914. Arthur J. O’Neill, who started many music businesses in Chicago, created Aretino. He named the company after Guido Aretino, an Italian monk from the 11th century.
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What Made Aretino Records Special?
Aretino records were quite unusual because they had a very large hole in the middle. In fact, it was the biggest center hole ever for records made for homes!
Unique Record Players
Like some of O'Neill's other companies, Aretino used a special business plan. They sold record players, called phonographs, for a very low price. The catch was that these players had a large 3-inch spindle. This meant they could only play Aretino records. This way, if you bought their cheap player, you had to keep buying their records too.
But O’Neill also sold special adapters. These allowed Aretino records to be played on regular record players. You could even play them on a "Busy Bee" machine, which was another brand O'Neill owned. Busy Bee machines had two spindles instead of one!
How Aretino Records Were Made
Aretino did not record its own music. Instead, it borrowed master recordings from other companies. Master recordings are the original recordings from which all copies are made.
Early Records
The first Aretino records only had music on one side. Their catalog numbers, which are like ID numbers, started with the letter "A". The company Leeds & Catlin made these records.
Leeds & Catlin also made a group of Aretino records with music on both sides. These records had catalog numbers starting with "D". They are very hard to find today. Leeds & Catlin later had to close down because of a legal issue called patent infringement. This means they used someone else's invention without permission.
After Leeds & Catlin closed, two other companies, Hawthorne & Sheble and Zonophone, made Aretino records for a short time. They continued to make records with music on only one side and "A" catalog numbers.
Columbia Records Takes Over
Soon after, Columbia Records started making Aretino records. Columbia was the only company to make them after that. These records have music on both sides and their catalog numbers start with "D" and are higher than 500. These are the most common Aretino records you can find.
Most records from this time were 10 inches wide. Columbia also made some Aretino records that were 12 inches wide. These are very rare! Their catalog numbers began with the letter "A". Aretino stopped making records after 1914.
Music and Artists
The music on Aretino records was typical for that time period. Some of the famous artists who recorded for Aretino included:
- Henry Burr
- William F. Denny
- Byron G. Harlan
- Ada Jones
- Billy Murray
- Vess Ossman
- Steve Porter
- Cal Stewart
- Bert Williams
