Empire (44)

Canadian publisher affiliated with BMI / BMIC founded in 1948 by Carle Hodson (aka Karle Hodsin and Karl Olson (3)) in New Westminster, British Columbia. See also Empire Music Publishers Ltd. and Empire Music (16). A sheet music and music book publisher, they owned their own printing presses and in the 1960s opened printing branches in London, Ontario, Seattle, Washington, and Port Huron, Michigan. Their Empire Music Company division sold musical instruments. Active until 1979 when it sold off the instrument sales division and changed names to Sharrell Music Publishers Ltd.