Ariola GmbH

German record company behind the Ariola label and the several subsidiaries. As a credit, it was interchangeable with Ariola Schallplatten GmbH which can also be found as a credit on labels and sleeves in the late 1950s. From Summer 1960 on, it was the official company's name. The company was launched in 1958 and renamed to Ariola-Sonopress GmbH in July 1962. Declaration for the cat# in the early 1960s: First digit: 1 = classical 2 = Baccarola repertoire 3 or 4 = Ariola dance and pop repertoire 5 = speech recording 6 = jazz 7 = international repertoire 2nd digit: 1 = LP 12" 33 rpm mono 2 = LP 12" 33 rpm stereo 3 = LP 10" 33 rpm mono 4 = LP 10" 33 rpm stereo 5 = 7" 45 rpm common mono 6 = 7" 45 rpm extended play mono 7 = 7" 45 rpm common stereo 8 = 7" 45 rpm extended play stereo The literal suffixes are price codes.