Aretino Record

Founded in 1907 by Arthur O'Neill, who also owned the Busy Bee label. O’Neill named this company in honor of Guido Aretino, an 11th-century Italian monk and satirist. For the Aretino line O’Neill patented a massive three-inch “spindle,” leaving the record label little more than a thin ribbon around the gaping hole. The label was active until 1916, when it merged with several others (United, Busy Bee, Standard, Harmony) to form the Consolidated Talking Machine Co. of Chicago. Some leftover Aretino discs found their way into the hands of the obscure Duplex Record Company, which filled the holes and covered up the patch with a new label that was cut away at the bottom to reveal the original text