Aretino Record (U.S.A.) / c. 1911
Corporate background:
Founded in 1907 by Arthur O’Neill,
who also owned the Busy Bee label.
Why the name ‘Aretino’ was
chosen is unknown; the most famous person of that name was a
medieval Italian satirist.
The records could only be played on custom
machines with an oversize 3” spindle.
The label was active until 1914, when it
was merged with several others to form the Consolidated Talking
Machine Co. of Chicago.
Label scan courtesy of U.K. musicologist
and collector Bill Dean-Myatt.
Design: The
oversize spindle-hole meant that there was hardly enough room
for the imprinting of information; the song title info, in a
really small type size, is partially cut off.