The Ariola label was established by Ariola Schallplatten GmbH, founded and registered in the German commercial register on May 12, 1958 in Gütersloh by Reinhard Mohn. From the summer of 1960 onward, the record company was renamed to Ariola GmbH, but one will still find the old name printed on releases in the early 1960s.
The label had some early successes with Willy Millowitsch and Josephine Baker, both becoming major players in Europe in the 1960s with German/Austrian Schlager stars like Peter Alexander and Udo Jürgens.
From July 1962-1963, the parent company was renamed to Ariola-Sonopress GmbH and then in Jan. 1964 finally renamed to Ariola Eurodisc GmbH. The Ariola label since then was used for the company's (mostly German) dance and pop repertoire.
In 1987, Bertelsmann AG reorganized its music business after the acquisition of RCA and established Bertelsmann Music Group BMG. As a result of this, Ariola Eurodisc GmbH was renamed to BMG Ariola München GmbH. In 2005, Ariola became part of Sony BMG Music Entertainment (Germany) GmbH after Sony Music Entertainment Inc. and Bertelsmann Music Group had started their joint-venture in 2004. In August 2008, Sony acquired Bertelsmann's 50% stake in the company. Since 2009 the label Ariola is part of the Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Label Code: LC 0116 / LC 00116