The Polygram name had been used by Philips' Belgian affiliate Polygram SA since 1962. The New Zealand Philips company too was named PolyGram Records Ltd from June 1970 until November 1972 (when it was renamed Phonogram Ltd.)
From 1978 onward the Polygram name became more common as most of the Phonogram companies worldwide were renamed Polygram. The local Polygram companies handled all Polygram labels, most notably Philips, Verve, Mercury & Deutsche Grammophon. Over the years, some of the companies also started using the Polygram brand as a label.
In 1985, Siemens reduced its stake in Polygram to 10%. Two years later it sold its remaining stake to Philips' Gloeilampenfabrieken B.V.. In 1989, Polygram completed a worldwide public stock offering, reducing Philips' ownership to 75%.
In July 1989, PolyGram acquired the recorded music & publishing arm of Island International Limited & in Jan. 1990 it acquired the recorded music business of A&M Records, Inc. This was followed by Motown Records in 1993, part of Def Jam Recordings in 1994 & Rodven Discos in 1995.
In December 1998, Philips sold PolyGram to Seagram, which already owned the Universal Music Group. Seagram combined PolyGram with the Universal Music Group, forming the largest recorded music business in the world.
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