Fonior
Belgian record company from Brussels, founded by Eugene Willy Pelgrims de Bigard in 1929, one year after he opened his gramophone shop. Fonior imported records since 1932 and obtained an exclusive contract for importing Decca records in Belgium in 1934. In 1973, E.W. Pelgrims started the "International Pelgrims Group" (IPG), a holding for which Fonior formed the core. By means of the Belgian holding "Cidomega" it also controlled the Dutch label Dureco at that time.
By 1980 the company went bankrupt due to various problems. Some parts of the repertoire were first sold to MFP Belgium, an EMI company. Marcel Heymans bought it in 1982 and started his own record company Tauro Records. Tauro was sold to BMG in 1992. Other parts of the repertoire, notably the African catalogue, were sold to Sonodisc in October 1981.
Studios Fonior-Decca was taken over by Salvatore Adamo in 1981. Since 1986 until the end of 1997 the studio was owned by Erwin Vervaecke. Now the studio still continues as Jet Studio claiming to be the oldest recording studio in Belgium.
By 1980 the company went bankrupt due to various problems. Some parts of the repertoire were first sold to MFP Belgium, an EMI company. Marcel Heymans bought it in 1982 and started his own record company Tauro Records. Tauro was sold to BMG in 1992. Other parts of the repertoire, notably the African catalogue, were sold to Sonodisc in October 1981.
Studios Fonior-Decca was taken over by Salvatore Adamo in 1981. Since 1986 until the end of 1997 the studio was owned by Erwin Vervaecke. Now the studio still continues as Jet Studio claiming to be the oldest recording studio in Belgium.