REXOPHONE

Rexophone was a record label and trademark established by Jackson & MacDonald, a company based in Sydney, Australia. The Rexophone trademark was registered on June 10, 1911, by Jackson & MacDonald, Importers and Manufacturers of Musical Instruments, located at 452 Kent Street, Sydney.

Jackson & MacDonald began their business in 1906, initially dealing in Edison cylinder records and phonographs. They later expanded to importing disc-playing machines under the Rexophone brand. The company also imported motors, tonearms, and soundboxes from S.A. Thorens in Switzerland, assembling them with locally made cabinets to produce their own gramophones.

The Rexophone Record 10-inch series ranged from catalog numbers 5001 to 5688, with discs manufactured in Germany. There was also a short-lived 12-inch series running from 4001 to 4033. After the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, production of Rexophone discs was taken over by British companies, initially UK Homophone and later Edison Bell. Records produced by each manufacturer featured different label designs, although the 5000 series continued and reached at least 6140 by around 1917.

In the early 1920s, Jackson & MacDonald patented the 'Prismatic' Reflector Sound Chamber, enhancing the volume and tonal quality of their gramophones. By 1928-1929, the company employed over 100 people at their cabinet factory and 120 in their warehouse. However, the advent of radio receivers and the economic impact of the Great Depression led to a decline in the gramophone business, and production of Rexophone products ceased around 1935.

Source: Discogs / Radiomuseum