Arcade

Dutch label and record company. Consider adding Arcade Records (3) as 2nd label if it also appears on the release. For unauthorized uses of the label's logo or name, see Arcade (2). Remark: "ARC xxx" are price codes, don't use them as catalog#. Name of a Dutch multimedia concern, which started off as a record label specialized in compilations. The label itself was founded in the 1970's by Herman Heinsbroek, who followed the example of the original Arcade Records (3). Seeing the huge success of their releases the company grew enormously and gradually spread out over Western Europe. The first step was the opening of a Belgian office in Brussels during the 1980's, which also made the company change name to "Arcade Benelux" (where Benelux stands for (BE)lgium, The (NE)therlands and (LUX)emburg), and a move of the head office to Nieuwegein instead of Naarden. Other divisions got started in Germany (1975), France, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Even the original U.K. company had been bought in 1984. There was also a division going by the name "Arcade International", whose releases were distributed by more than one division (often in all available countries) at once. By the mid 1990's the company had become a true multinational, spreading into the market of broadcasting (both radio and T.V.), of audio and video. In 1996 Arcade's parent company (Arcade Beheer BV) was acquired by Wegener, a dutch publishing giant. After a reorganization and acquisition of more companies (like CNR Music and Indisc - although these 2 labels/distributors kept using their own names too) the audio section of the Arcade Group was renamed into "Arcade Music Company" and also the company "Arcade Benelux" got split up into a Belgian and Dutch division. They both became fully independent of each-other, having their own specific releases. In 2000, after only four years with Wegener, the Arcade Music Group was sold to WBG Beheer BV. WBG Beheer BV merged the Arcade Music Group with their own label operations, Roadrunner Records, to form the Roadrunner Arcade Music Group. However, they could no longer keep the big market share from the past and all divisions were either sold, merged or got closed down and the name "Arcade" completely disappeared from the picture. Nowadays, the "Arcade Music Company Belgium" is known as Mostiko, daughter of CNR Music. The French division was renamed to "Arcade Music Company France SA" after a reorganization in the second half of the 1990's. It was closed down shortly after the Arcade Group had been taken over by Roadrunner Records. In 2008, CNR Records B.V. revived the Arcade label. Nowadays it is one of the labels owned by CNR Entertainment B.V. Label Code: LC 5896