Phonogram Inc. was started in 1962 as a unit of the Grammophon-Philips Group (GPG), a joint venture of Philips N.V. of the Netherlands and Siemens A.G. of Germany. Phonogram was the name of a parent company that owned and or distributed many different record companies. In 1972, Phonogram was merged with Polydor Records into PolyGram. Following PolyGram's acquisition of Mercury in the U.S., they changed the corporate name of Mercury Record Productions, Inc. to Phonogram, Inc.