CLASSICAL Vinyl Labels – MELODIYA

Melodya (or Melodiya) was a state-owned recording and broadcasting agency of the Soviet Union. It still exists as a radio company broadcasting “retro” music from Moscow. From the mid 1960s to the late 1980s it issued 99% of all records in the USSR. The only commercially available records from them in the west were classical music. Their performances of works by Peter Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich were valued for their authenticity.
Collets Records were a short-lived record label in about 1990. They retailed from their famous shop on Charing Cross Road, London. Their artists and repertoire were suspiciously similar to Melodiya. Information is sparce, but we can speculate that they were a “Perestroika” company that existed while the USSR was coming to terms with the capitalist west.
(Note: On the 31Dec 1991, it has been separated into 14 different countries).
MELODIYA Labels

Melodiya Early Mono Label (a state-owned company), red label golden fonts, without the word “Melodiya” at this stage
Melodiya 8″ Label
Melodiya 8″ Label

Melodiya Label in 1960s, Mono, pink in colour
Melodiya Stereo Label in 1960s
Melodiya 2nd Label in 1970s, which is a mono one

Melodiya 2nd label in 1970s, which is a stereo one with 2 circle on the top right hand side
Melodiya Blue Label, Stereo, from the start to the mid of 1970s
Melodiya Black Label, Stereo, from the mid to the late 1970s

Melodiya Label in 1980s, the 2 circles moved to the left-hand side
Melodiya White Label
Melodiya Red Label