Standard Talking Machine Company

The Standard Talking Machine Company was an American record label that was created in October 1901 and operated until March 1918. The Chicago, Illinois based company produced several models of phonographs from Columbia Records parts and issued single-sided and double-sided disc records from Columbia Records masters. Despite the label name, the discs were not quite "Standard"; the spindle hole at the center of the discs was 9/16 inch, larger than the industry standard. This made the discs difficult to play on phonographs other than those marketed by the company.