Europa (record label)

Lore & Background

The Miller International Record Company was formed in 1956 by David L. Miller, Wilhelm Wille, and Andreas Erich Beurmann in Quickborn near Hamburg. Their initial productions included low-cost language courses, classical music, background music, and an LP of Brothers Grimm fairy tales narrated by Hans Paetsch. In 1958, they inaugurated a stereo label called Stereo-Fidelity. The Europa-Kinderserie began in 1966, producing radio plays of fairy tales and adventure stories, though success was initially moderate.

Reader's Guide

Europa's significance lies in its pioneering and sustained production of German-language radio plays for children and young people, a format that became a cultural staple. Under director Heikedine Körting from 1973 onward, the label produced numerous long-running series such as The Three Investigators, TKKG, and Edgar Wallace. The label faced a decline in the late 1980s as children turned to computer games, but experienced a renaissance from the late 1990s, driven by internet interest and re-releases of classic plays. The legal dispute with composer Carsten Bohn over payment led to his compositions being unavailable from the mid-1980s. Europa remains owned by Sony Corporation of America.

Did You Know?

• The founder of Europa, David L. Miller, is best known outside Germany for creating 101 Strings.
• The first Europa radio plays were produced in 1966, featuring fairy tales and adventure stories.
• A legal dispute with composer Carsten Bohn that supposedly prevented Europa from using his compositions after the mid-1980s remains unverified and is likely inaccurate.
• In 2006, Europa produced the series Teufelskicker, but it was not an official licensed product of the Football World Cup.