Supraphon Music Publishing is the most significant Czech record label, and has a distinguished history. The Supraphon name, (originally used for an electric record player, a technical marvel of its day), was first registered as a trademark in 1932. In the post-war years it was the label for domestic albums produced for export, playing an important role in helping to spread Czech classical music recordings during the 1930s and 40s. The artistic direction of the firm gave rise to a broad catalog of titles, which ultimately mapped out the works of Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák, and Leoš Janáček, as well as other giants of both the Czech and the international music worlds. Significant domestic and foreign soloists, chamber ensembles, orchestras and conductors all contributed to Supraphon’s remarkable collection of recordings.