What is "zonophone"

Zonophone (early on also rendered as Zon-O-Phone) was a record label founded in 1899 in Camden, New Jersey, by Frank Seaman. The Zonophone name was not that of the company, but was applied to the records and machines sold by Seaman from 1899–1900 to 1903. The name was subsequently acquired by Columbia Records, Victor Talking Machine Company, and finally Gramophone Company/ EMI Records. It has been used for a number of record publishing labels by these companies.