[1] Document was established in 1986 by Johnny Parth, the former owner of Roots Records, in Austria to make previously unreleased blues and gospel records from before the 1942–44 musicians' strike available on a number of European labels.
In 1990, Parth felt obliged to switch production from LP to CD.
[2] The scope was expanded to include bluegrass, spirituals, jazz, and other rural American genres (collectively known as roots music), made between 1900 and 1945.
Since 2000 it has been owned by Gary and Gillian Atkinson and is based in Newton Stewart, Scotland.
[3][4][5] Document has the exclusive rights to a great deal of unreleased music and other audio media produced by Edison Records between 1914 and 1929.