It was a major factor in the development of the bossa nova style, also releasing samba, jazz, and spoken word recordings.

[1] Producer Aloysio de Oliveira, a key figure in the internationalization of Brazilian popular music, founded Elenco in 1963.

While the label is renowned for its output of bossa nova, Elenco's first releases were early MPB and Latin jazz, reflecting the tastes of its founder, who was also a musician.

According to critics such as Zuza Homem de Mello and Ruy Castro, the characteristic Elenco sleeve designs were heavily inspired by jazz labels such as Blue Note.

During the mid-1960s a number of factors, including problematic distribution, caused the label to slide into insolvency; it was purchased by Companhia Brasileira de Discos in 1968.