Started in 1929, within a few years Decca was the second largest record label in the world. Decca bought out the bankrupt UK branch of Brunswick Records in 1932, and also bought out the Melotone and Edison Bell record companies. By 1939, Decca was the only record company in UK aside from EMI.

In 1934, a US branch of Decca was launched, which quickly became a major player in the depressed American record market thanks to its roster of popular artists, particularly Bing Crosby. Artists signed to Decca in the 1930s and 1940s included Louis Armstrong, Count Basie and Billie Holiday.

The American RCA label severed its longtime affiliation with EMI's His Master's Voice (HMV) label in 1957, which allowed Decca UK to market and distribute Elvis Presley's recordings in the UK.

In 1962, Decca UK turned down a chance to record a young group from Liverpool called the Beatles in favor of local beat combo Brian Poole and the Tremeloes. Later refusals of note include the Yardbirds and Manfred Mann. However, Decca did manage to sign the Rolling Stones.

Decca UK lost a key source for American records when Atlantic Records switched British distribution to Polydor Records in 1966 in order for Atlantic to gain access to British recording artists which they didn't have under Decca distribution.

The 1970s were disastrous for Decca. The Rolling Stones left the label in 1970, and other artists followed. Decca's deals with numerous other record labels began to fall apart. RCA abandoned Decca to set up its own UK office in 1971. The Moody Blues were the only international rock act that remained on the label.

Although Decca had set up the first of the British 'progressive' labels, Deram Records, in 1966, by the time the punk era set in 1977, Decca had become known primarily as a classical label which had only sporadic pop success.

PolyGram acquired the remains of Decca UK in 1980. The American branch of Decca functioned separately for many years and eventually merged with MCA in 1962, becoming a subsidiary company under MCA. Because MCA held the rights to the name Decca in the US and Canada, Decca UK sold its records in the US and Canada under the label London Records. Conversely, Decca US recordings were marketed in the UK on Brunswick Records and Coral Records until 1968, when Decca began using the MCA Records imprint.

The Decca name was dropped by MCA in 1973 in favor of the MCA Records label.

The Decca label is currently in use by Universal Music Group worldwide; this is possible because Universal Studios (which officially dropped the MCA name after the Seagram buyout in 1997) acquired PolyGram, British Decca's parent company in 1998, thus consolidating Decca trademark ownership.