GZ Media
| Founded | 1951 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Czech Republic |
| Revenue | 3,836,420,000 Czech koruna (2020)  |
| 451,456,000 Czech koruna (2020) | |
| 555,938,000 Czech koruna (2020) | |
| Total assets | 2,971,099,000 Czech koruna (2020) |
Number of employees | 1,147 (2020) |
GZ Media, named for the Czech Gramofonové Závody, which translates to Gramophone Record Factory, employees nearly 2,000 people,[1] and runs its major operations in Loděnice[2] in the Czech Republic.[3][4] GZ Media is known as the world's largest vinyl manufacturer. Since its founding in 1951,[5] it has supplied records across the Eastern Bloc.[6]
Winslow Partners, a U.S. Private Equity Fund, briefly acquired GZ Media in 1998, only to sell it a few years later.[7] Current GZ Media owner and president Zdenek Pelc[8][9] is the longest reigning CEO in the history of the Czech Republic.[10]
Supported by American investments, GZ Media has developed into a modern business enterprise, accounting for approximately 60% of total vinyl records produced globally.[11] According to The Guardian, GZ Media was valued at £76 million ($100 million) in 2016 and was forecast to press just over 25 million records a year.[12] In 2015 it produced about 65,000 records per day.[13]
References
- ^ Mary Teresa Bitti (14 July 2016). "Can a vinyl comeback sustain two players in the Canadian market?". Financial Post.
- ^ "Putting a Czech Spin on Vinyl" – via www.bloomberg.com.
- ^ "The vinyl comeback - All media content - DW - 09.05.2016".
- ^ "Back to black: Vinyl discs enjoy renaissance". Financial Times.
- ^ Jana Mlcochova (19 August 2013). "Czech firm hits right tune with vinyl records in fashion". Reuters.
- ^ Street, Lidz-Ama Appiah and Francesca (16 September 2016). "The home of vinyl records is... the Czech Republic". CNNMoney.
- ^ "Czechs the spin kingpins in global LP revival". 11 February 2015.
- ^ Lyman, Rick. "Czech Company, Pressing Hits for Years on Vinyl, Finds It Has Become One".
- ^ s.r.o., Neuman Company. "About GZ | GZ Media". www.gzmedia.com. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
- ^ Vu, Lan Anh (25 March 2016). "CEO Talk: Zdenek Pelc, GZ Media".
- ^ "Hunger for vinyl means a chronic shortage of pressing machines". The Economist. 18 May 2017.
- ^ Tait, Robert (18 August 2016). "In the groove: Czech firm tops list of world's vinyl record producers" – via The Guardian.
- ^ Holden, Steve (15 April 2016). "Record Store Day: This is what happens inside a vinyl factory - BBC Newsbeat".