GZ Media
Czech record manufacturing company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
GZ Media, named for the Czech Gramofonové Závody, which translates to Gramophone Record Factory, employs 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]
| |
| 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) |
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]
GZ Media is often criticized for inconsistent and poor vinyl pressing quality, with users reporting high rates of defects like warping, non-fill, scratches, and surface noise, though some experience good pressings, suggesting variability linked to high demand, rushed processes, and older equipment, despite GZ's status as a massive, historically significant plant. Complaints highlight issues with quality control (QC), soft vinyl that blisters, and a perception that GZ presses lower-tier pressings as brands avoid mentioning them in marketing for premium releases, contrasting with better QC at smaller plants.[14][15]