GZ Media

Czech based company, operating under this name since 1 January 2014, is the largest record manufacturer in the world with expanded manufacturing activities to include investments in Canada (Precision Record Pressing), France (SNA) and the USA (Memphis Record Pressing and Nashville Record Pressing). Operations include vinyl, CD and DVD manufacturing. Owned by Zdenek Pelc. Successor to Gramofonové Závody (Gramophone Record Factory, the name used until 1999) and GZ Digital Media (2000–13). Vinyl manufacture in Loděnice has taken place continuously since 1951. GZ temporarily used the internal trademark “GZ V!nyl”, also known as “GZ Vinyl”. Sometimes credited with a “www.gzvinyl.com” engraved in the vinyl runout area. The GZ Media plant in Loděnice stopped glass-mastering, CD/DVD galvanic and CD/DVD pressing processes in September 2021. Any new CD/DVD order is either produced at the SNA plant in France or brokered out to another plant in the Czech Republic. Frequently, these releases use the Laser Beam Recorder codes LBR DF01 and mould codes DFM02, DFM09 or DFM10. For discs manufactured by GZ Media after September 2021, use 'Manufactured By' for the GZ Media credit. [u]Vinyl matrix schemes - engraved in runouts[/u] ######X~/Z or ######X~~/Z “X” = format “~” = side number “Z” = galvanoplasty [u]Main vinyl formats:[/u] E = stereo, 12", 33⅓ RPM F = stereo, 10", 33⅓ RPM H = stereo, 7", 45 RPM M = stereo, 12", 45 RPM N = stereo, 10", 45 RPM O = stereo, 7", 33⅓ RPM - "O" can sometimes be mistaken with a "0" (zero) X = stereo, 78 RPM (very rare) (GZ may use "E", etc. on a pressing labeled as 'mono', such as on I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You. This is because all GZ cuts are now in stereo – they no longer have mono lathes. A recent GZ 'mono' pressing is in fact a stereo cut with identical audio on both channels, giving the effect of mono to the listener: 'simulated mono'. A true mono cut, in the days when they had mono lathes, had the codes A to D or V: see Gramofonové Závody.) [u]CD matrix scheme[/u] XY#### “X” = year of matrix manufacturing: A=2014, B=2015, C=2016, D=2017, E=2018, F=2019, G=2020, H=2021. "Y" = month of matrix manufacturing: 1-9=January-September, A=October, B=November, C=December Mastering SID code is LD02. Mould SID code: 5J** ** = numbers CD matrix will be stored for 2 years, i.e. any represses in that time window will bear the same number. If the original CD matrix was damaged, a new one will be created with a new number. Note that the CD matrix year codes “A”, “B”, “C“, etc. were already in use since 1989 by Gramofonové Závody and continued up to “Z” in 2013 by GZ Digital Media. Please note that many more recent discs made for GZ Media feature a matrix code of the form 2#####. As these do not seem to have GZ Media itself as their source, do not add them as catalog numbers to any LCCN entries for GZ Media. [u]How to[/u] • Use this entity to list releases manufactured in 2014 or later only. All releases manufactured (and released) in 2013 or earlier should be listed under GZ Digital Media or Gramofonové Závody respectively. 115067E number is known to have been made still in 2013: for this reason, 2014 releases that carry a GZ number lower than 115067E should be listed under GZ Digital Media because they were still made in 2013. • When another company (such as Pirates Press and www.gzvinyl.com) is etched into the runouts alongside the etched GZ Media number, a Manufactured By credit for that company should be added in addition to the Pressed By credit for GZ Media. • Please refer to Precision Record Pressing when an additional etched number starting with 10- (example 10-83451) appears in the runouts alongside the GZ Media number. • Please refer to Memphis Record Pressing when an additional etched number starting with MRP (example MRP2329) appears in the runouts alongside the GZ Media number. • Please refer to SNAdisc when an additional etched number starting with M0xxxxxx (example M0114183) appears in the runouts alongside the GZ Media number. [u]LCCN how-to[/u] Vinyl: Enter numbers and the letter only. For example: 130500E, using a role Pressed By Note: digit "2" can be mistaken with the letter "Z", digit "0" with letters "D" or "O". Example. CD: only the “XY####” string should be entered, without any “GZ” prefix or any optional suffix. [u]Glass mastering code[/u]: only IFPI LD02 - When featured on the disc use Glass Mastered At role with the XY#### in LCCN. [u]Mould SID code[/u]: IFPI 5J** - When featured on the disc use Pressed By role in LCCN. "Glass Mastered At & Pressed By" - If both SIDs are present on the CD, both roles can be entered in the LCCN. [u]Note about the vinyl numbering[/u] (Source) "The so called matrix (stamper) numbers are not exactly matrix (stamper) numbers, but metal parts numbers - either for metal mothers or DMM copper plates. Therefore /A or /B indexes. Every copper plate cut (or a mother plate produced from a lacquer) receives an unique number consisting of a "premaster" number (e.g. 97460E1) and an index of cutting (mother producing), e.g. /B means a second DMM cut and /C means a third DMM cut. Or a lacquer cut. For lacquer technology or for externally supplied copper plates (e.g. from Abbey Road studios) where the 3-step technology has to be used it is more complicated as there may be additional indexes - /B would still be the first mother produced from a second lacquer (father/master). /B1 would be a second mother produced from the second lacquer/father, /C3 would be a fourth mother produced from a third lacquer/father etc." [u]A new system of runout marking for new nickel mother plates (3-step technology) from late 2020:[/u] 1) No /A, /B, /C3 etc. galvanoplasty indexes for any externally supplied parts - they were omitted as redundant so then only ######X~ or ######X~~ premaster numbers are present in runout. 2) New 6-7 digits long serial numbers (IDs) of nickel mothers are engraved (e.g. 1041885 or 1101873 - but do not confuse with "10-#####" from PRP) Pressing rings on vinyl associated with this pressing plant: -a pressing ring at 1 9/32" (32,6mm) diameter