Electrecord facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Electrecord
Founded	1932 (1932)
Genre	Various
Country of origin	Romania
Location	Bucharest

Electrecord is a famous music company from Romania. It started in 1932 and became very important for making and selling music records. They were especially known for releasing many LPs, which are like big vinyl records, in Romania.

Many talented musicians recorded their music with Electrecord. Some of these include Constantin Silvestri, Radu Lupu, Romica Puceanu, Gabi Luncă, Maria Tănase, Gică Petrescu, Phoenix, Iris, and Compact. They also recorded many other great artists who played local fiddle music, jazz, rock, or folk music.

Electrecord's Story

An early Electrecord disc

How it Began

In 1932, a businessman named Nathan Mischonzniki bought some old equipment from Germany. He brought it to Bucharest, Romania, and started a new record factory. He named this new company "Electrecord."

At first, until 1937, Electrecord did not have its own recording studio. So, the factory mainly copied and made more records that came from other countries. Any Romanian music recordings had to be made abroad, for example, at a German company called "Kristall." In 1937, Electrecord finally started making its own recordings.

Growing the Business

Between 1939 and 1940, Electrecord produced about 70,000 records each year. The company offered its services to many important groups. These included the Radio, the Ministry of Propaganda, and the Society of Romanian Composers. They also worked with local branches of big music companies like "Columbia" and "Odeon." Sometimes, they even helped companies print audio advertisements.

In 1948, the Romanian government took over Electrecord. After this, the company's equipment and technology were made more modern. The number of records they made grew a lot. In 1956, they started making vinyl records, which were thinner and more flexible, alongside the older ebonite plates.

Modernizing Music Production

By 1967, Electrecord only printed music on vinyl records. They also started using a special recording method called "pseudo-stereophonic." This meant that sometimes the music (like the orchestra) would be heard on one side, and the singing (voice) on the other.

The 1970s brought even better quality recordings. Electrecord started making recordings in a studio that later became known as "Tomis." This studio was in a building that used to be a cinema. In 1973, the first stereo discs appeared. These discs could play music with sound coming from different directions, but they also worked with older mono players. In the 1980s, Electrecord was making 6 to 7 million records every year!

The company also began producing special versions of some records with songs sung in English. They also started making music on audio cassettes. In 1983, Electrecord updated its production line again, bringing in new equipment from Sweden.

Electrecord Today

After 1990, Electrecord faced new challenges. Many new record companies started, and CDs became popular. This meant Electrecord lost some of its market share. However, some of the music groups who had recorded with them continued to do so. Most of the discs Electrecord released after 1990 were either collections of older hit songs or updated versions of their old LPs.

Around 1996, the company had a difficult time because there wasn't enough demand for their products. But two years later, in 1998, a British company bought some of their equipment. Electrecord also sold the building where their factory was located. With this money, they bought a new, high-quality recording studio.

After these changes, Electrecord focused on re-releasing old music and making new recordings. Their CDs are now produced in Romania, Hungary, or England. As of 2025, the company continues to operate, though the number of CDs they sell each month is much smaller than in their peak years.

In June 2017, Electrecord released the album Songbird by pop singer-songwriter NAVI. The company faced some financial difficulties in 2018 but started fresh with a new plan in 2020. The most recent album released by Electrecord was in December 2022. It was a CD album called Se schimb ceva by the Romanian pop singer Beni Mihai.

Artists Who Recorded with Electrecord

See also

• List of record labels