Entertainment Distribution Company GmbH (EDC)

Innovation since 1898...

The company was founded in 1898 by Emil Berliner.

Emil Berliner’s first sound recordings in horizontal radial recording.

Patent registration for gramophone record and gramophone in Washington and Berlin. First gramophone record made of zinc plate.

Gramophone records made of celluloid, from 1895, hard rubber (12 cm diameter, playing speed 90-150 rpm).

World’s first mass production of shellac records in Hanover. Foundation of DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON GmbH.

Introduction of the plastic long playing record (LP) with 33 1/3 rpm in Germany.
Record players had three speeds: 78, 45 and 33 1/3 rpm.

The music cassette goes into serial production for the first time in the world.

Together with Sony and Philips a global technical standard becomes popular: the CD.

In Hanover CDs are mass produced for the first time (later also in Japan)

The European market is supplied from Hanover.

The first CD-ROM (read only memory) data storage discs are produced.

First High Capacity Disc (HDC).

1,000,000,000 (one billion!) CDs produced.

Start of DVD production

More than 2 million DVDs produced (May).

PolyGram Manufacturing & Distribution Centres are integrated into the UNIVERSAL Group.

Universal joined the French Vivendi Group in December 2000.
The Group trades as Vivendi Universal.

Distribution of Vivendi Universal Games and Universal Picture Games.

20 years CD production!

Production of the 2 billionth CD.

Universal Manufacturing & Logistics GmbH is integrated into Entertainment Distribution Company (EDC).