Disc Makers is an American company that offers CD, DVD, Blu-ray and vinyl manufacturing, as well as various other digital music services.
Sometimes credited as Disc Makers, Pennsauken, NJ, USA.
Originally founded in 1946 by Ivin Ballen as label Ballen Record Co. in Philadelphia, PA. A pressing plant factory was built to produce shellac 78s as there were no plants in the city to contract these to and it began to take orders from other established labels as well. Its own record labels gradually diminished and the company became a full-time pressing plant for third party labels only, renaming to Diskmakers in 1959. Continuing throughout the years with 45 rpm vinyl singles, 33 1/3 rpm vinyl LPs, 8-tracks, and audio cassettes to the present day CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays. The company renamed to Disc Makers in 1989. By 1994, Disc Makers had outgrown its Philadelphia facility, and in January 1995 they moved across the Delaware River to their present location in Pennsauken, New Jersey.
In 2006 it was acquired by Audio & Video Labs, Inc.. As of 2019 the company is independent/privately owned after a management buyout from AVL Digital Group / Downtown Music Holdings. Disc Makers is organised under the entity DIY Media Group which also owns and operates BookBaby and Merchly.
For vinyl production, it operates restored and retooled Hamilton presses.
CDs and DVDs manufactured by Disc Makers can be identified by matrix number MXx####, usually in combination with SID codes IFPI LZ7* and IFPI ALK**. Disc Makers is not always explicitly mentioned in the disc matrix, but can be identified by:
a) the MXx#### matrix number (where x is some letter A-Z)
b) a mastering SID code IFPI LZ7* and/or a mould SID code IFPI ALK**
c) the use of the same font, text layout and barcode style as discs with the Disc Makers name/logo in the matrix.
(Example: RAM - August 1791)
The letter following the M indicates the year it was mastered:
MPx#### - 2005
MQx#### - 2006
MRx#### - 2007
MSx#### - 2008
MTx#### - 2009
MUx#### - 2010
MVx#### - 2011
MWx#### - 2012
MXx#### - 2013
MYx#### - 2014
MZx#### - 2015
MAx#### - 2016
MBx#### - 2017
MCx#### - 2018
MDx#### - 2019
MEx#### - 2020
MFx#### - 2021
MGx#### - 2022
MHx#### - 2023
MIx#### - 2024
etc.
This should not be used to determine a release year, but can show when a release was manufactured later than the original release date.
Please credit Disc Makers with Glass Mastered At (when IFPI LZ7* is present) and/or Pressed By (when IFPI ALK**) is present. When neither SID code is present but Disc Makers is named or its matrix number MXx#### is found in the disc matrix, please use the Manufactured By role. The MXx#### matrix number can be entered as catalogue# for all of these manufacturing-related roles.
Many releases have "08110USA" before or after the MXx#### matrix number string (e.g. 08110USA MDB2954 at The Mermen - A Murmurous Sirenic Delirium), which matches the company's ZIP code in New Jersey.
Many releases that show an Oasis logo in the matrix (e.g. pictured here) are actually physically manufactured on behalf of Oasis Disc Manufacturing by Disc Makers. These Disc Makers releases can be identified by the SID code pair IFPI LZ**/IFPI ALK** and the Disc Makers sequential MXx#### catalogue (job) number. For these releases, please enter both Oasis Disc Manufacturing and Disc Makers in LCCN, tagged with 'Manufactured By' (Oasis Disc Manufacturing) and 'Pressed By' + sequential MXx#### (Disc Makers) respectively.
(Example: Damon Fowler - The Whiskey Bayou Session).
