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Columbia Gramophone Company Greece Ltd.

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Usually imprinted as the acronym [b]C.G.C.G. Ltd.[/b] or as [b]GRAMOP[/b]. The factory of Columbia (EMI Columbia) in Greece, owned by the local EMI subsidiary and located in Rizoupoli, Athens. Established in 1931 after the partnership between [l=Columbia Graphophone Company Ltd.] and [l=The Gramophone Co. Ltd.] (both owned by [l=EMI]) and the Greek investor Lambropoulos Bros. Ltd., later known as [l=EMIAL]. Columbia Gramophone Company of Greece Ltd. were the biggest manufacturing, recording and mastering factory in Greece. The facilities of Columbia consisted of 8 buildings: Two buildings housed 3 different recording studios ([l=Columbia Studio], [l=Columbia Studio II] & [l=Columbia Studio III]); four buildings housed mastering, lacquer cutting, cover printing and quality control/packaging/distributing/retailing facilities; two buildings, where administration and accounting management were housed. The radio manufacturing department from 1947, the cassette/8-track cartridge manufacturing department from 1970, and the computerized information systems center from 1974 were housed on the same premises. During World War II, the factory was commandeered in 1941 by German occupying forces and operated as a garage for military vehicles. Post-war, Columbia reached high levels of development as it started exporting vinyl records and cassettes to foreign countries, especially to the Arab market. However, sound recordings ceased in 1983. The factory ceased operation on 30th April 1991 after [l=EMIAL] (which owned the Greek division of [l=EMI Columbia]) merged with [l=Minos (2)] to form [l=Minos-EMI]. Major efforts were then undertaken in order to preserve the factory and transform it into a museum of recording history of Greece. In 2006 the majority of Columbia buildings were demolished and the remaining facilities were abandoned.