Musical Giant from Dubrava

The future of the “Giant from Dubrava”, making history in entertainment, but also art and culture since 1947 (44 years as Jugoton and 33 as Croatia Records), is more than secure
Written by: Edo Franić 

Although 70 years of existence is hardly a long time in terms of human life, it is definitely a significant milestone for a record label. Especially if that record label has such a prominent place in the cultural and overall social life of a country to the extent that its name has become a symbol of the entire industry; secondly, if the said company preserves a part of the cultural – mainly musical – heritage of as many as six countries, with about ninety thousand records on over eighteen thousand artifacts; and finally, if it is recognised as the major Croatian record label at the moment, despite – or precisely because of – the fact that its current programme policy promotes solely domestic repertoire – then we can talk not only about respect but also awe of a company that has become a socio-cultural icon… –  these are the words of Siniša Škarica, a long-time label manager at Jugoton and Croatia Records, taken from his book called Tvornica muzike: priče iz Dubrave, published on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Croatia Records record label. 

In the meantime, this iconic domestic brand marked its 75th anniversary last year, and it is rapidly approaching its 77th year of existence, a solid life span of a human that it will likely exceed by a long shot.

Jugoton, or Croatia Records as it is now known, is a true giant of this region’s music industry. Suffice it to say that it once produced 12-13 million releases, something that modern-day domestic (and international) labels can only dream of.

– Built in the Dubrava neighbourhood of Zagreb, Jugoton was a truly impressive music factory that comprised over 50,000 square meters and eight buildings. It had a large, two-storey administrative building with a conservatory, a huge warehouse, vinyl pressing plant, and music studios… Jugoton began producing vinyl records in 1963 and has produced up to 15 million recordings. It doesn’t come as a surprise that such a factory was dubbed a “giant” – says Želimir Babogredac, the executive director of Croatia Records.

Jugoton was the first and largest record label in the former Yugoslavia. It was founded on July 10, 1947, in Zagreb as the successor company to Elektroton, which was established way back in 1938.

The first record with a logo that would soon become widely recognisable was released that very year. It was a single with the catalogue number J-1001 that featured the Zagreb Male Quintet performing two Dalmatian pieces – Ti tvoji zubići  and Jedan mali brodić.

It is worth noting that Jugoton also produced haberdashery, leatherware, and cosmetic containers during the period, and that the company’s full name was “Factory of gramophone records, equipment, and plastic haberdashery”.

Jugoton produced 33,000 gramophone records in its very first year of operation, which is fairly outstanding. Nine years after its inception, the record label began making vinyl records (25-cm LP) and releasing folk music albums. That year also marked the release of the first solo pop record titled Pjeva vam Ivo Robić.

Jugoton celebrated its tenth anniversary by releasing single records (45 rpm) and EPs (33 rpm, with more space on the record for longer compositions), and in the 1958 it went even further by releasing over 500,000 records, including the first stereophonic record – Tam kjer murke cveto by the Slovenian quintet known as Avsenik.

– Jugoton, and later on Croatia Records as well, never glossed over any genre of music. There have always been serious, children’s, folk, parlour music, and pop and rock releases. Label managers such as Ljerka Ramušćak, Ivanka Butković, Siniša Škarica, Ljerka Gotovac, Pero Gotovac and Dubravko Majnarić, as well as our current managers, have always done their best to include all musical genres – from jazz to hip hop. Under the guidance of the third and last executive director of Jugoton, i.e. the first executive director of Croatia Records, Mirko Bošnjak, our record label regularly produced platinum and diamond editions of albums, so the period from the beginning of the 1980s to the beginning of the 1990s is often referred to as the golden age of discography – explains Babogredac.

The company’s ascent in the years that followed was distinguished by shattering records. In 1960, nearly one and a half million records were released, owing to the fact that Zagreb’s RIZ (Radio Industrija Zagreb) manufactured 100,000 gramophones, allowing all of these records to be heard more widely.

The company needed to boost manufacturing capacity to keep up with its own success, thus on October 23, 1963, the new Jugoton facility opened in Dubrava, Zagreb, where the company is still located to this day. During its first year of operation, the plant produced 10,000,000 vinyl records, setting the production course for years to come.

Jugoton went even further by signing the first licensing agreements with international record labels, including the US RCA, German Polydor, and British Decca, after which it began regularly releasing records by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and other pop and rock legends, later joined by Madonna, U2, David Bowie, Eurythmics, Kate Bush, Kraftwerk, Queen, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden, and many others. This allowed the domestic market to become acquainted with worldwide pop culture, which, in turn, inspired local greats.

In November 1968, Jugoton released the first domestic rock album (LP), Naši dani by the Zagreb band Grupa 220. Although the production of albums by local musicians didn’t really gain momentum in the late 1960s, things changed in the early 1970s with the release of Drago Mlinarec’s solo albums and the legendary debut albums of the YU grupa (1972) and Time (1972).

Back then, the best-selling solo artist was Mišo Kovač, while the chart-topping band was Novi fosili. For example, the Eurovision single Džuli (“Julie”) by Daniel Popović sold in around 700 thousand copies, while Mišo Kovač and Novi fosili sold between 150 and 300 thousand copies of their albums, respectively. This huge number of albums sold made it possible to bankroll new promising performers before anyone could tell with certainty if they would go commercial.

– Getting signed to Jugoton meant that you were recognised, that your music was worth something, and that you were on your way to success – with the help of the record company. Jugoton’s success may be attributed to a variety of performers, from Ivo Robić, Mišo Kovač, new wave bands, folk stars, all the way to contemporary artists such as Parni valjak, Crvena jabuka, and up-and-coming vocalists like Marko Kutlić, Lu Jakelić, Vojko V, and others. The rich archive testifies to the large number of legendary albums produced in these areas, and it is up to us not to let them fall into oblivion and to show them to the next generation. Over the course of these 76 years, thousands of famous, talented, and successful composers, performers, producers, and merchandisers, assisted by conscientious employees of the former Jugoton, nowadays known as Croatia Records, diligently and selflessly produced more than 100,000 phonogram records or vinyl records, cassettes, and CDs – says Babogredac.

Jugoton wrote a special chapter in music history in the second half of the 1970s and the first half of the 1980s when it released albums by the most popular bands from the former Yugoslavia – Bijelo dugme, Azra, Električni orgazam, Idol, Haustor, Leb i sol – and it played a key role during the new wave era, the only time in history when local pop-rock music enjoyed equal status as British and US music.

– Those who lived for music also followed international trends; our musicians continuously strived – and succeeded – in keeping up with them. The new wave bands continue to hold a significant place in the discography today, and the fascination with that music, lasting to this day, demonstrates how in tune our musicians were with the times back then – says Želimir Babogredac.

Although other record companies emerged in the meantime, none of them could compete with Jugoton and its status in the entertainment industry. Despite the fact that most of the larger record companies were owned by the state, which kept them in business through subsidies, Jugoton remained solvent due to its market success, that is, it was financially self-sufficient.

After the democratic changes in 1990, Jugoton’s name was changed to Croatia Records, and since 2000, it has been run by professionals gathered under the name of Autor d.o.o. According to the company’s website, “Croatia Records’ business objective is to bring together the most relevant artists, composers, producers, and performers, as well as to further develop the distribution network.”

The record label’s efforts have propelled it to the very top of Croatian discography, as evidenced by the fact that Croatia Records and its sub-labels account for the fascinating 70% of sound recording media production on the domestic market in all segments of musical creation, including serious music, jazz, instrumental, pop, rock, parlour music, ethnic and folk music.

The new business philosophy of Croatia Records, under the guidance of Želimir Babogredac, resulted in a surge of reissues and compilations, as well as numerous new deals with the biggest names in the Croatian music scene and young, talented musicians.

– Our business philosophy has always revolved around bringing great composers together, keeping major stars, connecting with fresh, brilliant musicians, rereleasing legendary albums, putting together outstanding compilations, and breathing new life into old releases. We have devised numerous editions, and the best-selling ultimate and platinum editions showcase our ability to cater to the needs and desires of our customers. Most regional celebrities including Dino Merlin, Vlatko Stefanovski, Bajaga, Zoran Predin, Zdravko Čolić, Amira Medunjanin, and many others, are eager to work with us. I believe that one of the main reasons for this is the great media influence of our television stations, CMC TV and Jugoton TV, as well as our label managers and PR experts, who stay in touch with radio, television, and print media, thus jointly realising the plans we set for each release – Babogredac tells us.

Because we live in the digital age, all Croatia Records phonograms are also available on digital platforms. By rereleasing a huge number of albums on vinyl as well, the record company shows audiences that their requests have been heard and provides every customer with a choice between various media for playing their favourite music. In addition, we record a large number of concerts and offer them on DVD and Blu ray.

– Regardless of the drop in CD sales, we’ve tackled the issue by releasing deluxe box sets, jazzed up with previously unpublished photos and accompanying booklets. On that note, we made an important discographic undertaking in the legendary Abbey Road studio in London in 2014 – all the albums of the Bijelo dugme band were remastered under the supervision of Grammy Award-winning sound engineer Sean Magee, thanks to whom the limited edition titled Bijelo dugme – Box Set Deluxe saw the light of day. We are especially proud of our 75 for 75 – the collection of 75 best classic albums commemorating the 75th anniversary of Croatia Records, a deluxe box set with which we marked how far we’ve come. Also, a large deluxe box set of the Lennon opera, composed by Ivo Josipović, is in the making, which, I believe, will delight our customers. In addition to commanding large television audiences thanks to our stations CMC TV, Jugoton TV and Klape i tambure, as well as the popularity of our web radio, we can also boast one of the best-equipped audio visual studios, which we opened in 2016. Investing, identifying trends, and taking care of our archive are the cornerstones of our business – Babogredac concludes.

By all accounts, the future of the “Giant from Dubrava”, making history in entertainment, but also art and culture all the way since 1947 (44 years as Jugoton and 33 as Croatia Records), is more than secure.

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