Welcome to the home of independent music
Empowering creators since 1946
Disc Makers empowers artists to do what they love
Disc Makers is the world’s largest CD, DVD, and Blu-ray manufacturer for independent musicians, filmmakers, and businesses. We offer everything you need to make your release successful, including duplication, replication, printing, graphic design, audio mastering, DVD authoring, worldwide distribution, and so much more.
1946
Disc Makers started as the Ballen Record Company. Gotham Records was one of our most popular labels.25,000,000
We make over 25 million CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays a year and 97% of that is from independent artists.350
We employ over 350 people across the US. Our main production HQ is in Pennsauken, NJ.Our mission
Our goal is to help independents – musicians, filmmakers, and small businesses — compete head-to-head with larger companies. That’s why we make the industry’s best CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays and why we offer all the creative, distribution, and fulfillment services our customers need to succeed.
We didn’t invent independent music. We just made it a reality.
In 1946, Ivin Ballen founded a record label in Philadelphia called The Ballen Record Company. The company, and its various imprints, including Gotham Records, would go on to produce music by early R&B pioneers like Roy Smeck and Bill Doggett.
Because there were no other record plants in the Philadelphia area, Ivin built his own and began pressing 78’s for his artists as well as for other local labels. Within a few years the record-pressing side of the business became more successful than the label and in 1959 the company’s name was changed to Disc Makers.
Before Disc Makers came along, independent artists had to go to eight different vendors in order to make a record. We put everything in one place, making it for the first time easy and affordable to for an artist to release an album without label support—essentially creating the independent music industry as we know it today..
While our products have evolved with the times, from vinyl to CD and beyond, our mission has always remained the same: Empowering independent artists to pursue what they love.
“Physical media isn’t just a product — it’s your art in someone’s hands. When a fan buys your CD or vinyl record, that piece represents your sound, your brand, and your reputation. That’s why quality matters above all else. At Disc Makers, we deliver world-class physical releases for independent artists — with premium sound, the best-looking packaging anywhere, and a guarantee that stands behind every project.”
– Tony van Veen, CEO, Disc Makers
Our family
Disc Makers is part of the DIY Media Group, whose main goal is to help musicians, authors, artists, and businesses manufacture, distribute, and promote their creative work both online and off. With offices across the United States, DIY Media Group consists of some of the most respected brands in the music and book publishing industries, including Disc Makers, CD Baby Disc Manufacturing, BookBaby, and OnPress.
Sustainability
We believe in making the greenest products in the most environmentally friendly manner possible.
Learn moreInterested in a partnership opportunity with Disc Makers?
We’ve worked with thousands of industry companies, creating mutually beneficial partnerships through an array of assets and special programs. Think there’s an opportunity for Disc Makers to partner with your company or event?
Contact us at partnerships@discmakers.com and we’ll make sure to get back to you.
Sustainability
Of all the colors our discs are, GREEN is the most important one.
Is a green disc possible?
We all know that CDs are made of plastic. They can’t be made from anything else but optical grade polycarbonate. However, the plastic content is only a small part of the overall disc package. We believe we can make the biggest environmental contribution by providing our customers with sustainable alternatives.
So is a green disc possible? Absolutely!
We work hard to provide you with high quality, affordable products that reduce our carbon footprint.
Here are some of the steps Disc Makers takes towards affordable eco-friendliness:
- Designing and promoting green products: We are the only factory to have invested in fully automated Digipak printing, assembly, and packaging, allowing independent artists to afford premium retail packaging. We even rolled out new CD wallets and other packaging options entirely without plastic — all printed on recycled board.
- Recycled board: All our board packaging (e.g. Digipaks, jackets, CD wallets, etc) is printed on stock that contains at least 10% post-consumer recycled content, and comes from mills that procure raw materials from lands that are forested in a sustainable manner, without clear cutting.
- Vegetable based inks: We have been printing with non-toxic vegetable-based inks for years. In fact, we’ve learned that these biodegradable inks produce some of the richest and most vibrant colors we’ve ever seen.
- Internal recycling: We have an aggressive internal recycling program for all recyclable waste. We also recycle all office materials throughout our facility.
- Sourcing recycled and/or reduced plastic components: We are continually looking for plastic products (like CD jewel case trays) that either use less plastic or are made from recycled plastic. So far, we’ve had modest successes — e.g. with our 100% recycled black Digipak trays — and will continue to proactively seek out more alternatives.
- Lighter disc packaging options to reduce shipping: Many of the carbon emissions generated by industry come from trucking, flying, or shipping. By designing and promoting lighter weight, no-plastic packaging alternatives, we reduce the weight and volume your product takes up when we ship to you. That means lower carbon emissions during transportation, and lower shipping rates.
What is the difference between recycled-content and post-consumer recycled content?
A recycled-content product is an item that contains recovered materials, which are wastes that have been diverted from conventional disposal such as landfills for another use. Recovered materials include both pre-consumer and post-consumer wastes.
Pre-consumer materials are generated by manufacturers and processors, and may consist of scrap, trimmings, and other by-products that were never used in the consumer market.
Post-consumer material is an end product that has completed its life cycle as a consumer item and would otherwise have been disposed of as a solid waste. Post-consumer materials include recyclables collected in commercial and residential recycling programs, such as office paper, cardboard, aluminum cans, plastics, and metals.