Music Carriers (NZ) Ltd.

Please note, this company should only be used on pressings between November 1974 and 31 October 1978. Prior to that it was Green And Hall Ltd. Green And Hall Ltd., controlled by Fred Green, purchased the Kilbirnie pressing plant owned by His Master's Voice (NZ) Limited in 1954. Over the next twenty or so years it was one of the major plants in New Zealand (the company had a second factory in Grey Lynn, Auckland (formerly owned by Stebbing Recording And Sound Co. Ltd.), there was also HMV and Radio Corporation Of New Zealand Ltd., which later became Pye Record Manufacturing Division). In 1967 Green And Hall Ltd. split the Auckland factory into a new company Plastic Industries Ltd. Music Carriers (NZ) Ltd. was incorporated as a fully owned subsidiary of Philips Electrical Industries Of New Zealand Limited on 11 March 1960. Until 1970 it was a distributor sharing facilities with Green And Hall Ltd. That year it probably purchased shares in the pressing (and now tape duplication) plant in Kilbirnie. In November 1974 Music Carriers acquired the plant from Green And Hall Ltd.. On 31 October 1978, the company was renamed PolyGram Record Services Ltd. It moved to Miramar, Wellington in late 1978. Effective 01 November 1978, the plant was renamed to PRS Ltd., Miramar/Wellington. Normally, the plant isn't directly credited but the owning company only. However, vinyl cuts can be identified by a "700" (stamped or etched) in the matrix. Please note: The plant also mastered and pressed for Australia. On that vinyl you may also find 700 or 150 as numbers. Factory manager from the mid-1960s until at least 1978 was Walter Seibers. Cutting engineer until 1976 was Brian Barsdell. High speed tape engineer was Stan Wojciechowski. Cutting engineer from 1976 was Jamie Mcnair. Labels have an inner pressing ring of about 30mm diameter, and a outer raised ridge starting at about 87mm diameter. See photo. Owners of the company were: IPS - International Phonographic Society N.Z. Ltd. (11 March 1960 - 13 May 1963), Philips Records (N.Z.) Ltd. (14 May 1963 - 24 June 1970), PolyGram Records Ltd. (25 June 1970 - 08 November 1972) Phonogram Ltd. (09 November 1972 - 31 October 1978). Please note this is a completely different company to the Music Carriers (NZ) Ltd. established in the 1990s by PolyGram and Sony.