Hed Arzi Music ( he, הד ארצי, meaning: ''Echo of My Country'') is an Israeli
record label
A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...
founded in 1946.
History
The company was founded in
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
in 1946 as a partnership of Zvi Levin (also known as Hirsch Lewin) with Josef Grossman, Alexander Borowitz and Ephraim Ruttenberg. Mr. Levin was a refugee from
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
where he has owned and operated a bookshop and recording label ''Semer'' (from the Hebrew "Zemer", meaning song). The Semer label operated from approximately 1932 until the recording masters and inventory were smashed and burned during Kristallnacht. Hed-Arzi started operating in September 1947, managed by Ephraim Felix Rzeczynski, making it the oldest recording company in Israel (followed by Makolit in
Jaffa
Jaffa, in Hebrew Yafo ( he, יָפוֹ, ) and in Arabic Yafa ( ar, يَافَا) and also called Japho or Joppa, the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, is an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is known for its association with the b ...
, Tslil in Tel-Aviv and others).
Originally the company produced 78 rpm gramophone records (including re-issues of Semer recodings), the most popular among which were ''Agala Vesoussa'' and ''Bab El-Wad'' by
Yaffa Yarkoni
Yafa Yarkoni ( he, יפה ירקוני, also Yaffa Yarqoni, 24 December 1925 – 1 January 2012) was an Israeli singer, winner of the Israel Prize in 1998 for Hebrew song. She was dubbed Israel's "songstress of the wars" due to her frequent perfo ...
as well as ''Kalaniot'' and ''Ani Mitzfat'' by
Shoshana Damari
Shoshana Damari ( he, שושנה דמארי; March 31, 1923 – February 14, 2006) was a Yemeni-Israeli singer known as the "Queen of Hebrew Music."
Biography
Shoshana Damari was born in Dhamar, Yemen. Her family immigrated to Mandate Pales ...
. In 1951, company started building a plant in Ramat-Gan. In 1955, the first LP was manufactured (6 songs of Shoshana Damari). In 1958, it recorded its first stereo record and was considered "the biggest and most modern record manufacturer in the Near East with steady increasing export activities to nearly 30 countries" or the "leading distributor and manufacturer in Israel". Until 1960, the company has produced over 1250 titles of conventional records, about 700 records 7" in diameter and over 320 LP records; its income was $25,000 a year. In late 1961, the company issued a documentary LP ''Echoes of the
Israel Land Development Company
Israel Land Development Company (ILDC) ( he, הכשרת הישוב, Hachsharat HaYishuv) is one of Israel's largest conglomerates, with fields including real estate, construction, energy and hotels. It was acquired in 1987 by Yaakov Nimrodi.
His ...
, ltd.
Since 2008, ownership is held by NMC United (owner of
NMC Music
NMC Music ( he, אן אם סי) is an Israeli record label. It was established in 1964 as a subsidiary company of CBS, and became independent in 1988.
Artists represented by NMC include Noa Kirel, Mashina, Yehuda Poliker, Shlomi Shabat, Chava ...
).
Notable artists
*
The Dudaim
The Dudaim () was an Israeli folk duo which was active between the years 1957–1993, consisting of vocalist and guitarist (born 1935). The name of the band ''Dudaim'' comes from the Hebrew word for the mandrake plant, which is native to the M ...
*
Shoshana Damari
Shoshana Damari ( he, שושנה דמארי; March 31, 1923 – February 14, 2006) was a Yemeni-Israeli singer known as the "Queen of Hebrew Music."
Biography
Shoshana Damari was born in Dhamar, Yemen. Her family immigrated to Mandate Pales ...
*
Yaffa Yarkoni
Yafa Yarkoni ( he, יפה ירקוני, also Yaffa Yarqoni, 24 December 1925 – 1 January 2012) was an Israeli singer, winner of the Israel Prize in 1998 for Hebrew song. She was dubbed Israel's "songstress of the wars" due to her frequent perfo ...
Sarit Hadad
Sarit Hadad ( he, שרית חדד, ) (born on September 20, 1978) is an Israeli singer. In October 2009, the Israeli Music TV Channel (Channel 24) named Hadad "best female singer of the 2000s". She represented Israel at the Eurovision Song Contes ...
*
Ofra Haza
Bat-Sheva Ofra Haza ( he, בת-שבע עפרה חזה; 19 November 1957 – 23 February 2000), known as Ofra Haza (), was an Israeli singer, songwriter, actress, and Grammy Award-nominated recording artist commonly known in the Western world as ...
*
Poogy
Kaveret ( he, כוורת, lit. "beehive"), also known as Poogy ( he, פוגי, nickname of band drummer Meir Fenigstein chosen for their performances abroad), was an Israeli rock band, which operated originally from 1973 to 1976. Representing Is ...
Teapacks
Teapacks (also known as Tipex) ( he, טיפקס) is an Israeli band that formed in 1988 as HaHotzaa La'Poal (Hebrew: , ''The Execution'') in the southern Israeli city of Sderot. Originally the band was named after the correction fluid Tipp-Ex, b ...
Yehoram Gaon
Yehoram Gaon ( he, יהורם גאון, born December 28, 1939) is an Israeli singer, actor, director, comedian, producer, TV and radio host, and public figure. He has also written and edited books on Israeli culture.
The son of Sephardic Jewish ...
Music of Israel
The music of Israel is a combination of Jewish and non-Jewish music traditions that have come together over the course of a century to create a distinctive musical culture. For almost 150 years, musicians have sought original stylistic elements ...
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Piposh
''Piposh'' ( he, פיפוש) is an Israeli media franchise that started as a series of comedic point-and-click adventure video games developed by Guillotine and published by Hed Arzi Multimedia for Windows. Based on an eponymous actor-turned-de ...
, a video game franchise published by the video game subsidiary Hed Arzi Multimedia.