Uzelli

Uzelli is a German-Turkish record label and music company founded in Frankfurt in 1974 by Muammer and Yavuz Uzelli. It began as a trading business serving Turkish migrant workers in Germany, then quickly evolved into a cassette production company. In 1977 it established Turkey's first integrated cassette factory, becoming the country's largest producer of popular music cassettes. The company was known as 'Uzelli Kaset' rather than a conventional record label. During the 1980s and 1990s, Uzelli served as the Turkish representative for Sony Music (then CBS/Columbia). In 1994 it opened music and book retail chains, modernizing its retail approach. By 2007, facing piracy and illegal file sharing, it closed its retail stores and shifted focus to digital distribution. Uzelli's catalogue includes over 900 albums and more than 500 artists, spanning genres such as Aşık, Arabesk, Rock, Turkish Art Music, and Fantezi. Since June 2006 it has been a member of The Orchard, a leading digital music distributor. The label continues to reissue classic albums on vinyl and digital platforms, and has released compilation series such as 'Uzelli Psychedelic Anadolu' and 'Uzelli Elektro Saz'.

Uzelli was founded in 1974 in Frankfurt, Germany, by Muammer and Yavuz Uzelli. It initially operated as 'Uzelli Export', selling products to Turkish workers in Germany. The company soon transformed into a cassette production company, signing thousands of cassette recordings. Focusing on Turkish workers living in Germany and other European countries, Uzelli provided the background music of their daily lives and became one of the most important production companies. It reached audiences through small neighborhood shops and newspaper ads, and partly guided folk and popular music trends in Turkey. In 1977, to meet market demand, Uzelli established Turkey's first integrated cassette factory, becoming the country's largest producer of popular music cassettes. Unlike its peers, it was known as 'Uzelli Kaset' rather than a record company. During the 1980s and 1990s, Uzelli was the Turkish representative for Sony Music (then CBS/Columbia). In 1994, it opened music and book retail chains, modernizing retail in the industry. By 2007, due to illegal file sharing and piracy, Uzelli closed its music stores and shifted focus to digital platforms. Since June 2006, it has been a member of The Orchard, the world's largest digital music distributor, with Metin Uzelli as The Orchard's Turkey regional manager. The label continues to reissue classic albums on vinyl and digital formats, and has released compilation series such as 'Uzelli Psychedelic Anadolu' (2017) and 'Uzelli Elektro Saz' (curated by Esma & Murat Ertel).

• 2017

  Released 'Uzelli Psychedelic Anadolu' compilation, starting a series.

• 2007

  Closed music stores due to piracy and illegal file sharing, shifted to digital.

• 2006

  Joined The Orchard as a member.

• 1994

  Opened music and book retail chains.

• 1987

  Became exclusive Turkish representative for Sony Music (CBS/Columbia) until 1992.

• 1977

  Established Turkey's first integrated cassette factory.

• 1974

  Uzelli company founded by Muammer and Yavuz Uzelli in Frankfurt.

• 1971

  Uzelli Export founded in Frankfurt, Germany.

A pioneering German-Turkish music company that brought Turkish popular music to the diaspora and later became a key player in digital distribution and reissues.

• 2017

  Uzelli Psychedelic Anadolu

• Uzelli Elektro Saz

• 1986

  Selda Bağcan - Dost Merhaba

• Bergen - Şikayetim Var

1. 1Uzelli official websiteuzelli.com
2. 2Uzelli Hakkımızdauzelli.com
3. 3Uzelli Müzik - Wikipediatr.wikipedia.org
4. 4Uzelli - Wikidatawikidata.org