COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 334310

Audio and Video Equipment Manufac- turing

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

20companies1905–1997founding years20still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedDEMCO, Inc.
1905
FoundedKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
1912
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedSt. Louis Music, Inc.
1922
FoundedShure Inc.
1925
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedBogen Communications International, Inc.
1932
FoundedMatsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
1935
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedClarion Company Ltd.
1940
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedWMS Industries, Inc.
1946
FoundedAKG Acoustics GmbH
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedWinegard Company
1954
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedRadioShack Corporation
1960
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedBose Corporation
1964
FoundedQSC Audio Products, Inc.
1968
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
FoundedGemini Sound Products Corporation
1974
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
FoundedLogitech International S.A.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedCirrus Logic, Inc.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedViewSonic Corporation
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedCambridge SoundWorks, Inc.
1988
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

DEMCO, Inc. →
Active · founded 1905
DEMCO, Inc.
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. →
Active · founded 1912 · The Netherlands
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
St. Louis Music, Inc. →
Active · founded 1922
St.
Shure Inc. →
Active · founded 1925
Shure Inc.
Bogen Communications International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1932
With headquarters in New Jersey, Bogen Communications International, Inc., develops, manufactures, and markets…
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1935 · Japan
The Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Clarion Company Ltd. →
Active · founded 1940 · Japan
Clarion Company Ltd.
WMS Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1946
WMS Industries, Inc.
AKG Acoustics GmbH →
Active · founded 1947 · Austria
For more than five decades AKG Acoustics GmbH has enjoyed a reputation among professional recording engineers, sound…
SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1950 · Japan
SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
Winegard Company →
Active · founded 1954
Based in Burlington, Iowa, Winegard Company manufactures a wide variety of reception equipment for home, commercial,…
RadioShack Corporation →
Active · founded 1960
RadioShack Corporation--known as Tandy Corporation from its founding in 1960 until mid-2000--is one of the largest…
Bose Corporation →
Active · founded 1964
Ranking 220th on Fortune's Private 500 list, Bose Corporation is engaged in the development, manufacture, and marketing…
QSC Audio Products, Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
QSC Audio Products, Inc.
Gemini Sound Products Corporation →
Active · founded 1974
Gemini Sound Products Corporation, based in Edison, New Jersey, is a family-owned business specializing in the…
Logitech International S.A. →
Active · founded 1981 · Switzerland
Logitech International S.A.
Cirrus Logic, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
Cirrus Logic, Inc.
ViewSonic Corporation →
Active · founded 1987
ViewSonic Corporation is a leading provider of cathode ray tube (CRT) and liquid crystal display (LCD) computer…
Cambridge SoundWorks, Inc. →
Active · founded 1988
Located outside of Boston, Massachusetts, Cambridge SoundWorks, Inc.
Apex Digital, Inc. →
Active · founded 1997
Apex Digital, Inc.
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