DMP Digital Music Products


DMP Digital Music Products was one of the first digital recording labels, generally specializing in jazz artists. DMP was founded in 1983 by engineer Tom Jung after leaving Sound 80 recording studios in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The label's first releases in 1983 featured pianist Warren Bernhardt, Jay Leonhart, and the group Flim & the BB's. These were among the first non-classical recordings released on compact disc. DMP was one of the few labels to release commercial DAT recordings, was at the forefront of introducing numerous digital recording technologies, and was a pioneer in the Super Audio CD digital audio format. DMP issued the first multichannel SACD, Sacred Feast.
Notable artists who recorded for DMP include Lynne Arriale, Joe Beck, Warren Bernhardt, Flim & the BB's, Jay Leonhart, Chuck Loeb, Bob Mintzer, Joe Morello, and Ali Ryerson.

History

An audio engineer, Tom Jung co-founded the recording studio Sound 80 in Minneapolis in 1969. By 1977, the studio was making digital recordings with a prototype of a recorder from 3M. Jung was attracted to digital recording in part by the desire to reduce the noise created by recording in analog. Digital could eliminate wow and flutter. In 1979, he got a job offer and moved with his family to New York City. He worked as a freelance engineer, recording albums, commercials, and soundtracks. Some of the musicians he encountered wound up on the roster of DMP.