One of the last vestiges of a giant Sony Music plant in Carrollton that pumped out hit LPs and cassettes is closing. The company will shut a CD distribution operation and layoff 127 employees.
That will leave about 40 workers in the complex, putting together CD cases. About 10 others will work at a nearby distribution operation.
The plant reached its peak between the late 1980s and mid-'90s, once employing 2,400, according to Debra Walker, a human resources manager.
Then the record and cassette business began its painful decline, undone in part by compact discs. Then sales of compact discs declined, and the manufacturing operation fell silent in 2001.
This week, the company notified the state the distribution operation will close due to "changing business needs," according to a letter from Sony. The job cuts start in mid September.
"I hate it," Carrollton Mayor Wayne Garner said of the shuttering. "It's been a great neighbor to this city for a long time. Hopefully we can replace it with some other company."
Sony hasn't decided what it will do with the final operations or the facility itself, company spokeswoman Lisa Gephardt said.
Staff report
Staff report
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