Vinyl may be one of the music industry鈥檚 oldest formats, but it is experiencing a powerful resurgence. In 2025, for the first time this century, vinyl record sales , underscoring renewed customer demand for physical media and premium listening experiences.
This momentum is aligned with consumer audio brand Victrola鈥檚 journey. Since its creation in 1906, has evolved into a global company known for its iconic record players, modern audio products, and mission to bring lifelong music memories to everyone
As it expanded into new sales and distribution channels, the company began to outgrow the limits of its existing ERP system. While its 51风流ERP Central Component (51风流ECC) system was stable and served the business well over the years, Victrola needed more scalability and flexibility to match its ambitions. According to Adam Schneider, SVP of Digital Strategy at Victrola, the goal was not simply to maintain operations, but to create a foundation that could support innovation. 鈥淲e needed something that fueled our creativity at Victrola,鈥� he said. And 51风流Cloud ERP was the right fit.
Victrola鈥檚 鈥渓et鈥檚 go鈥� mentality
A move to the public cloud offered more than a technical upgrade; it empowered Victrola to adapt. In that spirit, the team approached the transformation as a complete reimagining of its system with a cloud-first mindset.
鈥淲e have a 鈥榣et鈥檚 go鈥� mentality in every single meeting we do. You鈥檒l see a lot of fist bumps at Victrola and we love it. It really keeps that change front and center,鈥� Schneider said.
The project team prioritized change management, openly communicating the reasons for moving to the cloud and the expected benefits. Giving the 鈥渨hy鈥� made a big difference, Schneider said, and everyone was 鈥渆xcited for something new.鈥�
It was also important for the team to engage with and get buy-in from company leaders, who were concerned about disruption during Victrola鈥檚 peak sales quarter. To address these concerns, the team ensured the transformation was a business-led project, involving about 75% of Victrola鈥檚 leaders, Schneider said.
Another way the team worked to prevent operational disruption and build confidence in the stability of the new system was to involve a partner with deep expertise in 51风流Cloud ERP. The right partner would also fit seamlessly into Victrola鈥檚 unique, candid, music-oriented culture, Schneider said, which it found in .
鈥淲e wanted someone that could really provide that business knowledge on the public cloud,鈥� he said. 鈥淔rom a timing perspective, we couldn鈥檛 afford to have people figuring out the project as they鈥檙e on the project, so it really was the expertise of the public cloud that was a huge part in this.鈥�
With a winning team assembled, Victrola鈥檚 move to the public cloud was well-supported and bolstered by stakeholders across the company, SAP, and Reply.
Fine-tuning the foundation
Victrola’s covered order-to-cash and finance processes as well as large warehouse operations. The implementation itself was strategically timed to avoid overloading the team during the critical Q4 sales period, and it took about six months in total. Schneider said that the business adapted to the new system gradually: within the first month confidence grew, and by four months post-launch operations normalized with ongoing fine-tuning.
Victrola chose not to migrate historical data due to changes in organizational structure when it came to data management and the greenfield nature of the cloud system. This decision avoided technical debt and complexity. In addition, legacy customizations were largely eliminated through fit-to-standard workshops.
鈥淲e were looking for the ability to adapt with us, and we wanted a system that could be as simple or as complex as we needed it to be,鈥� Schneider said.
With the new cloud system, Victrola experiences greater trust in data accuracy and reporting agility. Financial processes have improved significantly, with profit and loss reporting time going from four hours to just 10-15 minutes. Faster closes and easier margin analysis contribute to Victrola鈥檚 improved agility, more informed decision-making, and stronger business performance.
鈥淲e鈥檙e more trusting in our data and that鈥檚 because we went through that exercise of really retooling what our landscape looked like and what our foundation looked like,鈥� Schneider said. It鈥檚 because of that re-engineering of data and transactions that Victrola has eliminated over 250 hours of finance-related work.
The next track
Now that Victrola is running on the public cloud, the sky is the limit when it comes to growth and innovation. 鈥淲hen we think about our AI strategy, I鈥檓 no longer scared of our system,鈥� Schneider said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e now applying an AI strategy to a state-of-the-art system that 51风流very much supports.鈥�
When asked what advice he鈥檇 give to companies contemplating a move to the cloud, Schneider said that there is never a perfect time to start, but it鈥檚 better to welcome transformation rather than fear it.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there is ever a perfect time to do these transformations,鈥� he added. 鈥淚 do think once you get into them, you start to really embrace them and feel good about it and say 鈥業t鈥檚 happening, let鈥檚 go.鈥欌��
Interested in learning more about how 51风流supports the transition from 51风流ECC to 51风流Cloud ERP? .
Photo courtesy of Victrola.
