Right before Record Store Day 2014, I wrote about a growing conflict between indie and major labels. A growing number of indie labels claim that major labels are taking over vinyl pressing plants, making the business a lot more difficult. Now, at least one company is responding to the increased demand for vinyl.
Nashville-based United Record Pressing was founded in 1949 and is the largest pressing plant in the United States. They pressed the first Beatles 7″ in the U.S. Recently, they pressed Jack White’s “fastest record in the world“.
The company’s director of marketing, Jay Millar, told The Tennessean that United has six presses running 24 hours a day, six days a week. Even so, they still can’t keep up with demand.
Last year United Record Pressing’s CEO said they hoped to increase production by 30 percent in 2014. Now the company is expanding to a second building in Nashville. They paid over $5 million for a 142,000 square foot warehouse.
Nina Ulloa covers breaking news, tech, and more. She started and runs the music blog West Coast Fix. Follow her on Twitter: @nine_u
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where did United source the presses? are they new? used?
All of them will be bought used from other plants that go under. These pressing machines aren’t made any more so United buys up all the old ones.
ugh, united
Jack White continues to reinvent vinyl. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-8B-_Jq2ro&feature=youtu.be
Here’s a challenge for the 3-D printer folk!
There is a 3d printer program that does this, takes an MP3 or WAVE file and creates a 3d printable file to be played on a turntable. i hear the sound quality is very bad though. and i’d imagine it can only do 1-sided records.
Shame it’s not that has better pressing quality. My pressings from United suck.
Shame it’s not a *record plant* that has better pressing quality…
Never mind more presses, how about teaching your operators how to centre the stampers properly? I have SO MANY hideously off-centre records pressed at United. SORT IT OUT!
Maybe some day the old guys will wake up and show some of the young ones the bizz…Some times plating can go asquuuu..lol…It’s a big process to those that don’t understand it…Yes there no more of the presses made…The uk presses a lot of records..
If you’re Jack White, you get quality control at United. Everyone else is f@cked. The worst pressings.
Totally agree with the last three comments, URP is who I expect to see “u” in the deadwax if I put on a new album and it’s either a) horribly noisy or b) off centered. Alice In Chains, Dave Matthews Band, Soundgarden, no-one is immune. (except Jack White)