Jack White sees vinyl as a viable business venture.
Jack White’s Third Man Records announced that the label will open a new pressing plant in Detroit. Dubbed Third Man Pressing, the state-of-the-art vinyl production facility will open in Detroit’s historic Cass Corridor neighborhood.
Third Man Records will be the first label to operate “brand new” and “environmentally efficient” pressing. The label will minimize water waste from the record curing process in the air conditioning system. Thus, Third Man Pressing will create the only fully climate-controlled processing plant work environment in the entire world. Furthermore, to avoid noise pollution, the plant features precisely engineered sound containment.
In addition, Jack White’s pressing plant will operate eight of the first newly constructed presses built in 35 years. It’ll also include four extruders along with four hydraulic generators, all of which are brand new. These presses accommodate for 12” LPs and 7” singles, according to demand. The plant estimates 5,000 records pressed per an 8-hour shift. The press release also estimates a current cycle time of approximately 45 seconds per record. Additional features include:
All new, state-of-the-art pressing machinery and purpose-built manufacturing infrastructure
Closed-loop, chilled-water system that maximizes water sustainability
Four high-efficiency hydraulic systems isolated in a dedicated, contained room
Digital touch screen controls for temperature, hydraulic compression, and extrusion speed
Engineered sound containment for minimal external noise pollution
Built by audio and studio fabrication experts responsible for some of the most-lauded recording studios in the world
Capacity estimated at 5000 records per 8 hour shift, with a current cycle time of approximately 45 seconds per record
Competitive turnaround times
Mural by Cass Corridor artist Robert Sestok
The pressing plant invites the public to partake in opening day festivities on February 25. The Third Man Records Cass Corridor Storefront will feature live music, exclusive merchandise, and the following commercially available records:
The White Stripes — The White Stripes
The White Stripes — De Stijl
The Black Hole LP
Detroit Gospel Reissue Project
Jack White’s move may fall in line with current industry trends. Just last week, an exclusive report shared with DMN underscored booming vinyl record sales. In 2017, the vinyl industry will reach the $800-900 million mark. In addition, British industry group BPI data shows that vinyl sales increased 53% in the UK last year. BuzzAngle Music’s report fall close in line, as sales increased 25.9% last year as consumers purchased 7.2 million units. As demand for vinyl records surge in the Caribbean, Tuff Gong Records will once again press new vinyls. Furthermore, George Harrison’s family recently announced that fans of the late artist can preorder his entire vinyl collection.
Now he should work on making more interesting music. Not saying he’s terrible, but he isn’t really great either.