New Ontario Vinyl Plant Aims to Be 2nd Largest in North America

Precision Record Pressing plant expects to manufacture 4 million units in first year

A massive upswing in record sales has led to a new vinyl processing plant in Burlington, Ont. (CBC)

Southern Ontario is reaping the benefits of a worldwide vinyl resurgence, with a massive new record production plant set to open next month in Burlington, Ont.
The operation's new dulcet analog tones come courtesy of a partnership between Canadian music distributor Isotope Music Inc. and Czech vinyl manufacturer GZ.
But getting the new 20,000 sq. ft. Precision Record Pressing plant operational wasn't without obstacles, vice-president Gerry McGhee told CBC News.
McGhee had to scour the world to look for someone to sell him vinyl pressing machines � which is difficult when most processing plants are running at full capacity on 40-year-old machines, trying to keep up with an onslaught of demand for vinyl the world over.
"We definitely saw this vinyl resurgence," McGhee said. "But nobody would sell us any machines."
That led to the joint venture with GZ, which is one of the biggest vinyl companies in Europe, and also works with record companies Sony and Universal.

McGhee had to scour the world to look for someone to sell him vinyl pressing machines � which is difficult when most processing plants are running at full capacity on 40-year-old machines, trying to keep up with an onslaught of demand for vinyl the world over.

"We definitely saw this vinyl resurgence," McGhee said. "But nobody would sell us any machines."
That led to the joint venture with GZ, which is one of the biggest vinyl companies in Europe, and also works with record companies Sony and Universal.

At the industry's low point, GZ was pressing a mere 700,000 units a year, McGhee said.
After the Burlington plant begins operating, they expect to churn out four million units in the first year, with an expanded capacity set to hit 11 million units in phase two.

That would make the company the second largest vinyl plant in North America, McGhee said, and at its height, should employ 200 people.

Canadian record sales rose 30 per cent to 517,400 units sold last year, according to Nielsen Music data. LP sales in the U.S. hit a new record at 12 million units, marking the 10th straight year of vinyl sales growth. People are clamouring for records faster than they can be made.

"It never really went away," McGhee said. "A lot of it is the quality of the sound, and one of the biggest parts is the kids are getting into it."

On one end of the spectrum, you have people in their 40s and older recapturing the sounds of their youth, and spinning Led Zeppelin II on the medium for which it was originally intended.

On the other, there are young people buying their first turntables and embracing the tactile nature of having an LP in their hand, McGhee said. That combination accounts for the upswing in vinyl sales he says he has been noticing for the last three years.

There is no discounting the fact that digital music streaming is still the top of the industry heap. According to Nielsen, there were 25.66 billion music streams in Canada last year alone.

But vinyl has carved out its own niche among audiophiles the world over � and that's not changing, McGhee says.

"It's never going to completely disappear. It won't be what it was, but it won't disappear."

Carter, Adam. "New Ontario Vinyl Plant Aims to Be 2nd Largest in North America - Latest Hamilton News - CBC Hamilton." CBCnews. 2016. Accessed July 12, 2016. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/burlington-record-plant-1.3673610. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dropkick Murphys: 'We Aren�t Doctors, But We Can Play Music and Deliver a Message of HopeThrough Our Songs'

Image
Much of the band's latest music directly addresses the causes closest to them including the rampant opioid epidemic ravaging New England and the recent presidential election Dropkicks Murphys are a rare breed. Boston�s pride, the Celtic punk rockers are kicking off their third decade as a band, with their famous flame of passion showing no sign of dwindling to a flicker. It�s burning more fiercely than ever, frontman Al Barr and guitarist Tim Brennan tell me, as we slump into leather sofas surrounded by guitars in London�s Gibson Studios. It�s impossible to separate this six-piece from their fans, so much so that new song �Blood� from their upcoming ninth album 11 Short Stories of Pain and Glory is a homage to the mutual respect and dedication they share. Unlike many contemporary bands, the Dropkicks do not rely on radio airplay to get their music heard. They have shifted over four million albums globally, fan favorite � Rose Tattoo � has racked up over 24 million hit...
Read more

A&R Legend John Kalodner Talks Aerosmith and Why Rock Won't Reach the Masses Again

Image
Legendary A&R man John Kalodner, center, and a few friends. Courtesy John Kalodner A Whitesnake medallion is the only memento John Kalodner kept from his remarkable A&R career.  He keeps it in front of the desk and computer in his airy Hollywood Hills home, commemorating Whitesnake�s self-titled 1987 album, which featured the band�s epic pop-metal hits �Here I Go Again� and �Still of the Night.� It sold more than 8 million copies. Kalodner did A&R for it, which means he helped develop the band's sound and vision, as he also did for the post-rehab Aerosmith LPs that sold a bazillion copies during the 1980s and '90s. At one time or another, Kalodner also played a major role in the careers of AC/DC, Phil Collins, Cher, Bon Jovi, Peter Gabriel and even Jimmy Page.  During his own 30-plus year career in the music business, which began in Atlantic Records' publicity department in 1974, Kalodner was awarded a literal pile of platinum and gold records. Bu...
Read more

Rise Above: Will Donald Trump's America Trigger a Punk Protest Renaissance?

Image
The underground hardcore punk movement � led by the likes of Black Flag, MDC and Minor Threat � flourished during the height of Reagan�s presidency in the 80s. Composite: Getty Images & Malcolm Rivera Since the election, the Kominas have been getting the same curious request. The east coast punk band keeps being asked, by film-makers and documentarians, for a Donald Trump protest song. �People just assume we have an anti-Trump song already recorded,� says Basim Usmani, the group�s bassist. In the weeks preceding and following the election, musicians, fans and critics have discussed and debated the idea that Trump�s impending presidency could inspire a new movement of politically charged protest music. So it�s no surprise that the Kominas, a South Asian American band whose discography includes provocative statements like Sharia Law in the USA, would be called upon for a musical reaction to the president-elect. �It�s been hard to deal with,� says Usmani, whose band recentl...
Read more