 |
| Pirates Press and GZ Media Unveil Brand New Vinyl Record Pressing Machine |
Getting vinyl records made can be a game called, hurry up and wait. When we are producing vinyl records we do our best to keep bands, fans and customers all up to date on when an exact arrival time might be and it can be quite daunting. Crazy to think, but at one time the exact color we were needing was out of stock far and wide and red vinyl was on hold until more pellets could be produced. Another time, we got so far behind as the manufacturer put our project behind another larger one, causing a full month delay.
The headaches can go on and on as vinyl records are a tedious process, so it is great news to hear about Pirates Press doubling down and further developing their production process. We can thank them for the stupendous work on our picture disc on the GG Allin / Antiseen record. They are great to work with and have very competitive pricing.
"San Francisco-based independent vinyl manufacturer PIRATES PRESS and Czech-based GZ MEDIA
are proud to announce the creation and successful implementation of a
brand new vinyl pressing machine - the first made in 30 years. This
brand new press, the first of many to be created, will steadily increase
production capacity and decrease what are already the vinyl industry's
quickest production times.
"While
other companies chose to invest in other mediums, or just cruise
through the peaks and valleys of vinyl's last 20 years, GZ Media has
continued to invest in the FUTURE of vinyl. Rather than blindly basing
our decision of where to make our vinyl on price, or whether it's made
in the USA or not, we choose to make our vinyl with people who have
stood behind vinyl since 1951, and invested in it's future throughout
even it's darkest days. We have ultimate respect for the people and
unique knowledge base that those people possess, and the passion and
pride with which they come to work with every day. Even when vinyl
wasn't popular, the pressing ladies at GZ felt themselves artists.
Almost all of our records remain hand-pressed as well - not brought
step-to-step by suction cups, but pressed by people," says Eric Mueller,
owner of Pirates Press.
In
2014, Pirates Press has manufactured well over 2.5 million records and
hopes to double that number in 2015. Moreso, both Pirates Press and GZ
aim to achieve these goals while maintaining the same level of service
that customers have come to expect, and even faster turnaround times
without sacrificing a quality product.
"Now
it´s going to change," says Michal Sterba, CEO of GZ Media. "In the
last two years we have seen 30-40% annual growth of demand for vinyl
records. This year we have sold 100% of our production capacities. The
development of this new press will allow us nearly double our production
capacity in 2015." With 14 million records produced in 2014 GZ Media is
the largest manufacturer of vinyl records in the world.
"Although
our reach has spread into Europe and beyond, we are officially GZ's
North American partners. Working with them for over 10 years, we've
established such a strong production and customer service team -
absolutely the easiest way for small and mid-level clients to get their
vinyl pressed, regardless of their expertise. And our systems allow huge
labels to shine as well," says Mueller.
Pirates
Press' first-hand insight and experience in the industry is
unparalleled. Even during the darkest days of vinyl, GZ thrived, and
always held vinyl sacred. Using the unique and superior Direct Metal
Mastering (DMM) [http://piratespress.com/cms/
It's
no secret that the resurgence of vinyl is much more than a flash in the
pan. According to a midyear report from the RIAA, vinyl sales were up
43% and the organization predicts more than 8 million scanned units will
be sold through the year. This does not include the multitude of
independent labels that do not submit their sales to Nielsen Soundscan,
which could account for hundreds of thousands if not millions more in
vinyl sales."
