Manufactured Vinyl Records
These albums have not only stood the test of time but have influenced generations of musicians and music lovers. They are all examples of groundbreaking music and exceptional artistry, and these releases continue to be highly sought-after by collectors and enthusiasts alike.
Every year during the lead up to Record Store Day I read about a lot of disgruntled record labels using various pressing plants around the world or other broker companies that are experiencing huge delays.
We are proud to announce that have had our first birthday!
Daphne & Celeste make a come back with ‘You & I Alone’ produced by Max Tundra. The track marks the first release for the ‘Ooh Stick You’ singers in 15 years. The 7″ release has been manufactured by Well Tempered and pressed on transparent yellow vinyl along with a 4-lug knock out centre. You can read more about the knock out centre here. “It would have been easier to pick someone really respected like Charlotte Gainsbourg … but this was…
Although most of you are still thinking about your Christmas and early 2015 schedule, it is wise to start planning your Record Store Day – RSD2015 release for 2015. For those of you not planning on releasing a record for RSD2015 you should bare in mind that manufacturing times during this period become longer. Record Store Day 2015 will take place on April 18th and finished product will need to be with your distributor ideally last week in March. To ensure…
Here at Well Tempered we work with the three best pressing plants in Europe to ensure that your records are pressed to schedule and cost, and also of optimum quality. The standard turnaround time from all three suppliers is seven weeks from receipt of lacquers – this is industry standard. We hear that a lot of artists and labels elsewhere are getting frustrated with production times of up to twelve weeks. This should not be the case, there is simply…
For many new record labels starting out there are three main choices for vinyl manufacturing. A label may wish to handle the manufacturing themselves, or they may wish to use a broker such as Well Tempered. Though for most records labels the most attractive option is a P&D (press & distribution) deal offered by their distribution partner. There are a few distributors still offering P&D deals, though it may be required that they manufacture a few releases themselves first, and the sales generated be…
In the run up to Christmas the pressing plants will get very busy with orders from the major record labels with their Beatles reissues and Metallica box sets. It is important to plan your release schedule properly and make sure your December releases don’t end up materialising in 2015. At Well Tempered we work towards our standard production time of seven weeks from receipt of lacquers, with your test pressings being delivered three weeks into that seven week cycle….
Here at Well Tempered we always advise on checking your test pressings thoroughly before the finished run of artwork copies is pressed. When Approving Test Pressings you are approving the work that the cutting engineer has done, and also the galvanic process at the plant. But what exactly are you checking for? Years ago an acetate would be cut by the engineer at the time of mastering, so the artist would be able to check the test press against this….
According to The Independent, “Manufacturers are struggling to keep up with the resurgence in vinyl records” In other words, the vinyl manufacturing industry is having serious difficulty keeping up with demand. I’m not sure that the plant owners would agree with The Independent that the machinery they are using is old and creaky, but the message is sound – lead times are increasing, and this is kicking down the supply chain and hitting the labels. What used to be a four…