Help Fund a New Vinyl Pressing Plant!

While “help fund a new vinyl pressing plant in the U.S.” might not be the sexiest of calls to action — you won’t be getting any VIP laminates or pizza parties with band members here — if you’re a vinyl collector, if you have any level of interest in the medium or even if just care about supporting the bands you love, you owe it yourself to read on.

Vinyl has become a major source of revenue for labels and bands alike over the past several years thanks to a resurgence in interest in the format. While more vinyl sales translate into an important income stream for bands, the vinyl manufacturing industry has been overwhelmed, leading to incredibly lengthy production times. With the bigger labels and acts able to leverage their massive numbers, it’s becoming common for independent bands to have no choice but to wait 8-10 months to have an album pressed. Some bands have been turning to production facilities overseas for a quicker turnaround, but that approach introduces a whole new set of issues: extra shipping costs, unpredictable shipping time, increased likelihood of damage while traveling, etc.

One music industry veteran is taking matters into his own hands. Jonny Dee, a former employee of Metal Blade Records (among others), is attempting to launch a facility that will serve as both a new vinyl pressing plant and independent label. Unsurprisingly, the equipment is very costly — he’s seeking $250k for the endeavor via GoFundMe — but if every independent band in the metal community threw in just $15 we’d be there in no time, and we’d have a plant that truly understand the needs of the metal community.

Here’s what Dee has to say about the effort, with a brief video posted below:

My vision is a music business wherein I open a state of the art record pressing plant in the US, and then funnel 25% of the proceeds into a double record label, with an imprint that releases rare, out of print, or previously unreleased recordings, alongside a label where the artist and label split profits evenly in an effort to foster higher quality albums, and keep musicians doing what they love and excel at, while promoting unproven and established acts alike, with the ability to provide tour support, and create a balanced pathway to a viable career as an artist.

The label and the artist are both supported by the pressing plant, hence the name Two Barnacles On a Battleship, LLC. …I have worked in the industry almost my entire adult life, and prior to that, I sold records… This is my passion, and the culmination of everything I have done. I have always loved audiophile quality releases, and I appreciate the aesthetic possibilities of having a state of the art press, where I can do every color and combination of colors imaginable, and I look forward to introducing the music world to many that have never been done before.

This business does not just benefit me, a pressing plant would alleviate the long waits, and overseas shipping costs etc. which currently have a stranglehold on labels ability to project vinyl release dates, and more importantly, it hinders independent artists and bands from releasing their own material in a reasonable amount of time. I think this company offers something desperately needed to labels, and even moreso to independent artists trying to get an LP pressed at plants that are prioritizing majors. I have truly found a way to help everybody in the industry by doing exactly what I love.

You can contribute to the cause here.