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november 6-7 2017 | the westin book cadillac | #makingvinyl #makingvinyl2017 #makingvinyldetroit SERVING INDEPENDENT MUSICIANS and RECORD LABELS since 1996

CD/ DVD/ VINYL MANUFACTURING

www.COPYCATSMEDIA.com a division of The ADS Group 3 Contents

04 WELCOME FROM BRYAN AND LARRY 07 SPECIAL THANKS TO… 08 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 10 - 15 KEYNOTERS: JACK WHITE, DARRYL (“DMC”) McDANIELS, MICHAEL KURTZ 16 FACTS & FIGURES 18 THINGS TO DO IN DETROIT 20 SPEAKER BIOS 33 THE ALEX AWARDS FINALISTS 34 ABOUT ALEX STEINWEISS & THE ALEX AWARDS 37 PERFORMER ARUM RAE 38 FEATURE: ANATOMY OF A DELUXE REISSUE — MURRAY HEAD’S NIGEL LIVED SERVING INDEPENDENT MUSICIANS 40 FEATURE: SUNPRESS VINYL CONTINUES REGGAE PRESSING LEGACY and RECORD LABELS since 1996 43 NOTABLE BOOK: ‘VINYL . ALBUM . COVER . ART’ CD/ DVD/ VINYL MANUFACTURING 44 GLOSSARY OF VINYL TERMS www.COPYCATSMEDIA.com a division of The ADS Group 4

MAKING VINYL DETROIT 2017 Produced by Colonial Purchasing Co-Op LLC Bryan Ekus President & Executive Producer of ‘Making Vinyl’ Larry Jaffee Conference Director Aaron Eaddy Bryan Ekus, President & Executive Producer Webmaster Steve Sheldon, Michael Kurtz Conference Advisors Anna DePagter Conference Design Bryan Ekus, Lucy Wykes Sponsorship Sales Larry Jaffee Program Guide Editor Darren Stacey Program Guide Designer Anna DePagter, David Hill Social Media

Larry Jaffee, Conference Director 5

WELCOME TO MAKING VINYL By Bryan Ekus, President & Executive Producer and Larry JaffeeConference Director

You can’t make this stuff up. manufacturers to the plater/stamper makers and lathe cutters to the labels and indie retailers – Home entertainment format gets quickly replaced who perhaps didn’t have the opportunity to meet by supposed advanced technologies in fast each other in person previously. succession (i.e., Compact Disc, digital downloads, and streaming), only to re-emerge as a deluxe We’ve gathered in this great music city of Detroit – product that consumers are willing today to pay the culture that produced MOTOWN and its stellar twice as much for a newly pressed vinyl record artist roster in the 1960s, as well as everyone than they did for a CD!?! from John Lee Hooker, Bob Seger and Iggy & The Stooges to Madonna, Eminem and The White Yes, that sums up vinyl’s comeback, although it Stripes – to celebrate the rebirth of the global doesn’t acknowledge that it never really went record manufacturing. away, thanks to old-school DJs spinning dance records, purists with their thousand-dollar-plus We especially thank Day 2 Keynoter Darryl stereos catered to by a handful of audiophile (“DMC”) McDaniels and Karl Groeger’s help labels, and flea-market crate diggers looking in securing the rap legend, as well as Fellow for collectibles. One person’s trash is another’s Keynoter/Detroit Favorite Son Jack White for treasure, indeed. opening up his spanking new Third Man Pressing to all Making Vinyl delegates, and especially Nor does all the commercial activity surrounding TMP’s Ben Blackwell and Roe Peterhans for vinyl – a $1 billion global business, estimates helping us figure out the logistics, and making Deloitte – give enough credit to the dozen or available other TMP staff for the panel sessions. so pressing plants around the world that never You guys are the best! quite gave up manufacturing records with their antiquated equipment. It takes a village to mount a first-time event like this one (see thank you’s on page 38), but we’d be But Vinyl 2.0 is not your father’s record business. remiss not to acknowledge Rainbo Records and New machinery and materials suppliers have Colonial Purchasing Co-op board member Steve perfected nearly century-old processes with Sheldon for his guidance and encouragement higher yields, sustainability and better-sounding in getting the ball rolling, as well as Opening records! Keynoter Michael Kurtz and Carrie Colliton for It’s no wonder that for the past two months since coming up with Record Store Day. Without RSD, the conference began taking registrations, a week you probably wouldn’t be reading this Making didn’t go by that we learned of a new pressing Vinyl program guide. plant already operational or soon to be online. We’re already planning future editions of this Making Vinyl is bringing together the great event. We have no doubt this fascinating industry minds all along the vinyl value chain – from the is only getting started. pressing plants to the mastering facilities and PVC 6 cdbb-making-vinyl-ad-2017-half-page-FINAL.pdf 1 10/20/17 1:04 PM

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F R E E F O R I P H O N E A N D A N D R O I D On the fly or before you fly. 100,000 users have found 3,500 record stores in 45 countries with The Vinyl District Record Store Locator app—the planet’s largest database of existing record shops right in your pocket.

thevinyldistrict.com 7 SPECIAL THANKS… The inaugural Making Vinyl would not have been possible without the help from…

Steve Sheldon Jack White Ben Blackwell Roe Peterhans Darryl “DMC” McDaniels Produced By Conference Partner Hometown Sponsor Connie Comeau Anna Depater Brandon Chrzanowski Michael Kurtz Carrie Colliton Karl Groeger Michael Hosp Diamond Sponsor Platinum Sponsor Gold Sponsor Gold Sponsor Frank Hartwig Pat Reagan William (Tony) Van Veen Sylvia Doolittle David Hill Silver Sponsor Silver Sponsor Silver Sponsor Lucy Wykes Lyndsey Nice Darren Stacey Aaron Eaddy Doug Coombe Bronze Sponsor Bronze Sponsor Bronze Sponsor Bronze Sponsor Adam Stanfel

Patrick Ferrell FULFILLMENT SERVICES Stefan Bucher Arum Rae Association Partner Association Partner Craig Braun Nicole Pereira Spencer Drate Sean Mosher Smith Judith Salavetz Media Partner Media Partner Media Partner Media Partner Gail Marowitz Sylvia Reed [Rodrigo] Salomon Arts Gallery Diego Ponce Additional Sponsors Bill Kelly Cindy Ekus The City of Detroit The Westin Book Cadillac The MEDIA-TECH Association Members of Colonial Purchasing All of our sponsors & speakers 8 MAKING VINYL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

DAY 1 – MORNING SESSION DAY 1 – AFTERNOON SESSION 8:00 am 12:30 pm – 1:45 pm Registration opens LUNCH BREAK 9:00 am - 9:10 am 1:45 pm -2:45 pm Welcome: Bryan Ekus & Larry Jaffee, Program Chair Presentations: New Machinery and Materials Suppliers 9:10 am - 9:30 am No longer must vinyl manufacturers comb eBay for Opening Keynote scrap parts to get antiquated lines operating, thanks Speaker: Michael Kurtz, Record Store Day Co-Founder new suppliers of state-of-the-art, more efficient on 10 Years of Double-Digit Growth equipment. What started as a lark ended up being one of the most Moderator: Brandon Chrzanowski,Third Man Pressing / fascinating rebirths in the history of business. Speakers: Chad Brown, Viryl Technologies / Pierre-Henri 9:30 am - 9:50 am Constant, RESINOPLAST / Per-Olof Ragnerius, Pheenix The LP’s Return Is Real: By the Numbers Alpha AB / Alex Greenspan. Digital Matrix Systems Vinyl’s resurgence is much greater than what the 2:45pm - 3:45 pm mainstream media reports. Panel: The Audiophile Vinyl Workflow Market analyses by Chris Muratore, BuzzAngle/Border Audiophiles never abandoned vinyl. Trace the City Media and Chad Dahlstrom, Discogs.com production cycle of a state-of-the-art release from 9:50 am - 10:50 am the perspectives of a label, analog tape archivist, Panel: Why We Never Gave Up on Vinyl mastering engineer, and a pressing plant that Leading global vinyl manufacturers explain they specializes in audiophile cutting. never gave up hope on making records, and how the Moderator: Michael Fremer, Analog Planet / Speakers: Greg Parkin, Iron Mountain / Mark Piro, Analog Planet business has changed compared to the old days. / Ryan Smith, Sterling Sound / Don MacInnis, Record Moderator: Randy Cholewa,Third Man Pressing / Technology Inc. Speakers: Don MacInnis, Record Technology Inc. / Steve Sheldon, Rainbo Records / Peter Runge, Optimal Media / 3:45 pm - 4:05 pm Alban Pingoet, MPO / Michal Štěrba, GZ Vinyl AFTERNOON COFFEE BREAK 10:50 am - 11:20 am 4:05 pm - 5:00 pm NETWORKING BREAK Panel: Packaging Makes Music Sound Better 11:20 am-12:20 pm One of the reasons vinyl returned is its 12” x 12” canvas. Art directors and packaging suppliers discuss Panel: What It Takes to Set Up a New Vinyl Plant Newly opened vinyl manufacturers trade notes on why album aesthetics, creativity and eye-catching printing they recently took the plunge of starting a pressing and paper. Moderator: Gail Marowitz, The Visual Strategist / plant from scratch and what they learned along the Speakers: Jack Stoughton, Jr , Stoughton Printing / way. Ross-Ellis Printing, Inc., Nina Palmer / Dorado Music Moderator: Donny Eastland, RecordPressingMachines. Packaging, Jennifer Freund / 344 Design, Stefan com / Speakers: Noble Musa, Microforum Vinyl Record Bucher Pressing / Gary Salstrom, Quality Record Pressings / Mark Rainey, Cascade Record Pressing / Brandon Seavers, 5:00 pm - 5:20pm Memphis Record Pressing / Patrick George, Third Man Keynote: Jack White, Founder of Third Man Records Pressing / Dan Yashiv, SunPress Vinyl / Eric Astor, Furnace and Third Man Pressing Mfg. 6:00 pm COCKTAIL NETWORKING HOUR 7:00 pm ALEX AWARDS Last presented in 2006, the “Alex Awards” are in honor of Alex Steinweiss, who commercialized the concept of album graphics in 1939 for Columbia Records. Hosted by actor Craig Braun, also a Grammy-winning album designer. Awards ceremony to 9 pm. 9 MAKING VINYL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

DAY 2 – ALL SESSIONS 8:30 am - 8:50 am 11:00 am - 11:45 am Morning Keynote: Darryl “DMC” McDaniels Panel: Big & Small Labels Talk Vinyl Co-founder of the legendary 1980s rap group RUN- The resurgence of vinyl records caught major labels by DMC explains how important vinyl has been to his surprise, but now they’re behind it fully with releasing career. newly recorded albums on LP, as well as sprucing up back catalogs. Indie labels fueled the growth. 8:50 am - 9:35 am Moderator: Karl Groeger, Brookvale Records / Billy Fields, Panel: The Fine Art of Mastering & Lathe Cutting WEA / Andrew Rossiter, Org Music / Bob Irwin, Sundazed Learn why a great-sounding vinyl record “sounds Music / Sabine-Lydia Schmidt,Unbreakmyheart / Ben warmer” from the skilled artisans, who know how to cut Blackwell,Third Man Records a master plate with a lathe. Moderator: Eric Bloulanger, The Bakery / Speakers: Matt 11:45 am - 12:15 pm Earley, Gotta Groove Records / Ryan Smith, Sterling Presentations: Vinyl 2.0 Innovations Sound / Adam Gonsalves,Telegraph Mastering / Michael The fundamental processes of making records Dixon, Mobile Vinyl Recorders / Chris Mara, Welcome to hasn’t changed that much since the 1950s, but 1979 Studios new technologies such as more environment- 9:35 am - 10:20 am friendly materials to press discs usher in digital age considerations. Panel: What’s Happening at Retail Moderators: David Hill, Tapematic / Qrates, Taishi With the collapse of the brick-and-mortar CD market, Fukuyama / PT&S/Symcon, Harm Theunisse / Rebeat independent record stores are more important than Digital, Günter Loibl ever. Hear from them how vinyl has saved their businesses. 12:15 pm - 1:00 pm Moderator: Michael Bunnell, Coalition of Independent Closing Panel: Where Do We Go from Here Music Stores / Speakers: Karl Groeger, Looney Tunes Summing up the conference, this session features a / Andrea Paschal, ThinkIndie Distribution / Lisa Foster, cross-section of industry leaders who will discuss the Guestroom Records, / Carrie Colliton, Record Store Day / market’s future. Chad Dahlstrom, Discogs Moderator: Bryan Ekus, Colonial Purchasing Co-Op & 10:20 am - 11:00 am Making Vinyl / Michael Kurtz, Record Store Day / James Donio, Music Business Association / Matt Earley, Gotta MORNING COFFEE BREAK Groove / Jeffrey Smith, Discogs / Lisa Hresko, American Association of Independent Music 1:00 pm Conference End 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm Lunch on your on in the Cass Corridor Neighborhood (buses leave from Cadillac Westin) 2:00 pm Third Man Pressing Tour 10

DAY ONE KEYNOTER JACK WHITE

There’s no bigger champion of vinyl than Jack White, whose Third Man Pressing is ‘Making Vinyl’s’ hometown sponsor.

All delegates will be given the Grammy Awards and 35 career at the world, other people, art, opportunity to tour the new vinyl nominations. and ultimately, themselves.” factory, which opened this past Jack’s achievements extend “There seems to be no limit to February. far beyond music. His White Jack’s pioneering creativity and “Jack White is the perfect Stripes song, “We’re Going To unbridled passion,” recently keynoter for ‘Making Vinyl’ Be Friends,” has inspired a new commented Neil Portnow, because he knows first-hand children’s book, published by President/CEO of The Recording what it takes to set up a new vinyl Third Man Books, of the same Academy, whose Producers & factory,” commented Bryan Ekus, name. Engineers Wing honored White president of Colonial Purchasing at the Grammy’s in January. “It’s As the 2013 ambassador of Co-op, the producer of Making with great pride that we honor Record Store Day (a sponsor Vinyl. such a talent who is committed of ‘Making Vinyl’), Jack to working diligently to ensure Third Man Pressing is the latest explained, “We need to re- that the quality and integrity of piece of White’s vertically educate ourselves about human recorded music are captured and integrated music-making empire. interaction and the difference preserved,” Portnow added. He’s ushered in such “nothing- between downloading a track on can-stop-us” innovations as a computer and talking to other Jack debuted with The White the “fastest record ever made” people in person and getting Stripes in 1997. Their album (Record Store Day 2014) to turned onto music that you can Elephant in 2003, produced the shooting a playing phonograph hold in your hands and share hit “Seven Nation Army,” which into space for Third Man Records’ with others. The size, shape, has arguably become among the 7th anniversary in July 2016. The smell, texture and sound of a vinyl most popular chants in sports record? TMR’s 45-rpm single record; how do you explain to stadiums around the world. release of Carl Sagan’s “A that teenager who doesn’t know Glorious Dawn.” In 2009, White opened the doors that it’s a more beautiful musical to his own Nashville-based label, Always achieving new levels of experience than a mouse click? … Third Man Records, which has vinyl manufacturing ingenuity, You put the record in their hands. released more than 300 records, White’s solo album Lazaretto – You make them drop the needle with a catalogue from artists the biggest selling vinyl album on the platter. Then they’ll know. as varied as Jerry Lee Lewis of 2014, at various places on Let’s wake each other up … As to Stephen Colbert and wildly the record played at 33, 45 and Record Store Day Ambassador of innovative vinyl configurations, 78-rpm, among other astounding 2013 I’m proud to help in any way including the GRAMMY- features. I can to invigorate whoever will winning Rise & Fall of Paramount Jack is also a member of The listen with the idea that there is Records Volumes 1 & 2 box sets. White Stripes, The Raconteurs, beauty and romance in the act of and The Dead Weather, in visiting a record shop and getting Third Man Records has pressed addition to his vibrant solo career. turned on to something new that 3.5 million vinyl units since its His talents have garnered 12 could change the way they look inception in 2009.  DAVID JAMES SWANSON “The size, shape, smell, “The size, shape, smell, a vinyl record; how a vinylrecord;how teenager who doesn’t teenager whodoesn’t texture andsoundof experience thana do youexplain tothat mouse click” beautiful musical know thatit’s amore 11 12

“From the first rap group to grace the cover of Rolling Stone magazine to the first to appear on MTV… It would be hard to overstate his influence on popular culture.” 13

DAY TWO KEYNOTER DARRYL “DMC” MCDANIELS

Innovator, Motivator, Philanthropist, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels changed music and made history when he broke down cultural barriers 30 years ago with his legendary band Run- DMC. Thirty-five million record sales later he continues to inspire & impact the world…

Darryl “DMC” McDaniels is a as a youth. The company’s first full- children who are growing in the legendary music icon, who first length graphic novel hit stores in foster care system. impacted the world more than 30 October 2014 and has since followed www.thefelixorganization.org years ago. From the first rap group up with a new release annually. When DMC is not in the studio to grace the cover of Rolling Stone www.dmc-comics.com recording he’s on the road with his magazine to the first to appear on Darryl is also the co-author of two rock band performing around the MTV, Grammy-nominated Run-DMC critically acclaimed books: his recent globe, including sold-out shows changed music, culture, fashion, memoir entitled, Ten Ways Not to across the U.S., Europe, Hong Kong language and made American Commit Suicide (2016/Harpers/ and Bahrain and elsewhere. history. It would be hard to overstate Amistad), and an autobiography King his influence on popular culture. In between his work as a musical of Rock: Respect, Responsibility and artist and producer, published author Thirty-five million record sales later, My Life with Run-DMC (2001, Thomas and speaker, or his work with his and more than 10 years after the Dunne Books/St. Martins). nonprofit, McDaniels has been untimely death of his bandmate Jam Musically, DMC’s recently released invited around the globe to address Master Jay, DMC still continues to single “Flames” takes on the apropos various youth groups on respect, create, inspire and motivate. In fact, topic of gun violence. His award- responsibility and self-awareness, McDaniels’s new release, an EP, winning solo album Checks, Thugs including an invitation to the White Back From the Dead: The Legend & Rock and Roll, produced the hit House by President Obama. Lives, gets released next month single “Just like Me” featuring Sarah Black Friday as a Record Store Day Darryl has also appeared before McLachlan, a song DMC wrote after exclusive from Brookvale Records. Congress and various State discovering he was adopted, that legislatures in support of adoptees In 2009, as a member of Run- spoke to his new revelation and and foster children, worked with First DMC, he was inducted into the began his journey down another life Lady Michelle Obama on part of her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and path, in search of his birth mother. “Get Fit” Campaign, was a featured in 2016 he received a Grammy While his search struggle was speaker at the 2016 Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award from captured in the 2007 Emmy-Winning Forum #Young Minds Matter event the Recording Academy given VH1 documentary DMC: My Adoption on Mental Health, and a featured to “performers who, during their Journey, the process gave DMC speaker at the 2017 SXSW Music lifetimes, have made creative tremendous insight and purpose, Festival to name a few. contributions of outstanding artistic prompting him to become an significance to the field of recording.” advocate for adoption and children in foster care. In 2014 he launched a comic book company called Darryl Makes In 2006 he co-founded the Felix Comics, a new journey that helps Organization with Sheila Jaffe – a bridge the gap between the nonprofit that works to provide worlds of hip-hop and the fantastic inspiring opportunities and new adventures he got wrapped up in experiences to enrich the lives of 14 15

OPENING KEYNOTER MICHAEL KURTZ

Michael Kurtz is the co-founder of “Record Store Day,” conceived in 2007 at a gathering of independent record store owners as a way to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding nearly 1,400 independently owned record stores in the U.S. and thousands of similar stores internationally.

The first Record Store Day was In 2013, Michael Kurtz was given In 2014, Michael Kurtz was given launched with Metallica on April 19, the honor of “Chavalie De L’Ordre the Independent Spirit Award by 2008 and has presided over ten Des Arts Et Des Lettres” by the the National Association of Retail straight years of epic growth in vinyl French Ministry of Culture. The Merchandisers for his work with and turntable sales. Today there are receipt of this honor is the equivalent Record Store Day, and in 2015 Record Store Day participating stores of being knighted and was an Michael Kurtz was given a Libby on every continent except Antarctica, acknowledgment of contributions to Award by the American Association and it is the largest music event in music culture worldwide. of Independent Music (A2IM) for terms of worldwide participation in being the best ally of independent history. record labels.

In addition to co-founding Record Store Day, Michael Kurtz serves as the President of The Department of Record Stores (The DORS), the “The timing for Making Vinyl is largest coalition of independent perfect as new pressing plants record stores in North America. As President, Michael works are springing up all over the U.S. with a board of dynamic record storeowners, artist managers, iconic and around the world to meet brands, as well as record labels the demand," notes Michael and music and film distributors. The DORS has 72 storefronts in the USA. Kurtz, co-founder of Record Store Day, which in April celebrated its 10th consecutive year of double- digit growth. “New vinyl factories going into production will help reduce the backlogs of orders, as independent record stores and labels have experienced in recent years,” Kurtz adds. 16

VINYL FORECASTS FACTS & FIGURES

The $1 Billion Global Comeback Source: Deloitte Global Deloitte predicts that vinyl in 2017 will approach $1 billion in sales

Mostly from new records, but also from used discs and record players It will generate 15% globally of ALL 6% physical of ALL recorded music sales music revenues 17

How new vinyl prices have changed Data from How to Make & Sell Your Own Recording (1992)

DISTRIBUTOR WHOLESALE PRICE STORE WHOLESALE PRICE RETAIL LIST PRICE

LP or Cassette $3.75 - $4.49 $5.38 - $5.83 $8.98 $4.00 - $5.48 $5.98 - $6.48 $9.98 Compact Disc $8.35 - $10.00 $11.15 - $11.75 $15.98 $8.80 - $10.75 $11.80 - $12.50 $16.98 LP in 2017* $13 - $17 $15 - $19 $24 - $29

* based on anecdotal reports Most Popular Formats Year-over-year comparison of the most popular 14% formats sold in the Discogs Marketplace. 2017 2016 % CHANGE VINYL ALBUM SALES 14% UP on Record Store Day VINYL 3,617,192 3,222,618 13.92 % 2017 at Independent Music 841,368 682,760 23.23 % Stores compared to Record CD Store Day 2016 CASSETTE 72,077 60,070 19.99 % Source: Buzzangle/Border City Media 2017 Music U.S. Mid-Year Report TOTAL 4,584,637 3,965,448 15.61 %

Most popular Catalog* vs New Year-over-year figures for Catalog and New Release Sales sold in the Discogs Marketplace. Vinyl Album Sales were up 2017 2016 % CHANGE 20.4% over 2016 YTD while CD album sales were down 3.9%. CATALOG 670,592 599,220 11.91% Vinyl Album sales accounted NEW 90,453 40,415 123.81% for 4.9% of all physical sales, * Catalog sales (releases 18-month and older) have increased up from 3.5% in 2016 YTD (+11.91%) over last year, but New Release sales have really broken Source: Buzzangle/Border City Media the mold with an astounding increase over 2016 (+123.81%) 2017 Music U.S. Mid-Year Report 18 THINGS TO CHECK OUT NEAR THE HOTEL…

INEXPENSIVE RECORD SHOPS MUSIC EXPERIENCE

PEOPLES RECORDS EAST NORTHERN LIGHTS LOUNGE 1464 Gratiot Ave HELLO RECORDS 600 W Baltimore St Detroit. MI 48207 1459 Bagley Detroit, MI 48202 313-831-0864 Detroit, MI 48216 http://northernlightslounge.com/ Monday-Saturday: 11am-7pm (313) 300-5654 Tuesday night at 8PM Funk Brother Sunday: 11am-4pm 11 to 6 Tues through Saturday guitarist Dennis Coffey play for free! www.peoplesdetroit.com and 12 to 4 on Sunday www.hellorecordsdetroit.com

MUSIC MUSEUMS

MOTOWN MUSEUM DETROIT’S TECHNO MUSEUM 2648 West Grand Boulevard Submerge Detroit, MI 48202 3000 East Grand Blvd 313 875 2264 Detroit, MI 48202-3134 Tuesday – Saturday 10am -6pm USA Sunday and Monday Closed Appointments must be made during www.motownmuseum.org regular business hours. Please contact [email protected]

YOU’VE GOTTEN EVERYTHING DONE SO FAR. MUSIC recorded. Mastered. Test Pressings made – you’ve made the best choices all along the way, now comes the time for your packaging. Whether you are issuing a new release, or re-issuing a classic from another era – getting the package correct is just as important as everything you have done so far. So why choose Stoughton Printing Company? Is it our flagship Old Style® jackets available in single style or gatefold jackets – our slipcase style or box sets? Is it that we combine the latest in computer software and computer press controls with old world craftsmanship? What separates us and our products from the pack? It is our people. We take pride in what we do, we take pride in your project – we make it our own project. We are all music fans as well. The true artisans are our Old Style® machine operators, like Maria pictured above. Carefully and skillfully hand-tipping your Old Style® jacket in position. Through this process, we see every single jacket one at a time. There are automated ways to do this, but there is only one way to do it the way jackets were originally done – the Old Style® process. We’ve been at it for 50+ years now – making some of the finest record jackets ever produced. Isn’t that what your project deserves as well?

Old Style®, Old Style Tip-On Jackets® and Old Style Gatefold Jackets® are Registered Trademarks of Stoughton Printing Co. 21

MAKING VINYL SPEAKER BIOS

Featuring the reborn record industry’s brightest minds.

ERIC ASTOR has three decades on a couch in Nashville, Tennessee, mastering engineer Doug Sax, with of experience running record labels, while his frustrated wife Malissa whom he worked at Doug’s The distribution companies, and as a wonders why he won’t just go to bed. Mastering Lab and in 2009, designed touring musician. He founded Furnace and built its Ojai vinyl mastering room. Record Pressing in 1996 with the CRAIG BRAUN, host of the Alex mission of providing high quality, Awards, has been a professional CHAD BROWN entered the world customer focused record pressing actor on stage, film and television of vinyl manufacturing in 2001 as services to independent artists and since taking early retirement from the the owner of greater Toronto-area YOU’VE GOTTEN EVERYTHING DONE SO FAR. MUSIC labels. Furnace is currently busy Warner Music Group in 2001, where pressing plant, ACME Vinyl. After recorded. Mastered. Test Pressings made – you’ve made the best building a brand new vinyl pressing he was a Creative and Marketing closing his plant to pursue a role plant in Virginia. Once complete in Q4 choices all along the way, now comes the time for your packaging. Director. Craig executed such iconic in a medical device startup that of ’17, the 50,000 square-foot facility Whether you are issuing a new release, or re-issuing a classic from album covers as the Rolling Stones’ engineered MRI equipment, he soon will house 14 new and completely another era – getting the package correct is just as important as Sticky Fingers (declared by VH1 as found himself eager to re-enter the refurbished record presses with everything you have done so far. So why choose Stoughton the “No. 1 Greatest Album Cover of vinyl industry. Chad alongside the the potential of producing 9 million All Time”), The Velvet Underground team at Viryl Technologies created Printing Company? Is it our flagship Old Style® jackets available records a year. In 2013 Astor co- & Nico, and Alice Cooper’s School’s and brought to market the world’s first in single style or gatefold jackets – our slipcase style or box sets? founded VinylStyl, a world leader in Out. With Tom Wilkes, Craig won a modern, fully automatic record press. Is it that we combine the latest in computer software and computer vinyl record cleaning and archival Grammy Award for packaging in 1974 Viryl Technologies’ signature product, press controls with old world craftsmanship? products. Eric helped Shinola Detroit for the London Symphony Orchestra’s the WarmTone, has become one of launch an audio division, which version of The Who’s Tommy! the most reliable and productive What separates us and our products from the pack? It is our people. kicked off with their Runwell turntable machines in the industry, and is being We take pride in what we do, we take pride in your project – we launched in late 2016. used in existing and new pressing is founder and make it our own project. We are all music fans as well. ERIC BOULANGER plants all over the world. Since its Mastering Engineer of his facility The BEN BLACKWELL, co-founder of inception and under Chad’s direction The true artisans are our Old Style® machine operators, like Bakery, which he opened in 2015 on Third Man Pressing, was born and Viryl Technologies has grown to 20- Maria pictured above. Carefully and skillfully hand-tipping the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City, raised on the tony streets of Detroit, plus employees and is proud to work Calif, and features a patent-pending your Old Style® jacket in position. Through this process, we see Michigan. A reluctant participant in the with clients across North America, digital vinyl cutting system. Working every single jacket one at a time. There are automated ways to overhyped underground rock and roll Europe, and Asia. behind the console, Eric has mastered do this, but there is only one way to do it the way jackets were community, he nevertheless became a GRAMMY-winning/nominated projects originally done – the Old Style® process. performer in the Dirtbombs and on the including work with Green Day, STEFAN G. BUCHER has created label side in his work through Third Hozier, Selena Gomez, Colbie Caillat, album artwork for Capitol Records, We’ve been at it for 50+ years now – making some of the Man Records and his own imprint OneRepublic, Eric Burdon, Imagine DreamWorks Records, Interscope/ Cass Records since 1999, literally half finest record jackets ever produced. Isn’t that what your project Dragons, Neil Young, Amos Lee, The Geffen/A&M, Warner Bros Records his life. He miraculously won Rolling deserves as well? Doors, Rufus Wainwright, and Rachel and Maverick Recording Co., as Stone’s 2004 College Journalism Platten’s “Fight Song,” a No. 1 hit well as for independent labels. His Award and has contributed writing to that earned a Platinum certification. design credit (http://344design.com) countless rags and dog cage liners. Eric interned at Capitol Studios in appears on albums for Sting, Whitney He ate his first salad at the age of 21, Hollywood, Calif., under the tutelage Houston, and the soundtracks for has never gone to the bathroom on of producer/engineer Al Schmitt. Eric’s The Matrix and Minority Report. He is an airplane and on average buys two next mentor was the late legendary the author of seven books, including records a day. He falls asleep nightly Old Style®, Old Style Tip-On Jackets® and Old Style Gatefold Jackets® are Registered Trademarks of Stoughton Printing Co. 22 MAKING VINYL SPEAKER BIOS 23 the best-selling 344 Questions—The CARRIE COLLITON is a Co- JAMES DONIO is President of the Creative Person’s Do-It-Yourself Founder of Record Store Day, Music Business Association (Music Guide to Insight, Survival, and Artistic handling detail organization and the Biz), the U.S. trade organization Fulfillment. He has created designs flow of information to stores and focused on building the future of and illustrations for David Hockney, the public. She has worked for indie music commerce. Since becoming Judd Apatow, and The New York record stores since college, and her President in 2004, Donio has evolved Times. His new book “Stefan G. day job is Director of Marketing for the organization from being primarily Bucher’s LETTERHEADS: An Eccentric The Department of Record Stores, a physical retail-centric to a diverse and Alphabet” will hit bookstores in nationwide coalition of indie record inclusive community representing November. stores. the breadth of today’s business. He has also revitalized Music Biz’s annual convention, making it the definitive MICHAEL BUNNELL is Executive was PIERRE-HENRI CONSTANT gathering for about 2,000 executives Director and a founding member born in Bordeaux (France), and got engaged in the business of music in of the Coalition of Independent married in the Graceland chapel at the United States. Record Stores (CIMS). He began his Elvis Presley’s house in Memphis, career in the music business over Tennessee. His daughter is named 40 years ago when he opened The Priscilla after Elvis’s wife. He studied MATT EARLEY has worked Record Exchange in Boise, Idaho. chemistry in Britanny, France. Today, in every link of the vinyl record As a founding member of CIMS, he runs Resinoplast Vietnam in supply chain. He formerly worked Bunnell had a significant role in the Saigon, continuing a 22-year career for music wholesalers Arrow/ creation of the organization, helping in vinyl compounds sales and ATM, EDGE Entertainment, and develop and revise the organization’s production. Alliance Entertainment, building operating agreement. Bunnell also the vinyl selections and presence helped the launch of Think Indie at independent retailers nationally; is the Chief Distribution, which handles distribution CHAD DAHLSTROM and as an attorney, he has advised Executive Officer of Zink Media of unique physical goods to the regional artist and recording Inc., owner of Discogs, the most independent music store sector. He companies. As Vice President, Sales & extensive physical music database also helps manage Record Store Day. Marketing, Matt currently directs sales and leading music marketplace in the and project management for vinyl world. Dahlstrom, who has been with record pressing plant Gotta Groove RANDY CHOLEWA, Detroit the company for nearly four years, Records in Cleveland, Ohio. native, after a brief retirement as recently held the position of Chief a manufacturing manager with Operations Officer until September a Michigan based automotive 2017. Before Discogs, Dahlstrom held DONNY EASTLAND, owner of supplier, joined Third Man Records Director positions at ShiftWise and CD RecordPressingMachines.com, is and Third Man Pressing in August Baby. currently the go-to person for many 2015. Randy brought 32 years of of the record pressing factories when production experience to lead a team technical assistance is needed. Clients runs five of engineers and designers in the MICHAEL DIXON include Memphis Record Pressing companies (www.michaeldixonvinylart. installation of the TMP plant in Detroit. (MRP), Sunpress Vinyl, Brooklyn Vinyl com) that focus on the tangible Works, Josey Records, and Gotta beauty and artistic possibilities of vinyl Groove Records. His expertise is the BRANDON CHRZANOWSKI has records and their packaging. With results of an Engineering degree, 45 been with Third Man Pressing from the Mobile Vinyl Recorders, he travels years of experience as an Industrial beginning. He’s played a significant the world cutting records on vintage Engineer, 20 of those years in the role in developing each department record lathes, educates children and record pressing industry. During his within the plant using his expertise teens about the history and science of time at Southern Machine and Tool form his previous role as COO for a recorded sound, produces short run (SMT) as Assistant Plant Manager and plastics company. He continues to lathe cuts for bands, and has released Installation Engineer, he assisted in pour his passion for the industry into over 250 records on his label, PIAPTK, fabrication and installation of over 200 TMP as Operations Manager each and over the last 12 years. record pressing machines. every day and strives to produce the best records possible.

CELEBRATING THE CULTURE OF THE INDIE RECORD STORE + KICKSTARTING THE VINYL RESURGENCE WHILE WE’RE AT IT CELEBRATING MAKING VINYL SPEAKER BIOS 25 BRYAN EKUS serves as President Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, ADAM GONSALVES owns and of Colonial Purchasing Co-Op, LLC Consumer Digest, and The Bergen is Senior Mastering Engineer at THE CULTURE OF THE and also serves on a number of Record (New Jersey), among other Telegraph Mastering in Portland, International Management Boards. publications and periodicals. Fremer Oregon. He has mastered and cut His experience includes early has also appeared on the oft-run records for Elliott Smith, Willie Nelson, INDIE RECORD STORE stage venture capital fundraising ‘History of Audio’ documentary on Peter Buck, The Dandy Warhols, Dead and developing and executing The History Channel. His other credits Moon, Vampire Weekend, Sufjan government relation strategies. Bryan include supervising the Academy Stevens, Rogue Wave, Blitzen Trapper, + has more than 25-years of experience Award nominated soundtrack to and thousands more. in the media manufacturing, data the 1982 Disney science fiction storage, and video entertainment feature filmTRON and co-writing the is founder of sectors. animated feature filmAnimalympics . ALEX GREENSPAN KICKSTARTING New York-based Digital Matrix, is a veteran technologist of the optical BILLY FIELDS is Vice President, JENNIFER FREUND is the founder disc manufacturing industry who THE VINYL RESURGENCE Sales, Account Management for and CEO of Dorado Music Packaging, helped pioneer some of the earliest WEA, the artist & label services providing the music industry with CD-stamper equipment by adapting arm of Warner Music Group. As the quality album cover printing, CD and the electroplating process used in company’s resident vinyl expert, vinyl record packaging products. In vinyl record manufacturing. Digital WHILE WE’RE AT IT Fields serves as the day-to-day 2003 ImpressionsLA became the Matrix has provided micro-technology conduit for independent retailers and printing arm of DoradoPkg and in equipment and services to some of the three major independent music 2009 the entire operations were the world's largest companies and coalitions; overseeing all aspects of merged into a single company, research institutes, as well as an array vinyl production, planning, marketing, Dorado Music Packaging. of media manufacturers in dozens of sales forecasts, projections and countries. With the current growing strategy. popularity of vinyl as a specialty TAISHI FUKUYAMA is Chief audio medium, much of the newer Marketing Officer at Qrates, an On- manufacturing techniques can now is a General Manager Demand Vinyl service that works LISA FOSTER be applied in the production of high- and Director of Media, Marketing with musicians who crowdfund their performance analog media. & Public Programs at Guestroom projects to produce as few as 100 Records in Louisville, KY. Foster records. Previous to his current role, works to sell both product and he was the market development KARL GROEGER, JR. is the place —balancing the commercial representative in Japan for various President and CEO of both Looney nature of the indie record store with industry leading music technology Tunes Record Store in West Babylon its unique ability to be a vital citizen companies including the Echo Nest/ and Brookvale Records. Karl Jr. started within its scene and community. An Spotify and more. working at his father’s record store award-winning independent scholar at the age of 6 years old and has and author, most recently Lisa has never looked back. Looney Tunes was PATRICK GEORGE has been with spoken on increasing women’s opened in 1971 by Karl Groeger Sr. the Third Man Pressing team since its visibility in record store culture and In 1988 Karl Jr. took over the reigns. inception and played an integral roll the significance of vinyl’s resurgence Brookvale Records started in 2007 with the build-out of the pressing to material culture as a whole. and is distributed by The Orchard/ plant. Previous to his current role Guestroom Records was founded in SONY Music. With an emphasis on at TMP as Production Manager, 2002 and has 3 locations in Norman deluxe packaging and superior sound he was a film and entertainment and Oklahoma City, OK and Louisville, mastering for vinyl, Brookvale Records lighting designer. His knowledge and KY. has reissued more than 70 highly technical expertise has enabled him acclaimed releases, including albums to guide and manage the plant to from such artists as Janis Joplin, The is the Editor run effectively and efficiently. As this MICHAEL FREMER Grateful Dead, Howlin’ Wolf, Maroon of Analogplanet.com, a Senior industry continues to grow, Patrick is 5, Brandi Carlisle, Blues Traveler and Contributing Editor at Stereophile dedicated in keeping the direction various soundtracks to name a few. Magazine and Contributing Editor focused on high quality standards Brookvale has 20 releases scheduled at Sound&Vision magazine. He’s for fall 2017 and 2018. also contributed to The New York

SUMMERA s u n g a u e s CAMP l t r

2 o 1 – 2 e w 5 + 2017 = n CONNECTING YOU WITH INDIE RECORD STORES 365 DAYS A YEAR AND ONE VERY SPECIAL SATURDAY IN APRIL MAKING VINYL SPEAKER BIOS 27

DAVID HILL spent countless hours LARRY JAFFEE, Program Director, near Vienna, Austria. Loibl founded during the 1970s visiting London Making Vinyl, bought at 14 years Rebeat in 2001 as a distributor of CDs HiFi retailers. He took a career path old his first record (the Rolling and DVDs in Germany and Austria, in Audio Engineering and started Stones’ Hot Rocks), the start of a and in 2006 he added a digital work in 1979 as a junior engineer in lifelong obsession. His music writing music distribution company. In 2013, a large independent record factory has appeared in Long Live Vinyl, Guenter acquired Preiser Records, in London; making vinyl and 8-track Billboard, Vibe, Record Collector, Pro one of Austria’s most traditional music cartridges before moving “upstairs” Sound News, Wax Poetics, Wire, The labels. His latest venture is HD Vinyl, to be involved in cassette production. Audiophile Voice, Tower Records’ a next general vinyl technology that That was four decades ago, and the Pulse, BMI Music World, and High offers a universal improvement to the current Director of Tapematic never Fidelity. He is a Contributing Writer industry’s most classic format. stopped buying vinyl records all along. to RocksBackpages.com. Jaffee founded the Alex Awards packaging DON MACINNIS, President of competition in 2003 while he was is the associate Record Technology, Inc. in Camarillo, LISA HRESKO Editor of Medialine magazine, which member relations manager at A2IM Calif., showed up at RTI as a temp covered CD and DVD production. (American Association of Independent in 1983 for a three-day assignment, He’s worked publicity and promotion Music), the not-for-profit trade and he never left. He and his wife for various musicians since his SUMMERA s u n g association representing over 500 purchased the company from founder a u e s CAMP l college days when he furnished Long t r

2 o 1 – Bill Bauer in March 1992. RTI has 2 e w independently owned record labels. 5 + 2017 = n Island jukeboxes and radio stations She was previously editor-in-chief at grown into an around-the-clock with a local band’s 7-inch single. CMJ, and she programed CMJ Music operation producing over four million Jaffee wrote the liner notes to the Marathon’s daytime events. units per year while maintaining its Surround/Monster Music release of CONNECTING reputation as manufacturer of vinyl George Benson/Al Jarreau’s Grammy- record pressings of the highest winning album Givin’ It Up, and was a BOB IRWIN, Founder of Sundazed quality. The company also provides consultant to esteemed attorney Bill YOU WITH Records, in 1989, packed a tape metalwork (nickel masters, mothers Krasilovsy (co-author of This Business machine into his road-weary VW and and stampers) to pressing plants of Music). drove 19 straight hours to Nashville. worldwide. The result was “Presenting The INDIE RECORD STORES Fabulous Knickerbockers,” the debut MICHAEL KURTZ is Co-Founder release on his new Sundazed imprint. CHRIS MARA is a recording of Record Store Day, conceived in Bob then began a 25-year relationship engineer, owner of Nashville’s 2007 at a gathering of independent 365 DAYS A YEAR as a producer for Sony Music. Irwin Welcome To 1979 recording studio, record store owners as a way to quickly learned the ins and outs and owner of Mara Machines; celebrate and spread the word about of mastering, vault research, and the the largest analog tape machine the unique culture surrounding nearly care and feeding of corporate sharks. restoration company in the world. AND ONE VERY 1,400 independently owned record He curated restored the catalogs Welcome To 1979 clients include Pete stores in the U.S. and thousands of Bob curated and restored for Sony Townshend, Eric Burdon and Third similar stores internationally. RSD has include Santana, Janis Joplin, The Man Records. Welcome To 1979 also SPECIAL SATURDAY presided over 10 straight years of epic Byrds, Sly & The Family Stone, Simon cuts vinyl masters for Sony Records, growth in vinyl and turntable sales and & Garfunkel, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Warner Records, Compass Records participating stores on every continent Jefferson Airplane, Donovan, and and Concord Records, among many except Antarctica. Kurtz also serves IN APRIL Carole King. Sundazed, meanwhile, independent artists. In early 2016, as the President of The Department of grew and prospered. Now based in Mara launched a vinyl electroplating Record Stores (The DORS), a coalition both Upstate New York and Nashville, facility featuring all new equipment of 72 independent storefronts in North the roster includes artists such as The with modern technological advances. America. In 2013, Kurtz was given the Velvet Underground, Buck Owens, honor of Chavalie De L’Ordre Des Arts Link Wray, Byrds, Meters, Bob Dylan, Et Des Lettres by the French Ministry GAIL MAROWITZ is a New York- Love, MC5, Leonard Cohen, Johnny of Culture. based designer and creative director. Cash, and hundreds more. His new After overseeing design at various imprint, Modern Harmonic, focuses on record labels for more than 25 years, bringing niche music (e.g., Sun Ra, et. GÜENTER LOIBL, CEO of Rebeat she left the major label system in al.) to new and enthusiastic audiences. and founder of HD Vinyl, was born 2012 to start her own design studio and raised in Tulln, a small town (thevisualstrategist.com). Since the 28

FULFILLMENT SERVICES MAKING VINYL SPEAKER BIOS 29 studio’s inception, Gail has designed of the music industry. Over that engineering, Greg was hired at Capitol vinyl for a diverse roster of musicians time, he developed and managed Records in 2001, where he went on including Aimee Mann (whose LP relationships with many Fortune 500 to become Vice President of Capitol package designs have garnered three media and entertainment companies Studios, Mastering, and EMI Archives Grammy nominations and one win for like Apple, Amazon, Google, Wal-Mart, for 10 years. During his time at Capitol “Best Recording Package”), Garland Target, among others. He oversaw he was in charge of all production Jeffreys, Betty Buckley, Panic! at the the global acquisition and integrity as it related to Catalog Vinyl efforts, Disco, Gojira, Ted Leo, and The Bacon of entertainment data from more working with producers and estates Brothers. Her work has been featured than 40,000 outlets across 30-plus to deliver audio of the highest caliber. in Print’s Regional Design Annual and countries. BuzzAngle recently was Greg has since joined Iron Mountain Graphis Magazine Design Annual. cited by the media as the trusted and Entertainment Services, where he She has served as a juror for both most comprehensive service for music oversees Studio Operations within American Illustration and American consumption data. IMES’s vaults across North America. Photography as well as for the Society of Illustrators. This year, the studio is Vice President is the General has been awarded a Graphis Silver NOBLE MUSA ANDREA PASCHAL of Microforum Inc., an optical disc Manager of ThinkIndie Distribution Medal and was shortlisted for the manufacturing company that is and the Coalition of Independent Communication Arts Design Annual. capitalizing on the vinyl resurgence. Music Stores, a nationwide Microforum has recently added Vinyl organization of independently owned MARK MICHAELS is the CEO & record manufacturing to its service record stores and one of the co- Chairman of United Record Pressing, offering (January 2017). With over 20 founders of Record Store Day. She LLC, the largest manufacturer of vinyl years of experience in the multimedia organizes and oversees the day-to- records in North America, based in industry, Musa oversees new business day operations of both companies, Nashville, Tennessee, and its sister opportunities as one of the Managing and works with Record Store Day company, URP Music Distributors, Directors of Microforum. Musa’s on special projects and helped LLC, a leading one-stop wholesaler of responsibilities include analysis, implement as well as plan their annual vinyl records serving retailers around identification and implementation of conventions. Throughout her life, she the world. Recently Michaels has led new media business initiatives. has logged thousands of hours on United’s efforts in building its new both sides of the music counter. 143,000 square foot manufacturing grew up in the vinyl facility – one of the largest and most NINA PALMER industry. Her dad was the co-inventor has more modern record pressing plants in ALBAN PINGEOT of the Lened press. She co-owned a than 25 years experience in the the world. Prior to his involvement pressing plant in South Jersey for a media industry delivering services with United, Mark’s 30+ year career short time. Here she learned all about and solutions to the software, included working as a partner in manufacturing and scheduling and music, games, and entertainment two multi-billion-dollar private equity customer service and independent markets. He’s currently President & firms in Chicago and New York, and labels. Nina’s pressing plant was a big CEO of MPO International, which was as a senior consultant at McKinsey consignee for Canadian printer Ross- founded in 1957 in France, one of & Company, the international Ellis, for whom she was among the the largest vinyl pressing plants. At management consulting firm, in its inaugural staff of a new US office. The Making Vinyl, MPO will introduce the offices in Chicago, Stockholm, and rest is history, from jackets, to cassette world’s first connected vinyl, providing Prague. inserts, to CD packaging – long boxes direct access to music content and/or (remember them) to Digipak and right website via a mobile phone. CHRIS MURATORE is Chief back to record jackets. Currently she Business Development Officer and manages a team of sales reps and is the founder of Co-Founder of Border City Media, CSRs with the title National Sales MARK PIRO Analog Spark, the audiophile imprint the company that developed the Director. of Razor & Tie focused on the reissue innovative music measurement of classic and acclaimed albums on and analytics service BuzzAngle has been a music 180-gram vinyl and SACD. The label Music, the only industry service that GREG PARKIN industry veteran for over 25 years. insists on using the original master analyzes daily music consumption. Beginning as a touring musician, tapes, best mastering engineers Muratore has 20-plus years Greg managed global tours with his and pressing plants to ensure that experience covering many segments various bands. Eventually a student of their releases are of the highest 30 MAKING VINYL SPEAKER BIOS quality. In doing so, Analog Spark and CTI, among many others, in »unbreakmyheart« releases vinyl has established itself as one of the addition to working with current artists to stem the increasing tide of preeminent audiophile reissue labels like Mike Watt, Tav Falco’s Panther digitalization in music, reclaiming the in the country. Recent releases Burns, and Dot Hacker. ORG Music ethics of DIY and pushing back to have included Blind Melon’s Soup, has been a consistent label partner the tangible physical experience of Ben Folds Five’s The Unauthorized to Record Store Day, collaborating sound and live performances. The Biography of Reinhold Messner, The on the annual “Sun Records Curated label hosts several club nights and Cranberries’ Everybody Else Is Doing by Record Store Day” series and showcases in collective structures all It, So Why Can’t We? and the 60th offering various exclusives for RSD over Germany. anniversary reissue of Ella Fitzgerald and Black Friday. Rossiter has also http://www.unbreakmyheart.de Sings The Cole Porter Song Book. managed a number of developing artists, helped organize events like is Co- WAX Record Fair at Capitol Records, BRANDON SEAVERS is an M. Founder and CEO of Memphis PER-OLOF RAGNERIUS and serves as a project manager Sc. E.E graduate from Chalmers Record Pressing in Memphis, TN. for the Record Store Day Vinyl Club University of Technology located in He brings to MRP over 20 years of program. Prior to his role at ORG Gothenburg Sweden. He designed experience in media manufacturing Music, Andrew worked in marketing at the electronics and software of the with AudioGraphic Masterworks, Warner Brothers Records. original Toolex Alpha AD12 LP-Press a Memphis-based CD & DVD in 1976. From 1980 until 2005, he Manufacturing facility that he co- ran his own business designing and PETER RUNGE, of Optimal Media, founded with MRP partner & COO manufacturing industrial electronic was born in Rostock, East Germany Mark Yoshida. Brandon oversees control units. One of its customers was in 1968. He studied Electronics and vinyl production, sales, and customer Toolex Alpha, later Toolex International Industrial Engineering at University of service for MRP, and is proud to play and Alpha Sweden. Per-Olof’s Rostock, where he earned a PhD. He's an integral part in the resurgence not company made all the controls for been working for Optimal Media since only of vinyl, but of the music industry Toolex CD and DVD injection molding 1997, where he has been Director of in his hometown of Memphis. machines and production lines. Since Operations, and Head of Production 2006 he has been part owner of and Logistics. Lately, he's been has spent Pheenix Alpha, the new company responsible for capacity planning, STEVE SHELDON virtually his entire professional life in that was formed after the bankruptcy process optimization, and acquisition manufacturing for the entertainment of Alpha Sweden and acquired all of Vinyl equipment. industry. He started his career in machines, parts and intellectual the music business in the print shop property of the former Toolex Alpha is General at Rainbo Records while attending and Alpha Sweden. GARY SALSTROM Manager of Quality Record Pressings college in 1971. As the years in Salina, KS where he oversees the progressed he played many roles at MARK RAINEY is the owner, CEO plating, quality control and pressing Rainbo. He was named CEO/General and co-founder of Cascade Record departments. His first gig in 1979 was Manager in 1986 and President in Pressing in Milwaukie, OR. Prior to as a stamper finisher at Wakefield 2003. Along with Jack Brown, the establishing Cascade, he spent the Manufacturing in Phoenix, where in founder of Rainbo Records (circa previous two decades working in 10 years he rose to plant manager. 1939), Steve has led Rainbo from independent music, most notably as After that plant closed in 1989, RTI strictly a vinyl pressing plant in the the founder and owner of the seminal hired Salstrom to revamp its plating 1970s to a cassette manufacturer in punk record label TKO Records. At operation in Camarillo, Calif., making it the 1980s, transitioned to compact Cascade, Rainey oversees the daily state-of-the-art. In 2011 Chad Kassem disc in the 1990s, and DVDs in operations of the Pacific Northwest’s launched Quality Record Pressings the early 2000s. Today, Rainbo is only automated record pressing plant. with Salstrom as general manager. enjoying the resurgence of vinyl while continuing to replicate CDs, DVDs and believe it or not, cassettes in the is General , a ANDREW ROSSITER SABINE-LYDIA SCHMIDT Canoga Park, Calif. plant. Manager and co-owner of ORG Music, designer, cultural entrepreneur and a vinyl-focused label, which has DJ, founded in 2011 »unbreakmyheart« reissued albums from a broad range as an independent record label of catalogs including Atlantic Records, to accommodate Frankfurt- Sun Records, Columbia, Black Lion, and Berlin-based artists. MAKING VINYL SPEAKER BIOS 31

JEFFREY SMITH is the Public JACK STOUGHTON JR. is the Relations and Strategic Partnerships President of Stoughton Printing Co., a Lead at Discogs, the most extensive Southern California firm that has been physical music database and serving the recording industry since leading music marketplace in the 1965, at a time when 27 pressing world. Smith, who has been with the plants operated in the Greater Los company since February 2017 comes Angeles area. Initially founded as a to Discogs after 13 years as Founder label supplier, within a couple of years, and Principle Publicist of Crash Stoughton was supplying slicks for Avenue, a boutique music public the jacket manufacturers in Southern relations firm. California, including Modern Album, Globe Album, Imperial Pacific, United, KM Records, Ivy Hill Litho. Even at in 2002 joined RYAN SMITH the “young” age of 65, Jack has New York-based Sterling Sound, been involved in the record industry after several years working as a for seven decades. As President of recording engineer at Right Track Stoughton since 1990, he has seen his Recording. Initially, he worked business (and this industry) through under Chief Mastering Engineer Ted the toughest of times. Jensen on projects and reissues ranging from Green Day and Slip Knot to Talking Heads and The HARM THEUNISSE is a co-owner Beatles. In 2006, Ryan was promoted of Symcon, which has several offices to Senior Mastering Engineer and in the world. Symcon is a total service began a collaboration with the supplier for the CD, DVD, BD and late George Marino. Under George’s vinyl industry. We supply: chemicals, tutelage, Ryan learned the craft consumables, spare parts and (used) of vinyl mastering. After George’s equipment. Harm started a project passing in 2012, Ryan became called www.greenvinylrecords.com, Sterling’s sole mastering engineer a new injection molding process to continue cutting pure analog with the goal of reducing the amount vinyl (cut directly from analog tape). of energy within the vinyl record He has cut numerous projects for manufacturing process. leading audiophile labels such as Analogue Productions, Analog Spark, , co-founder and Intervention Records, Sony Legacy DAN YASHIV Managing Partner of SunPress and Speakers Corners. Vinyl in Miami, is a seasoned music and media industry professional MICHAL ŠTĚRBA is President & with over 15 years of professional CEO of GZ Media, among the world's experience as a recording engineer largest vinyl pressing plants. Working and producer. Credits include Britney for the company over 14 years. Started Spears, George Michael, Natalie in procurement then joined customer Imbruglia, Pet Shop Boys, De La service team, since 2007 member of Soul, George Benson, Arto Lindsay, company management as Commercial DJ Spooky, more. Prior roles include Director, in 2013 promoted to CEO managing partner of a top mobile position. Leads company with more music app company (Musicsoft Arts), than 1,600 employees and USD 110m and creative director of multiple in annual revenue. Its global footprint entertainment products for music, TV, and manufacturing capabilities mobile, and web. extends beyond Europe to North America

33

ALEX AWARDS FINALISTS Judges reviewed 124 entries, marking the first time the media packaging competition had been held since 2006. But it returns as a vinyl-only competition.

BEST ILLUSTRATED LP COVER BEST RECORD ART ƒƒ Aimee Mann, Mental Illness ƒƒ Blowfly, Forever Fly ƒƒ Father John Mistry, Pure Comedy ƒƒ The Monks, Hamburg Recordings 1967 ƒƒ Gillian Welch, The Harrows and the Harvest ƒƒ My Chemical Romance, Welcome to the Black ƒƒ Queens of the Stone Age, Villains Parade ƒƒ Record Store Day Celebrates Leonard Cohen ƒƒ Weather Warlock ƒƒ Yautja, Dead Soil BEST PHOTO LP COVER ƒƒ Alejandro Escovdeo, Burn Something Beautiful BEST REISSUE PACKAGE ƒƒ Common, The Light ƒƒ Andromeda Strain Soundtrack ƒƒ The Protomen, A Night of Queen ƒƒ John Cale, The Academy in Peril ƒƒ Waxahatachee, Out in the Storm ƒƒ Rolling Stones, Their Satanic Majesties Request ƒƒ Willie Nile, Positively Bob ƒƒ T.Rex, Electric Warrior ƒƒ The White Stripes BEST 45 SINGLE COVER ƒƒ Alice Cooper, Live From the Astroturf BEST OVERALL PACKAGE ƒƒ Chris Un Tina, Incognito ƒƒ AKATRE, BLCK RCK ƒƒ Jack White, Love Is The Truth ƒƒ Alejando Escovedo, Burn Something Beautiful ƒƒ Margo Price, Weakness ƒƒ Margo Price, Live at the Hamilton ƒƒ Sun Ra, El Is A Sound of Joy ƒƒ Pet Symmetry, Vision ƒƒ White Stripes, Vault 33, X, Icky Thump BEST GATEFOLD ƒƒ Dead Weather, Live at the Mayan BEST BOXED SET ƒƒ Polyvinyl Plays Polyvinyl ƒƒ Blondie, Pollinator ƒƒ The National, Sleep Well Beast ƒƒ Kate Bush, Before the Dawn ƒƒ UNKLE, The Road, Part 1 ƒƒ Rolling Stones, Their Satanic Majesties Request ƒƒ Yaz Ahmed, La Sabouteur ƒƒ Voyager, 40th Anniversary Edition ƒƒ White Stripes, Vault 33, X, Icky Thump 34

ABOUT ALEX STEINWEISS & THE ALEX AWARDS By Larry Jaffee 35

The Alex Awards are named after Alex Steinweiss, who is widely credited with being “the father of album graphics” during the second half of the 78-rpm record era and inventor of the LP jacket in 1948.

His majestic illustrations adorned Steinweiss’s own tastes ran classical, extent considering vinyl’s recent more than a thousand covers for but that didn’t stop his first cover for renaissance. But as a consultant, the Columbia, Decca, London Columbia in April 1940 from being Steinweiss was forced to assign his and Everest labels through the Rodgers & Hart Smash Song Hits, for patent rights over to Columbia, which 1960s for a who’s who of American which Steinweiss had a photograph he left in 1954 after a corporate popular music. The artist roster taken of a theatre marquee, which shakeup. He sold his trademark includes: Louis Armstrong, Duke was then superimposed over a script lettering, the Steinweiss scrawl, Ellington, Count Basie, George and graphic rendering of a record’s to a font company in the mid-1950s. Ira Gershwin, Benny Goodman, grooves, accentuated in red. As photographs became more in Desi Arnaz, Billie Holiday, Paul vogue for LP covers than illustrations A script font with Steinweiss’s name Robeson, Leonard Bernstein, Dave during the early 1960s pop era, was placed in a corner of each cover Brubeck and Igor Stravinsky, among Steinweiss left the music business, he designed. It’s an example of how numerous others. Steinweiss’ cover concentrating on creating graphics Steinweiss took pride in his work, for the 1949 Broadway score of for liquor companies and other which he viewed no differently from South Pacific is still in print on Sony’s clients. He also on painted and made a painting. The cover was his canvas. current CD. ceramics. For labels other than Columbia, As the tale goes, a few months into Steinweiss sometimes used the In March 2001 I found him retired his new job in 1939 at Columbia in pseudonym “Piedra Blanca.” in Sarasota, Florida, where he had Bridgeport, Connecticut, Steinweiss moved in 1974 with his wife Blanche. Setting the bar in terms of cover convinced his bosses to let him In a phone interview, he explained aesthetics, Steinweiss conceived his illustrate a cover rather than the plain the goal of his covers was to sell covers with the music in mind. And “tombstone” covers that had been the music. He told me how in the he could be sublimely political, as he typically used. Sales skyrocketed. 1940s he would observe how people was with a 1942 release titled Boogie looked through record store bins. Woogie, with a large black hand and Subsequently, he began to place a large white hand looming over a text listing performer, composer and piano, meanwhile the music inside music higher up. featured talented musicians of both races, Count Basie and Harry James In 2003 my former magazine Trio, among them. Medialine decided to establish a media packaging competition, In 1948 Columbia president Ted which I called the “Alex Awards” in Wallerstein, who hired Steinweiss Steinweiss’s honor. He was touched in 1939, turned to him to design a that I was aware of his legacy, packaging system for the then new drawing a correlation between LP. He came up with the folded what he did more than six decades cardboard, taped on the top and Steinweiss’s first cover for ago for 78s and CDs, DVDs and Columbia Records bottom, which became the industry videogames in the 21st century. standard for the following four decades, and still today to some 36 MAKING VINYL ALEX AWARDS

1948 Steinweiss cover

Although he won numerous graphic arts awards from the likes of the Art Directors Club and AIGA, Steinweiss felt slighted that he never won a Grammy or any kind of recognition from the National Association of Recording Arts & Sciences. ABOUT CRAIG BRAUN, Subsequently, at the first “Alex ‘ALEX AWARDS’ HOST Awards” in 2003 in Universal City, Returning to host the Alex Awards, as he did 2003- California, at 86 he gladly accepted 2006, is Grammy Award-winning Craig Braun, renown a Lifetime Achievement Award. It for executing such groundbreaking album covers con- was presented by Kevin Reagan, the ceived by Andy Warhol as the Rolling Stones’ Sticky packaging conference’s keynoter, Fingers (selected by VH1 as the “Greatest Album Madonna’s former art director and Cover of All Time”) the Velvet Underground & Nico, winner of best packaging Grammy as well his own Grammy-nominated Alice Cooper’s three of the previous five years. At School’s Out. a post-awards dinner, I sat between Kevin and Alex, who traded stories In 1972 Craig partnered with legendary art director about crazy assistants stealing their Tom Wilkes, Wilkes & Braun, won a Grammy Award tools and taking credit for work that for packaging in 1974 for the London Symphony Or- they didn’t do. chestra’s version of The Who’s Tommy. The first 100 limited-edition copies Braun shifted careers to full-time acting about 15 years of a coffee-table book, edited by ago, chalking up with a long list of feature film, televi- Reagan, about Steinweiss’s work sion and theater credits. sold for $1,500 was published in Craig’s New York stage credits include Other Desert early 2011 by Taschen, and signed Cities, Macbeth, ‘Tis A Pity She’s A Whore, Deathtrap by Steinweiss himself. (A later trade and Merchant of Venice. In Los Angeles he appeared edition listed for $69.99.) Alex died in in the world premieres of Damages And The Million July 2011 in Sarasota, Florida. Bells of Ocean, Proof, Vivien, and Our Lady of 121st Music runs in the family. His son Street. He is a lifetime member of The Actors Studio. Leslie is in the jewelry business but Among his many TV guest star roles are Cold Case, composes music as a hobby, while ER, The Practice, Third Watch and Law & Order, as Alex’s grandson (and Leslie’s son) well as the lead role in the acclaimed ZDF miniseries, Homer Steinweiss played drums with Ums Paradies Betrogn. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Film work includes Swordfish, Great Expectations, which backed up Amy Winehouse on Flawless, The Associate, to mention a few. Back to Black. MAKING VINYL ALEX AWARDS 37

PERFORMER ARUM RAE

Bouncing between states, “indie soul” singer and songwriter Arum Rae went from performing on any stage possible—including dive bars, mental hospitals, and organic produce markets—to landing a high-profile placement on ABC’sNashville , touring with the likes of Gary Clark, Jr., Rodriguez and B.B. King, and independently releasing her 2014 Warranted Queen EP acclaimed by Noisey, Spin, Paste, and other publications.

On that road, she came face-to-face with wanted to use ‘If I Didn’t Know Better’— addiction, loss, heartbreak, and everything which I wrote years before with John Paul in between. Her inspiration derives from White [The Civil Wars]—on Nashville. It was a diverse musical palette including Nina enough money that I could quit and move Simone, Bob Dylan, Outkast, Bill Withers to New York City.” and ultimately creating a multi-faceted Relocating to Brooklyn, her writing success musical experience for the listener. On continued, with her music being featured the heels of her recent Loners EP (a 10- on shows ranging from Vampire Diaries inch manufactured by Memphis Record and Pretty Little Liars to Girlfriend’s Guide Pressing) and forthcoming unplugged to Divorce and American Idol. Notably, collection entitled Sub Rosa, produced her song “Something’s Happening to Me” by Ken Lewis (Kanye West, Alicia Keys, soundtracked a Microsoft campaign for Kendrick Lamar), Arum’s debut full-length the Surface Pro 3, which debuted during album is slated for release in late 2017. the GRAMMY Awards, while “Waving Wild” Growing up in Colorado Springs, she appeared prominently on ABC’s The Catch. found herself enrolled in school music “I hope when people hear my music they programs at a young age. Kicked out of can find a sense of themselves in it,” she her first high school and quickly leaving leaves off. “Maybe they can relate to it, and the second, a music teacher at the third it might move them.” school recognized her gift. He eventually helped the budding songstress receive a scholarship to Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music. Upon graduating, she cut her teeth on the road and penned what would become 2005’s Arum Rae inside a tiny Virginia cabin. She quietly honed her craft and toured under the name White Dress, alongside Clark and The Civil Wars in addition to gracing bills with Willie Nelson, Dan Auerbach, and more. During a break in 2012, she received a serendipitous call. “I was waitressing at a diner in Austin, a little bummed out because that was my first job and now here I was again,” she goes on. “I got a call from Disney that they 38

ANATOMY OF A DELUXE REISSUE: NIGEL LIVES! By Shane Buettner

“Concept album” only begins Nigel’s cover art, gatefold and to describe Murray Head’s book, which represent the remarkable 1972 debut Nigel fictional Nigel’s diary, are truly Lived, which my record label, crucial to Nigel’s story. Murray Intervention Records, has in 1972 was coming off a smash reissued as an “Artist-Approved” hit on the British charts with 45th Anniversary Edition on 180- “Superstar” from Jesus Christ Gram vinyl. There is a deep story Superstar, along with major behind this LP release. successes on stage (Hair) and screen (Sunday, Bloody Sunday). It’s no surprise that Murray’s debut album would be a project that would combine all of his dramatic talents. Murray didn’t just write songs about someone named Nigel leaving a small town and finding fame and fortune in 1960s London before succumbing to addiction and despair. Murray wanted more “realism.” Much like the “found footage” device clever filmmakers employ today, Murray wrote a diary for Nigel, which is then “found” by Murray the minstrel, who put the life to song. Murray’s concept for Nigel is beautifully illustrated in the jacket and the 8-page book in the gatefold interior, which juxtaposes heart-wrenching pages from the diary with the lyrics for the entire album. While Susan Ellis Jones is credited with the cover design, Nigel’s 8-page diary is credited to Murray who supplied the photos in the gatefold interior. 39

Murray believed this jacket art is thrilled with the final product, Thanks to all of this obsessive treatment was so important to agreeing that he could have only attention to detail by all parties, the Nigel’s story that when CBS dreamed of achieving this quality Nigel Lived isn’t just reissued balked at incurring the extra level in 1972 for mass market. but reborn in 2017, on his 45th printing costs Murray agreed to birthday! I sent an original U.K. LP to alter his deal, lowering his points my partners at Dorado Music on the album! Packaging, who used that LP As no original art elements to spot match the center label "When CBS survived, Intervention’s art colors to the original. This is the director, Tom Vadakan, restored kind of authenticity that’s required balked at the art from carefully prepared at every step for serious vinyl high-res scans of the original UK reissues. jacket. Weeks of cleanup and incurring the For mastering the original tweaks were required. Stoughton recording engineer Phill Brown Printing worked just as tirelessly, extra printing supplied his own 1/4” 15-ips identifying paper stock that’s analog masters. Kevin Gray at a dead ringer for the original costs Murray CoHEARent Audio mastered 100% diary, save for being heavier, and analog at 45 RPM over two 180- worked for hours on press to get gram LPs, which were pressed agreed to all the colors just right. at RTI. As a single 33, side 2 This boutique process is finished was originally over 27 minutes, alter his deal, by printing as an “Old Style” which undoubtedly forced sonic gatefold, printed first as flat, compromises in cutting. lowering his heavy paper then adhered to heavy gatefold “blanks.” The front points on the and back are film laminated for a beauty and longevity. Murray album!" 40

By Dan Yashiv

Reggae superstar Bob Marley’s first of Gibbs’s original presses are in use producers, and engineers. The early 1960s recordings with The once again. In fact, Headley Haslam, manufacturing team includes Wailers in Jamaica were cut to vinyl who pressed almost every record engineers with more than 40 years at the legendary Studio One facility during the Gibbs and Studio One of experience pressing vinyl records, owned by the impresario Clement years, is now back at the pressing and ensures that the machinery is “Sir Coxsone” Dodd. post he first filled in the 1970s. performing at top form under the most demanding quality control. In the 1970s, Final Vinyl, a vinyl Among the records getting pressed pressing plant owned and operated for customer Tuff Gong International SunPress Vinyl is committed to by reggae pioneer Joe Gibbs just are brand new releases of Bob extending the long vinyl legacy in north of Miami, Florida, issued classic Marley and the Wailers reissues Miami, and restoring a vibrant hub for Studio One records by Marley, as of classic albums Exodus, Legend, the production of beautiful, analogue well as genre luminaries Toots and Burnin’ and Catch a Fire, as well as music. the Maytals, the Skatalites, Dennis blues great B.B. King, among many Personally, after working for more Brown, and Sugar Minott. others. than 15 years as a recording And today, with the global rebirth of SunPress Vinyl is proud to continue engineer and music producer with a the record manufacturing industry, this rich tradition, honoring the variety of artists ranging from Britney reggae pressing has come full circle, history of its location with bespoke Spears and George Michael to De as SunPress Vinyl is housed in the record pressing services. The La Soul and George Benson, I came former Final Vinyl factory, and three facility’s founders are musicians, to the realization that the music 41

Pressing engineer Headley Haslam for Sunpress Vinyl is working the same machines he used in the 1970s when the Miami-based reggae record factory was known as Final Vinyl.

format that matters most to me and My travels took me to Los Angeles, Add to the equation that the plant most music lovers I knew is and has Nashville, Dallas, Toronto and Miami, was formerly owned by legendary always been vinyl records. where I finally found what I was reggae pioneers Joe Gibbs and looking for: a dormant pressing Studio One, and the decision to fire So about 3 years ago, with the plant with an amazing history and up the old pressing plant and keep it surprising renaissance of vinyl the pressing professionals who in Miami became obvious. records, and after learning that vinyl previously ran it. pressing plants are back-ordered 4 After about six months of intense to 6 months trying to keep up with I put together a group of vinyl renovation and repair work by an the exploding demand, I decided to enthusiasts who secured the amazing team of engineers and start my own vinyl pressing plant. required financing, and we set out to machinists, we launched a full acquire the equipment and bring it to service vinyl record pressing plant in But it was certainly not going to be New York. January 2017. easy. Until recently no new record pressing machines had been built Eventually however, we realized www.sunpressvinyl.com since the mid 1980s, so I set out that renovating the Miami plant and on a journey around the country in refurbishing the machinery is gong search of pressing machines and the to be way faster and less expansive very few people who knew how to than moving everything to New York Dan Yashiv is among the panelists on operate them. and starting from scratch there. the Day 1 session, 11:20 am-12:20 pm: What It Takes to Set Up a New Vinyl Plant. 42

CAF srl - lavorazione materie plastiche Milano - Italy VINYL COMPOUND for records only since 1976 43

NOTABLE BOOK VINYL . ALBUM . COVER . ART Brilliant Minds Think Alike

The U.K. design studio Hipgnosis set the bar for 1970s “The Steinweiss cover was not the inspiration for rock packaging ingenuity, widely lauded for its iconic DSOTM,” comments Hipgnosis co-founder Aubrey (“Po”) album covers for Pink Floyd, as well as dozens of other Powell in an email to me. “Until you sent me Steinwiess’s popular artists. cover, it had never crossed my mind that anything remotely similar had been done. I had not seen it before A new book, Vinyl . Album . Cover . Art: The Complete so thank you for that.” Hipgnosis Catalogue (Thames & Hudson), displays chronologically all 373 Hipgnosis covers, such as the Po, who started Hipgnosis with the late Storm classic Wish You Were Here (1975), in which two men Thorgerson in 1967, says the Pink Floyd cover concept shaking hands – one on fire – makes a comment on “came from my perusing through a French physics book capitalism and inside image of a faceless businessman. on light refraction and seeing a photograph of light streaming through a window onto a glass paperweight, That record’s predecessor was Dark Side of the Moon which in turn spread a rainbow onto a piece of paper. I (1973), which bears more than a passing resemblance to showed it to Storm who immediately said to me ‘I’ve got Alex Steinweiss’s 1942 cover for Columbia Masterworks’ it !’ And DSOTM was conceived.” release of Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat (Emperor), as performed by Rudolf Serkin, piano and — Larry Jaffee Bruno Walter conducting the New York Philharmonic. 44

GLOSSARY OF COMMON VINYL TERMS (Courtesy of Gotta Groove Records, www.gottagrooverecords.com, Cleveland, Ohio) These are some common terms used in vinyl manufacturing. If you don’t see a term that you are looking for, please contact us and we’ll help you out (and maybe even add it to the list below).

2-Step Plating: The Electroforming printing press is only using the K (black the substrate is the cut Lacquer. The process which yields a set of Mothers ink) printing plate — no C, M, or Y]. So, cut lacquer is cleaned and then and a set of Stampers. At Gotta when you see “4/4”, it means full color sprayed with a silver solution. This Groove, other than 180 Gram vinyl, print on both sides of the sheet; “1/1” sprayed lacquer is then put into a bath the default plating option is 2-step means B&W print on both sides of the of nickel sulfamate solution. When (and is included in our record pricing). sheet. an electric current is run through the Mothers are able to make additional bath, nickel atoms are drawn to the stampers, as needed. face of the silvered lacquer, and a Biscuit: The sandwich that is ultimately pressed into a record. A nickel layer “grows” on the face. When this nickel layer is removed from the 3-Step Plating: The Electroforming biscuit consists of a hockey-puck lacquer, the removed layer becomes process which yields a set of Fathers, shaped piece of extruded vinyl the or . Mothers, and set of Stampers. At between a Label on the top and father stamper Gotta Groove, 180 Gram vinyl pressings bottom. The biscuit is compressed of 500 or more units include 3-step by the Record Press into the shape Fathers: A Father is the inverse of plating by default, as well as orders of a vinyl record. You can view a cut lacquer – instead of playable of larger quantities of 7inch or 12″ biscuits being pressed into records in grooves the face of the father consists Standard weight records. Fathers our company video. of the inverse of grooves — peaks. A are able to make additional Mothers. father is used to create a Mother, Mothers are able to make additional and is then either stored for future Downloads / Download Codes: Many stampers. modern records include a coupon use (in 3-step plating) or, converted to inside the record jacket with a a Stamper (in 2-step plating). Fathers are sometimes called the Metal Master. 4/4, 4/0, 1/1, 1/0 Print: In commercial unique code enabling the consumer offset printing (not just record-related to redeem a digital version of printing), you will find numerical the Program Material embodied Innersleeve: Also referred to as descriptions like this pertaining to on the record, and/or other bonus a “dust sleeve” or “bag”, this the print items. We use these terms on material. Gotta Groove provides an the paper sleeve that the record is our price cards for the various insert inclusive download hosting service for directly inserted into. Gotta Groove printing options. The numbers refer digital audio and video content as an Records record pricing includes blank to the print plates being used to print add-on item to orders. innersleeves by default. But, you can the image onto the sheets. In process also order printed artwork and/or text offset printing, there are four print on innersleeves. Blank innersleeves Electroforming: The forming (or plates — Cyan (C), Magenta (M), Yellow growing) of a metal onto the face most commonly have a diecut hole (Y), and Black (K). When you see a of a substrate. This process is on each side so the record Label can “4” or the acronym “CMYK”, it means used in many industries where very show through. Printed innersleeves full color print. When you see a “1” accurate replicas of a substrate are a can be produced with our without or “K” only, it means black and white requirement. In record manufacturing, diecut holes. Plain paper innersleeves (B&W) print [when printing B&W, the can cause surface scratches to the MAKING VINYL GLOSSARY 45

face of the record, which over time played on a turntable, master lacquers Polybags: No-Flap polybags are can sound. Cardstock innersleeves that are going to be used for a real clear plastic “sleeves” which a exacerbate this surface scratch pressing job are never played – they jacketed record is inserted into. Most propensity, and therefore are not are sent directly to an electroplating record stores will polybag their used recommended by Gotta Groove. facility to be used as the substrate in records. No-Flap polybags are open the Electroforming process that makes at the top. Resealable polybags have the metal parts which are eventually a flap at the top and an adhesive strip Insert: At Gotta Groove, we refer to anything that is being inserted used to press records. Cut lacquers which enables the end purchaser to into a record jacket other than the are sometimes called the Master. open and re-seal the flap at the top of sleeved record and download codes the polybag. as an insert. Our standard inserts Lathe: A record lathe is a machine are 11×11″ (for 12″ records) or 7×7″ (for used to cut the grooves into the face Polylined Innersleeve: An innersleeve 7″ records). But, inserts can really of a blank lacquer. This machine is with a plastic liner on the inside, be many different sizes and formats not a record press – this is a machine designed to better protect the face of – stickers inserted into jackets, designed to make single cuts of master the record from surface scratches. postcards, cds or dvds stuffed into recordings into blank lacquers, not to a jacket, etc. Some folks refer to mass produce pressed records. Premaster: In the digital age, Innersleeves as inserts, but we prefer many records are cut from a digital to use the term “insert” for anything Matrix Inscription / Matrix source. In most cases, a high that is not an innersleeve but is going Number: Sometimes also referred to resolution source is eq’d / mastered into a record jacket. as a “scribe” or “scribe number”. The specifically for vinyl. This new file alphanumeric identifier that is etched is called the vinyl premaster. Gotta Jackets: Also commonly referred into the lead-out (matrix) area of the Groove strongly urges all customers to as a “cover” a jacket is the outer record. Most frequently, this number to have a vinyl premaster made by a pocket that records are inserted into matches the “Catalog Number” or reputable professional who regularly – records first go into an Innersleeve, “Selection Number”, but it is actually works with the vinyl format before and are then inserted into the record arbitrary – it just has to be something submitting audio to be cut. jacket. Jackets are most commonly that is somewhat unique. The matrix made of cardstock, with the printing inscription is important to both the Program / Program Material: The done directly onto the white cardstock plating dept and the pressing dept, underlying subject source audio (this is called Direct To Board because it is the only way of visually embodied in a record. print– also see Tip-On Jackets below.) identifying lacquers and metal parts.

Record Press: A hydraulic press that The paper circle in the middle : The metal plate that is two Label: Mothers compresses the vinyl Biscuit between of a pressed record. Sometimes steps removed from a cut Lacquer — two stampers and produces pressed referred to as a “sticker”, a record label a mother has grooves on its face, records. Pressed records are not is actually not adhered to the face of and can be played on a turntable. A made from blank discs. the disc after pressing – it is an integral mother is used to make Stampers. part of the pressing process, and serves to cool the middle of the record Reference Lacquers: Similar Nonfill: (See also, Stitching) – while it is being pressed. to lacquers above in that these Nonfill is a PVC molding-related are aluminum discs with a challenge when pressing some nitrocellulose coating, grooves Lacquers: A blank lacquer is an records. Nonfill is difficult to see with are cut with a lathe into the face aluminum disc that is coated with a the naked eye, but can be visible of these for listening instead of nitrocellulose lacquer layer. There under magnification. When it is for electroforming. Reference are currently two manufacturers of audible, nonfill can cause a crackly lacquers are used to ensure that the blank lacquers in the world – Apollo/ type sound. Some records are more program material is translating to the Transco and MDC. A lacquer is also susceptible to issues such as stitching phonograph medium in an acceptable the first step in the vinyl manufacturing and nonfill than others, depending manner. (Also, see Test Cuts process – grooves are cut into the upon the program material and the below). Neither test cuts or reference face of the blank lacquer via a machine physical characteristics of the grooves. lacquers are a substitute for Test called a . While a lacquer can be lathe Pressings. 46 MAKING VINYL GLOSSARY

Shrinkwrap: The clear plastic wrap as production records, and have that, when ordered, seals the record. the same groove information. They typically have labels which designate them as test pressings. They are the Stampers: The metal part that is affixed to a record press, which “final approval” mechanism before stamps grooves into melted productions copies of a particular program are produced. vinyl Biscuits. Stampers are the inverse of grooves — peaks instead of grooves. Tip-On Jackets: This type of record jacket is commonly viewed as a deluxe upgrade. In this type of Stitching: (See also, Nonfill) – Stitching is a PVC molding-related challenge printing, the actual print is done on a when pressing some records. Visually, separate sheet of text paper which is it appears like lines perpendicular to ultimately wrapped and glued to a thick grooves, sometimes even resembling corrugated core. Gotta Groove tip-on a scratch. When it is audible, stitching jackets use 30pt cores, and include can cause a “zip” type sound. Some matte or gloss lamination. records are more susceptible to issues such as stitching and nonfill UPC/Bar Code: As with most any than others, depending upon the consumer product, many records program material and the physical have bar codes. You can order these characteristics of the grooves. from GGR. If you have a bar code on your record at all (some records do not), it does need to be unique to Stock Marks: Sometimes also referred to as “dimples”, these are visual that record — not the same as your blemishes sometimes on the face of a CD release. Also, if you work with a record. Many are purely visual and do distributor, most distributors prefer not cause a sound issue. Some may each color/variant of the same release cause a “heartbeat” type thump when to have its own unique bar code. the stylus travels over them.

Test Cuts: This is a service offered by Gotta Groove for 12″ orders, similar to Reference Lacquers in that they are used to ensure that the program material is translating to the phonograph medium in an acceptable manner. However, instead of being a physical lacquer disc embodying the entire program material sent out for approval, instead only samples of the program are cut into a lacquer and then played back and recorded into a wav file to be emailed for approval. Neither test cuts or reference lacquers are a substitute for Test Pressings.

Test Pressings: These are actual pressed records, but typically are the first time that records are being pressed from a set of Stampers. They are made from the same material � Don‘t miss this event. � MEDIA-TECH Conference Europe 2018

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