Record sales for vinyl lead to new pressing technology
Music is changing, and in a world of streaming, audiophiles want a clearer, more nuanced sound – one that can only be achieved through vinyl. As vinyl sales continue to surge in recent years, technology seeks to keep up with the demand.
Pressing plants have been feeling the strain as vinyl sales continue to boom. According to Nielsen’s year end report for the 12-month period of December 30, 2013 through December 30, 2014, Vinyl LPs showed “record-setting strength” with 9.2 million sales. In fact, it’s the ninth consecutive year that vinyl has shown growth, and it now comprises 6% of all physical album sales.
While this is great news for independent brick and mortar retailers, as vinyl sales increased by 35% in a flat marketplace, this means that the few pressing plants left that produce our beloved records are feeling some major stress.
Viryl Technologies, a Canadian company backed by CAD$1million from a private investor, plans to ship its high-speed presses worldwide for around $160,000 each. This comes following the news of a huge plant opening in Brazil, which would quadruple vinyl production in the country, as the factory will be able to press 140,000 recorders per month.
The new plant in Sao Paolo will be running on classic presses, refurbished to continue running and meet the need of the ever growing record demands; however, it’s important to note that no new record presses have been manufactured since the 1980s, creating a bottleneck of demand throughout the industry.
Viryl’s presses offer faster cycle times, less wasted vinyl, and more precision than the refurbished classic presses. In turn, this allows for greater time pressing and less time worrying about when a part may break – pushing the boundaries of an ever-changing industry forward in a new way.
Via: Fact Mag
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Categories: News