Printing vinyl

AgentofOblivion · February 12, 2013, 04:17:22 PM

In the "Out Now: Band Release" thread I'm seeing a bunch of awesome vinyl (among other things) packages. I'm wondering where you guys get the vinyl pressed and how many you usually do at a time. Also, does the same company print the jackets/art or do you do that separately? Finally, do you generally lose money, break even, or make some cash when you do a press? Thanks in advance and keep up the good work.

chille01 · February 12, 2013, 10:23:56 PM

Only ever done it once, so by no means an expert, but here are my answers to your specific questions:

"I'm wondering where you guys get the vinyl pressed and how many you usually do at a time"
We used Pirate's Press out of San Fran, who in turn use a pressing plant in the Czech republic. We did 250 units.

"Also, does the same company print the jackets/art or do you do that separately?"
They did it all, including shrinkwrapping.

"Finally, do you generally lose money, break even, or make some cash when you do a press?"
Remains to be seen. We haven't sold our pressing yet, so we're still in the hole. I think we figured out that it cost us about $10 a unit once we paid for shipping and everything. We sell them for $12, but have also given some away for promo. We'll probably break even on the deal if we ever sell all of them. That's a big if though.

mortlock · February 13, 2013, 12:11:05 AM

gotta groove records is excellent for vinyl. if you want lathe cuts go to 2208 records.

all the stuff i posted is from each of those places.
i press very small runs, which drives the cost up. i kinda sorta break even, but not really if you know what i mean. its a labor of love.

i only did 50 each of the lathe cuts. the split wcpc/famd lp was a pressng of 100. im pressing 500 of the tunes from the toilet vol.1 comp 7"..55 bands..thats due out in march.

heres my label..
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/CONTINUUM/101381243351843

natehusky · February 13, 2013, 08:54:31 AM

I hear nothing but good things about gotta groove . My buddy Andy the door bum got his record pressed there . Said customer service was excellent

the diddler · February 13, 2013, 09:15:32 AM

I've had good luck with both Pirates Press and United. Pirates does a good job with the full package, as chille01 noted. On this latest one, we used United for the vinyl only (not sure what other services they offer), got the printing done separately, and are doing assembly ourselves. In any case it's incredibly expensive, especially if you factor in recording/mixing/mastering costs. Not very responsible, but I try not to think about the bottom line on these projects- too depressing.

AgentofOblivion · February 13, 2013, 09:26:51 AM

Thanks for the info fellas. Sounds like it's not an economic disaster, but breaking even (or close to it) is the reasonable hope if the sales are there. If nothing else it seems worth doing at least once just as a bucket list type of deal.

chille01 · February 13, 2013, 10:04:35 PM

Oh yeah... that $10 unit cost I mentioned... that was just for the physical product. We didn't count the recording costs (though I did that part myself, so they were minimal). So.... anyone wanna buy a case or two of Belushis LP's?

natehusky · February 13, 2013, 10:11:55 PM

Ill take 1

chille01 · February 13, 2013, 10:15:11 PM

Quote from: natehusky on February 13, 2013, 10:11:55 PM
Ill take 1

Case or LP?

mortlock · February 14, 2013, 12:00:07 AM

gotta groove is awesome for their customer service..and they offer small quantity full package diy runs..its the best place out there right now.

natehusky · February 14, 2013, 08:26:08 AM

Lp dude . Lp

Chovie D · February 14, 2013, 03:52:38 PM

theres currently only two real pressing plants in the world right?(i could have that way wrong? but these are the two majors??) United in Nashville and the one in the czech republic.

I would just order direct from United in nashville. But Im curious about pirate press and all these other middlemen.
whats the advanatge? why not just send to the czech republic yourself?
are they somehow able to come in cheaper on the whole package?
better service?
not being sarcastic, askin cause Id like to know.

natehusky · February 14, 2013, 05:00:01 PM

I don't believe that's true anymore

mortlock · February 14, 2013, 11:23:48 PM

some of the smaller places are turning out killer vinyl..

Chovie D · February 15, 2013, 11:48:43 AM

thanks guys thats good to know...

Chovie D · February 15, 2013, 11:53:47 AM

Yo Mortlock. You did a run of 50 at 2208? I checked out their site and it looks like exactly the sort of thing Ive been looking for, but they dont give any pricing info at all. If I may ask, how much was that run of 50? how was the quality? I can handle lo fi , I cannot handle skips. Looks good tho.

chille01 · February 15, 2013, 02:02:54 PM

Quote from: Chovie D on February 14, 2013, 03:52:38 PM
theres currently only two real pressing plants in the world right?(i could have that way wrong? but these are the two majors??) United in Nashville and the one in the czech republic.

I would just order direct from United in nashville. But Im curious about pirate press and all these other middlemen.
whats the advanatge? why not just send to the czech republic yourself?
are they somehow able to come in cheaper on the whole package?
better service?
not being sarcastic, askin cause Id like to know.

Well, the main advantage I could see with using Pirate's or someone like that instead of going direct to the Czech plant... you're dealing with someone in the same time zone, same language, and same currency. I know the internet makes all of those less of an issue, but when we did our LP there was more than one occasion where I found myself typing out some long email and stopped halfway through, said "fuck it" and picked up the phone instead. They also take care of all the shipping, logistics, customs and duties etc. etc. Sure, you could deal with the Czech plant directly, and I know at least one band that has... but I would imagine it would be a lot more work for you. I always try and remember that my time is worth money too.

EDIT: Nate, if you really want a Belushis LP I'm of course more than happy to oblige. We can do a personal arrangement if you like, or you can also buy them off CDbaby.com . http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/thebelushis Excuse the relative tackiness of posting our sales link in the forums.

natehusky · February 15, 2013, 02:17:57 PM

Which is better for you ?

Metal and Beer · February 15, 2013, 05:40:55 PM

Quote from: chille01 on February 15, 2013, 02:02:54 PMhttp://www.cdbaby.com/cd/thebelushis Excuse the relative tackiness of posting our sales link in the forums.

I think Jake0))) would agree, but you Jam Room folkses don't have to worry 'bout that kinda thing. Paste/post away !

chille01 · February 15, 2013, 10:21:02 PM

Quote from: natehusky on February 15, 2013, 02:17:57 PM
Which is better for you ?

Well, we make about the same either way, and if you order from the link they take care of the shipping and details. Thanks in advance of you do decide to grab one!

mortlock · February 16, 2013, 12:50:49 AM

Quote from: Chovie D on February 15, 2013, 11:53:47 AM
Yo Mortlock. You did a run of 50 at 2208? I checked out their site and it looks like exactly the sort of thing Ive been looking for, but they dont give any pricing info at all. If I may ask, how much was that run of 50? how was the quality? I can handle lo fi , I cannot handle skips. Looks good tho.

the run of 50 was $5 each. they are priced by size..the record i put out was a 6" he can cut anything from 5" to 12"..i think the 12" are like $21 each..
its a novelty record for sure..they sound ok for what they are but you must never lose sight that they are a lathe cut. the quality is the best in the business at 2208. the dude puts alot of care into what he does..with a decent turntable you shouldnt have any tracking issues..
you could always order one from me and see for yourself..

mortlock · February 16, 2013, 12:56:47 AM

that price includes the complete package too..both sides cut and color center labels for both sides, each record comes in a clear plastic sleeve..

Pissy · February 17, 2013, 08:32:04 AM

Quote from: Chovie D on February 14, 2013, 03:52:38 PM
theres currently only two real pressing plants in the world right?(i could have that way wrong? but these are the two majors??) United in Nashville and the one in the czech republic.

I would just order direct from United in nashville. But Im curious about pirate press and all these other middlemen.
whats the advanatge? why not just send to the czech republic yourself?
are they somehow able to come in cheaper on the whole package?
better service?
not being sarcastic, askin cause Id like to know.

There are more pressing plants than that, I think there's close to ten in the US alone. The thing is, there isn't any company making the pressing equipment anymore. The last press to be made came out of Sweden I think in 1984. So there is a finite amount of production possible, once all those presses are working 24/7 (I've read that United is working 2 hours hours shifts these days) then the price of production will go up (supply/demand). Spare perts for those machines is also an issue.

The concept of one stop shopping for a record project is something that likely would appeal to many. Especially when that single point of contact is US based. I could not imagine the headache associated with communicating over seas to a czech customer service rep, to tell them that "those wizard horns in the gatefold need to be more bloody" or something.

Also, as vinyl is getting more in demand, count on those old press designs getting put back into production. It only makes sense.

RacerX · February 17, 2013, 09:59:20 AM

Quote from: Pissy on February 17, 2013, 08:32:04 AM
Quote from: Chovie D on February 14, 2013, 03:52:38 PM
theres currently only two real pressing plants in the world right?(i could have that way wrong? but these are the two majors??) United in Nashville and the one in the czech republic.

I would just order direct from United in nashville. But Im curious about pirate press and all these other middlemen.
whats the advanatge? why not just send to the czech republic yourself?
are they somehow able to come in cheaper on the whole package?
better service?
not being sarcastic, askin cause Id like to know.

There are more pressing plants than that, I think there's close to ten in the US alone. The thing is, there isn't any company making the pressing equipment anymore. The last press to be made came out of Sweden I think in 1984. So there is a finite amount of production possible, once all those presses are working 24/7 (I've read that United is working 2 hours hours shifts these days) then the price of production will go up (supply/demand). Spare perts for those machines is also an issue.

The concept of one stop shopping for a record project is something that likely would appeal to many. Especially when that single point of contact is US based. I could not imagine the headache associated with communicating over seas to a czech customer service rep, to tell them that "those wizard horns in the gatefold need to be more bloody" or something.

Also, as vinyl is getting more in demand, count on those old press designs getting put back into production. It only makes sense.

I'll just buy me one of them 3D printers & do it my bad self.