Any bands printing vinyl?

[Greyvagabond]

Hi guys, my band is getting ready to finished mixing and mastering our debut full-length, and we know we are going to print up some CDs, but we were also toying with the idea of printing up some "limited edition" 7" EPs of the singles we are releasing. Anybody know how much money a small run would be? Anybody have success doing this? I know vinyl is comming back in a big way, and as an audiophile myself, I'd be great to hear our wonderful recordings in full hi-fi!

[makaky]

Originally Posted by Greyvagabond

I know vinyl is comming back in a big way

I have heard that quote for the last 15 years. I think vinyl is gone forever, only a few passionate still uses them.

Unless you have alot of money to put in and a following willing to pay a hard price for them. Its not gonna be worth it considering you may need a different mastering, a vinyl print master, and a 12" art case etc...

[Joel S.]

Originally Posted by Greyvagabond

Hi guys, my band is getting ready to finished mixing and mastering our debut full-length, and we know we are going to print up some CDs, but we were also toying with the idea of printing up some "limited edition" 7" EPs of the singles we are releasing. Anybody know how much money a small run would be? Anybody have success doing this? I know vinyl is comming back in a big way, and as an audiophile myself, I'd be great to hear our wonderful recordings in full hi-fi!

Make sure you either record and mix analog, or in stupid ridiculously high digital quality, or else the medium is moot.

There are a handful of bands where I get the vinyl over CDs. Go for it!

[Joel S.]

Originally Posted by makaky

I think vinyl is gone forever, only a few passionate still uses them.

You would be so very very very wrong. I have turntables, and regularly purchase vinyl (they still sell it in stores out here). Also, vinyl is still big in DJing.

Regarding the art, that's moot. It's not necessary for 7" singles, and it can be designed for 12" and scaled for CDs very easily.

[Magman]

I've had conversations with our drummer (passionate vinyl collector, and worked a lot in record stores) about this issue.

He was saying when he's toured with other bands... if they have vinyl for sale at a gig....people really like to buy it and they can charge a relatively premium rate for it. Some bands are pressing vinyl and including a download link for mp3's.

Its not cheap to press though....the last time I looked at quotes years ago pressing a 12inch 33rpm wasn't that much more than a 7inch. Oil prices have not helped costs either.

Clearly CD sales are plummeting and record stores dying out...but I heard rumours some vinyl was getting into best buy. The fact you cannot play it in a car or office may also lend itself to ppl still digging the format.... you have a dedicated listening space.

The economics of the music industry (overground or underground) are in flux so probably worth experimenting with different approaches.

Originally Posted by Greyvagabond

Hi guys, my band is getting ready to finished mixing and mastering our debut full-length, and we know we are going to print up some CDs, but we were also toying with the idea of printing up some "limited edition" 7" EPs of the singles we are releasing. Anybody know how much money a small run would be? Anybody have success doing this? I know vinyl is comming back in a big way, and as an audiophile myself, I'd be great to hear our wonderful recordings in full hi-fi!

[DudeistMonk]

The including a free download of the album with a vinyl is really cool. I don't have a record player and if I did I wouldn't buy a record simply because my computer is how I keep my music safe...the first thing I do when I get a CD is rip it and then throw the CD into my car to play there until it gets destroyed...and they always do.

[Alcyon]

vinyl is great and is coming back in a big way. do it if you can. there are a lot of smaller distros that will print for you.

[NS2A]

Not sure the type of music you play, but my guess if it's alternative or progressive or dark metal, pressing vinyl would be a good idea. My guess is if your fanbase are more of "music nuts", then it'd work.

But for your typical band, my guess is it'll be a flop.

[dj150888]

Floppy haired "flavour of the month" type band? Bad idea, theres not enough dedication within these scenes.

My experience is that it definitely works within the metal scene. Its got collectors value. A local label have sold out of every run of vinyl they've done, they've some CDs sitting around for years!

[chrisisnotevil]

Originally Posted by makaky

I have heard that quote for the last 15 years. I think vinyl is gone forever, only a few passionate still uses them.

perhaps in canada, but here in the UK places like piccadilly records in manchester and selectadisc in nottingham still do a decent trade in vinyl. i sell Hi-Fis for a living, and i see quite a few young people getting good quality turntables as birthday or xmas presents. i'd say it's definitely worth putting out a few limited edition 7"s. as for pressing, you'd need to get in touch with a good distro, good luck with it!

[psycholalia]

Kinda in regard to what Joel S said above, you do have to do separate mixes for vinyl and digital. Add that on top of the cost of pressing, working along those lines really pushes the budget and may not be worth it.

On the other hand, I still buy new vinyl and really like seeing that kind of dedication from a band.

[Flizzy21]

The Black Keys, there a really cool lo-fi bluesy band.
They Dont have a bassist, its just a guitar and drum duo but still well worth checking out

[pendergasta]

Yeah, I hear vinyl is going to make a huge hit as soon as 8 tracks lose their grip on the market....
Come on guys!! It seems like your band's money could be spent on something a little more worthwhile.. I'm 32 and haven't SEEN a record player in 15 years!

[Amitio]

I see vinyls all the time in my local Zavvi, mind you they only tend to be either really popular artists or local bands.

I think there cool, but a lot of shops have stopped stocking them, everything is going digital.

[Traver]

Depends on the genre. As said, vinyl is huge within the metal underground. I know some of the small underground labels go as far as ONLY printing and releasing vinyl and tapes, and a lot of the big names within the genre release limited vinyl-releases alongside their CD releases.
You probably know the culture of your own genre better than I do, so if you know that it's commonplace for bands in the genre to release vinyls, go for it. If not, you may want to think it over.

[Stone Age]

Wow, and I thought CD's had already died a horrible death at the hands of the Ipod. But Vinyl is coming back?

[dj150888]

Originally Posted by pendergasta

Yeah, I hear vinyl is going to make a huge hit as soon as 8 tracks lose their grip on the market....
Come on guys!! It seems like your band's money could be spent on something a little more worthwhile.. I'm 32 and haven't SEEN a record player in 15 years!

Different scenes bro, I'm 20 and every single one of my mates collects vinyl and has at least one turntable!

[thycrusader]

Originally Posted by dj150888

Different scenes bro, I'm 20 and every single one of my mates collects vinyl and has at least one turntable!

Same here. My family has a ginormous collection of vinyl with a working record player. And we actually use it!

[dj150888]

Out of all my friends I have the "baby" collection and I have ~200, they've all got way more than me!

[fenderhutz]

I found it quite funny that it was the "hardcore" band thing to do in the late 90's. I remember Victory Records putting out a ton of vinyl.