HD Vinyl Partners With One of the World’s Largest Record Pressing Plants: Back in 2016, ‘HD Vinyl’ emerged as a back-of-the-envelope idea hatched outside Vienna, Austria. Interesting, but mostly theoretical. Now, the company, part of Rebeat Innovation, has received millions in funding, owns critical patents, and is striking major partnerships. That includes a number of deals with major vinyl record pressing plants, including GZ Media, announced this week. The massive GZ, situated in Loděnice, Czech Republic, has joined forces to retrofit HD’s ceramic, laser-cut stampers to select machines. “Since HD Vinyl stampers will be made out of laser-cut ceramic instead of electroplated metal stampers, new molds and fittings have to be developed,” explained HD Vinyl (and Rebeat Innovation) founder, Guenter Loibl.
Norwich, UK | Opinion: why technology sometimes makes things worse: David Clayton says you haven’t lived until you’ve heard music through a juke box – which means most of the younger generation haven’t lived. …in one technological evolution, I put it to you, we have gone the other way. I was chatting to a pal, who’s something of a vinyl record and music aficionado. In fact, he’s known as “Dr. Vinyl” around these parts. Whenever we meet, he’s eager to play me some long-lost track he’s just discovered. From out of his trouser pocket came his miniscule mp3 player and a speaker the size of a golf ball. One connected to the other, he scrolled down hundreds of titles and then filled the room with a sound which was wildly disproportionate to the size of the thing playing it. I once had a garage full of records and this little gadget offered the same storage capacity!
Atlanta, GA | Kosmo Vinyl Brings Punk Rock to Rose Library: Artist Kosmo Vinyl shared his international perspective on punk and D.I.Y. culture, as well as his experience with The Clash and other bands, at the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book (Rose) Library, which boasts a growing collection of punk and Do-It-Yourself (D.I.Y.) culture in Atlanta, on Sept. 26. Rose Library Curator of Modern Political and Historical Collections Randy Gue introduced Vinyl as a man who holds many titles including, but not limited to: “A press agent, a conceptual publicist, rogue manager, manager, a force of nature, emcee, ringmaster, conciliary, chaperone, factotum, fromage du pompadour, the creative director of The Clash, a producer and an artist.”
Kate Bush’s entire discography to be reissued: Many of Bush’s albums have been unavailable on vinyl for at least a decade. Kate Bush’s entire back catalog will be reissued on vinyl and CD in November. Many of Bush’s albums have been unavailable on vinyl for at least a decade. Not only that, but the archival campaign marks the “first (and definitive) programme of remastering and includes the release of many rarities and cover versions on vinyl and CD for the first time,” according to a press release. Bush personally remastered each album herself with assistance from James Guthrie (Pink Floyd). The reissues will be packaged in four distinct vinyl boxes and released in two waves. The first two box sets are due out on November 16th, with the latter two sets following November 30th. Specifically, the fourth box is made up of rarities previously unreleased on vinyl, including an entire disc of cover versions.
Rolling Stones’ Classic ‘Beggars Banquet’ Gets 50th Anniversary Edition: The reissue of the 1968 landmark will feature a reproduction of a super-rare flexidisc interview with Mick Jagger. The Rolling Stones’ landmark 1968 album Beggars Banquet will be released in a new 50th Anniversary Edition by ABKCO Records in multiple formats, including vinyl and CD, on 16 November. The limited edition vinyl format will have a gatefold jacket with a bonus 12” of the album’s celebrated opening track ‘Sympathy For the Devil’ in mono. That disc is cut at 45rpm and backed with an etching of the original “toilet” cover. Also in the package is a replica of the rare Japanese bonus flexidisc, which contains a telephone interview with Mick Jagger from 1968, and a download code for the album plus interview. Newly mastered by Grammy-winning engineer Bob Ludwig, the disc’s lacquers were cut at Abbey Road and it’s pressed on 180g vinyl.
