A new vinyl record pressing plant, Press On Vinyl is set to open in Teesside, UK. Find out what this means for indie artists and music sales.

Vinyl records have enjoyed a significant revival in recent years. In fact, the demand for vinyl is at a 30-year high. Whether it’s down to more people seeking better audio quality, or consumers wanting Instagrammable collector’s items, the call for black wax isn’t showing signs of slowing. More than 5 millions albums were sold on vinyl in 2021, which is an 8% rise on the previous year.

Because of this boom in popularity, demand has begun to outweigh supply. Along with rising costs of materials, pressing plants have begun to struggle.

There are just a handful of vinyl record pressing plants in the UK. The majority of records are made in Europe, but even these larger factories have been up against it. In a bid to combat shortages, and support local independent artists, Danny Lowe has set up Press On Vinyl.

Press On Vinyl

Situated in Tees Advanced Manufacturing Park (TeesAMP), David Todd, Danny Lowe, and David Hynes will be focussing on independent artists and labels, small-run releases, and musicians local to the North East area.

Speaking to the BBC, Danny Lowe said:

“Middlesbrough is everything we are about. We all care passionately about the area. It’s important it’s here. We have a rich heritage and rich history of manufacturing and creativity in industry here, whether it’s chemicals or pottery and now computer games. We are proud of that and proud to be a part of it.”

BBC Look North

The rich heritage Lowe refers to is the production of records for artists like David Bowie and Elvis Presley 40 years ago. This happened just up the road in Washington, UK at RCA Records.

The first record to be pressed in the brand-new vinyl record pressing plant is a debut EP, You Say She’s Satisfied from local band, Komparrison. The EP will be released in spring this year.

Press On Vinyl hope to press 50,000 records a month. This number should increase as they acquire more pressing machines.

Are you a fan of that deliciously warm vinyl crackle, but don’t have the vinyl? Check out our Lo-fi Music for Streaming collection, where waxy crackle is in abundance.