Vinyl pressing question

[jfrey]

How much does it cost to do?

[grindonomicon]

How many buckets of water are in the ocean?

It all depends on everything. Size of vinyl, quality of mastering, who does plating, pressing, how you do covers, labels, inserts, etc...

Short answer: from maybe under $2.00 for a plain black vinyl 7" with a cheap or , um, 'free' cover - to whatever you desire to spend.

I use Prairie Cat for mastering. You should as well. Then you can plate + press at a number of different places. I used United for the last rec I did, one of the co pressings I bought in on was pressed at United, the other at Archer; all three 7" projects.

eedit 4 linx:
http://www.prairiecatmastering.com/
http://www.urpressing.com/

[jfrey]

There is a whole lot of text and numbers and stuff where I don't know what they mean... This is something I have never done before. I have just seen a lot of musicians/bands that want to do vinyls but don't have the budget for it or whatever, so I was thinking maybe I just make that happen. I'm planning to open a store in Boston, and obscure, weird, and unsigned music is something I want to sell, aside from the main stock of boutique effects, custom instruments, art, etc. I figure this could be a part of that. But like I said, I know nothing about having records produced.

Let's say (100) 180 gram records, with plain white protective inner sleeves, with photo quality single pocket jackets.

What do you think that would cost to do?

[grindonomicon]

Doing 100 records is totally cost innefficient, all your $ will be in mastering and plating. 100 is more short run CD or cassette territory. You'd pay $160 less to get 100 LP than 500 LPs.

Here's united's specials: http://www.urpressing.com/specials.php#scale . On top of that you'd need to add jackets @ $900 for a run of 500. That's why short run vinyl folks tend to do DIY covers.

[jfrey]

Doing 100 records is totally cost innefficient, all your $ will be in mastering and plating. 100 is more short run CD or cassette territory. You'd pay $160 less to get 100 LP than 500 LPs.

Here's united's specials: http://www.urpressing.com/specials.php#scale . On top of that you'd need to add jackets @ $900 for a run of 500. That's why short run vinyl folks tend to do DIY covers.

Well I was just using 100 as an example number. Ok so say 500.

Hmm looks like $745 with the jackets and shit in that special for 500. So that's like $2000 and change. That is a lot.

7"s are significantly cheaper so maybe that would be a better plan for now.

[D.o.S.]

That's why it's not super feasible to print vinyl unless you know you're going to sell it.

For example, you've got 500 records sold at 20 bucks a pop, that's 10 large in your pocket as an ROI.

So, per 500 records, you need to sell 100 of them at $20 to make money, 200 of them at $10, so on and so forth.

Not counting the cost of studio time, art/illustration time, and any kind of distribution deal.

Which is why CDs are better, even if they're not nearly as fetishized.

Maybe you should look into 8-track...

[grindonomicon]

You can always get in on co-pressing with small labels or bands doing their own record if you have a way to sell the records. Or you just like have 25+ copies of a record or like giving records away...

If you have a label-shop-distro-online shop, you finance part of the pressing for records. Which you should get at cost. That's what I do with other labels. A label or band can ask me or other labels if we want in on a pressing, usually of 500 7" records, and then you buy 25-100 of them. At cost. If someone wants you to pay wholesale prices to finance pressing, kindly show them the door to reality.

When I do a release, I license the material from the bands for worldwide release for 2 years, then I co press out as much of the pressing as I need to to labels and distros around the world. I send out a pdf with the cost breakdown, try to let labels know a timetable, and then hope it all goes well.

Records are expensive to do. They are not easy to sell. Expecting to break even is a bit foolish. Noobs always say that. "I'll do trades after I break even." No, by the time you get a clue, no one will want the record anymore cuz there's 8 bajillion other records coming out...

^ I won't disagree with short run cd's being 'better'. Esp if made by a touring band, they can bring in some merch $ with a small $ outlay if you do your homework. Easier to repress. Less $ for a label to lose.

[aen]

We're doing a 7" to pay for our next 12" now that our first 12" is paid for.

[D.o.S.]

You can always get in on co-pressing with small labels or bands doing their own record if you have a way to sell the records. Or you just like have 25+ copies of a record or like giving records away...

If you have a label-shop-distro-online shop, you finance part of the pressing for records. Which you should get at cost. That's what I do with other labels. A label or band can ask me or other labels if we want in on a pressing, usually of 500 7" records, and then you buy 25-100 of them. At cost. If someone wants you to pay wholesale prices to finance pressing, kindly show them the door to reality.

When I do a release, I license the material from the bands for worldwide release for 2 years, then I co press out as much of the pressing as I need to to labels and distros around the world. I send out a pdf with the cost breakdown, try to let labels know a timetable, and then hope it all goes well.

Records are expensive to do. They are not easy to sell. Expecting to break even is a bit foolish. Noobs always say that. "I'll do trades after I break even." No, by the time you get a clue, no one will want the record anymore cuz there's 8 bajillion other records coming out...

^ I won't disagree with short run cd's being 'better'. Esp if made by a touring band, they can bring in some merch $ with a small $ outlay if you do your homework. Easier to repress. Less $ for a label to lose.

Bardo Pond totally rocked the limited edition CD-R for at least ten years. The key is being able to keep yourself from repressing it.

[grindonomicon]

If you can get one ready before each tour, that would be a good way. I'm working on doing a few limited releases... One split cassette tape with Cogs and Sprockets - 4 editions of 40 on my label and split with three others, and a ltd to 66 lathe cut split 7" with Actuary on Midnight Sea. Much lower cash layout than full press vinyl or CD's, and the releases will sell or trade out quick. We might break the 'one issue' rules and do more tapes tho.

There's a lot of decent ways to do things. Aen is great at doing what he's doing because he's a public dude and they're selling their records directly. When you sell hundreds (millions?) o' pedals, peeps can follow you on the web on 6+ sites, and you play shows and fests - that will sell some records.

Funny, cool and handsome ain't hurting him either.

Some labels or bands press 500 records on the cheap-as-possible, and try to trade most of them away for records for online store stock or show-fest distos. Gives bands 10+ records to sell on tour instead of just a box of theirs, and fills out personal collections fast. Esp if your release is really good.

It mostly boils down to having a good plan before you do anything. I rushed into restarting my label, and it's suffering for it. Tho other big and common problems, label-wise, have been 'other responsiblities and prioirities' and 'not enough money to be doing this crazy stuff'.