They’re often blamed for killing independent records, but the maker of those Urban Outfitters suitcase turntables could be sending them a life boat.
Posted on www.chartattack.com, By CHRIS HAMPTON – MAR 8, 2016
They have a reputation for chewing vinyl. Now, they’re trying to do right by the world by bringing some new records into the universe.
Crosley, the American company that makes those affordable, twee turntables-in-a-suitcase that you can buy at clothing retailers like Urban Outfitters, has announced plans to open a new vinyl pressing facility in Louisville, Kentucky.
This is interesting for a few reasons. We’ve all heard about how the increased demand for vinyl has created a backlog with the 20 or so vinyl pressing facilities still operational in the States, squeezing out small batch indie offerings for, say, Led Zeppelin reissues. Inarguably, Crosley’s cheap players — removing audiophilia from the turntable-buying and owning experience — have helped grow the audience for vinyl releases. Especially, for the kind of releases sold right next to the Crosley store displays. In other words, for the sort of releases arguably killing independent albums.
Might another U.S. press help alleviate that log jam, freeing the line, even marginally, for smaller releases?
On a car racing blog (because apparently that’s a thing he’s very into), Crosley CEO Bo LeMastus says the company has already purchased the equipment from a pressing plant in the U.K.
Even if Crosley exclusively presses Urban Outfitters-core records, theoretically, it’ll help make room somewhere in the queue. So is this their mea culpa?
