A new vinyl pressing plant is set to open in the North East – Press On Vinyl Production will create up to thirty jobs for the region. The family owned start up is a truly exciting prospect for the North East and for the UK as a whole. 

The pressing plant in Middlesbrough is set to press 100,000 units a month, with priority given to smaller, independent artists and labels. Press On Vinyl currently have a workforce of ten, which they are looking to triple – this is great news for the area, with Covid having an impact on employment nationwide. The prospect of getting hands on with vinyl is a thrilling prospect for music fans and a start up gaining this much traction is a great sign for the industry in the UK.

Press On Vinyl’s website is showing a countdown to the official launch of the business, due to commence on May 28th. There is a great local scene that will continue to explode with the locality of Press On Vinyl.

Vinyl consumption is on the rise, with the ‘vinyl boom’ showing no signs of stopping: fans of all genres are flocking to their local independent record stores to pick up LPs and singles from their favorite artists. The last twelve months have seen bands like Fontaines DC, Sports Team and Mogwai challenge international megastars such as Bieber and Gaga for the number one spot in the album chart. This is driven by vinyl sales, fans are putting their money where their mouth is and fiercely supporting independent artists as a lack of live gigs has slashed revenue streams throughout lockdown.

Bandcamp is key to this vinyl explosion, offering artists the chance to keep 100% of revenue on the first Friday of each month. This has prompted a number of artists to produce new and exclusive vinyl pressings to improve their income. Statistics  released earlier this year showed that vinyl sales overtook CD sales for the first time in the UK since the 80’s.

It’s a truly exciting time to be a record collector, with two jam packed Record Store Day drops due, as well as exciting start ups like Press On Vinyl popping up, what more could an audiophile ask for?