Many record collectors, DJs and music junkies still consider vinyl to be the gold standard of recorded music — scratches, pops and all.
That enduring appeal has helped Nashville’s United Record Pressing, which cranks out 20,000 to 40,000 records a day, making it one of the largest — and last — vinyl record manufacturers in the country.
Started in 1962, the plant is as much a throwback as the shiny black discs it produces. The interior is dingy, the ’70s decor looks like a vintage garage sale, and the air is a stale blend of ink and cigarette smoke.
Cris Ashworth, 56, hardly looks the part of dance music guru, but 60 percent of his company’s records are by rap, hip-hop and R&B artists such as Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas, Christina Aguilera, Ludacris and Krayzie Bone.
Most of the discs are 12-inch singles destined for professional DJs at radio stations and dance clubs who still use vinyl records and turntables to mix, scratch and blend music.
His company has managed to thrive by picking up business from competitors in a shrinking market. Today, he has only 13 competitors, compared with several dozen before CDs took over in the ’90s. Revenues hit $5 million in 2004 and grew to $7 million in 2005. Last year saw significant growth over 2005, Ashworth said.
And yet the plant remains a timepiece, with its rumbling presses that jar the floor, noisy blasts of compressed air and vats of blue nickel solution used to create the master discs.
Photo by AP.
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