A new vinyl pressing plant focusing on indies, Onyx Record Press, has opened up in Los Angeles with a plan to begin pressing vinyl as early as August.
Onyx Record Press is a new vinyl pressing plant opening in Los Angeles County, the brainchild of LA-based DJ and producer, Drumcell. Based in the city of Arcadia, the pressing plant is already taking pre-orders and is anticipated to begin pressing vinyl as early as August.
“We believe in investing in our music communities by prioritizing non-major labels and artists, creating access for customers that are faced with unrealistic timelines or flat-out denied, and having new state-of-the-art pressing machines for a quicker turnaround,” says Drumcell.
“Our team has over 25 years of experience in the vinyl manufacturing industry. We uphold the notion that getting records pressed is a distinguished compliment for an artist,” the statement continues. “We believe that the sum of feeling the weight of vinyl in your hands, listening to the needle translate the grooves into music, and admiring the large artwork is the ultimate form to experience recorded music. At Onyx Record Press, we are committed to delivering this quintessential music format in the highest quality possible.”
The news comes almost a year after a new vinyl-pressing plant opened in California, hoping to become “America’s premier vinyl production facility,” amid a trend of shortages and delays for plants worldwide. New vinyl pressing plants also opened in Germany and the UK last year.
US vinyl sales increased by 21.7% in the first half of 2023, according to Luminate’s mid-year report. Despite the continued resurgence in vinyl’s popularity, manufacturing delays and rising costs continue to strain the independent vinyl market; many smaller or indie musicians have been turned away from pressing plants in favor of more prominent artists, something Drumcell hopes to help alleviate.
