Crafting the perfect album is a true art form. There’s a certain level of skill required in taking a collection of individual songs and compiling them into a finished body of work. When everything comes together, an otherwise ordinary handful of tracks become something extra special, capturing the heart and minds of music fans for decades to come. So what … Read More

In a recent feature, we explored the weird and wonderful world of run-out groove messages. From mastering engineer signatures to hidden messages and inside-jokes, there is a whole world of interesting etchings to explore. Closely related to this topic is the world of audible locked grooves. Standard records have a locked groove at the end of each side, usually in … Read More

In a recent video and statement, Jack White calls on major labels to build their own pressing plants once again. His plea comes at a moment in time where demand for vinyl records continues to grow year on year, but the capacity for production remains rudimentary and pushed to the limit. In his statement, he claims, “At least once a … Read More

Traditionally, the dead wax between the final grooves and the record label is a relatively benign, uninteresting space. You might find a matrix number, or perhaps a few extra digits referring to the cut or take of a particular record—or maybe, if you’re lucky, the mastering engineer or pressing plant will add their own signature. Look a little closer, though, … Read More