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Still in the groove

Only 14 U.S. plants remain that make vinyl records, but at one of them, in Nashville, business is off the charts.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published February 23, 2007

NASHVILLE

That dusty stack of records in your parents' basement? They're not as retro as you might think.

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.

"Folks thought we had disappeared," owner and CEO Cris Ashworth said.

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.

Ashworth, 56, said 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 that still use vinyl records and turntables to mix, scratch and blend music.

"The record labels use us as a marketing tool to get that new track out there," Ashworth explained. United also sells to retail stores, where vinyl is preferred by amateur DJs, collectors and purists convinced that the sound is superior to compact discs.

"Vinyl has a distinct sound," said Doyle Davis, co-owner of Grimey's New & Preloved Music, a Nashville store where 15 to 20 percent of sales are vinyl. "You hear people use adjectives like 'warmer' and 'more round.' "

Vinyl records use analog technology, whereby a physical groove is etched into the record mimicking the sound wave. CDs, on the other hand, transform sound into digital packets of information.

"No one ever doubts the quality of vinyl over any other format that's ever existed," said George Sulmers, a Nashville-based club DJ who spins classic funk and soul discs under the name Geezus. "I understand why change happened, but I don't think there was a valid need for the change."

The means of music delivery continues to evolve. Digital downloading has eroded CD sales. Some artists are skipping CDs entirely and releasing new music online for the casual listener and on vinyl for DJs and hardcore fans.

Ashworth's 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. Revenue hit $5-million in 2004 and $7-million in 2005, and Ashworth said 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.

"We want to be the last vinyl plant standing, no matter what," he said. "There is no other plant that looks like this in the country. This is an antique."

Fast Facts:

Down, but not out

Vinyl records still account for a small percentage of total music sales. Last year, 858,000 LPs were sold, compared with 553.4-million CDs, according to Nielsen SoundScan. While the 2006 figure was up slightly from 2005, the overall trend has been down since 2000, when 1.5-million vinyl records were sold.

FAST FACTS

Down, but not out

Vinyl records still account for a small percentage of total music sales. Last year, 858,000 LPs were sold, compared with 553.4-million CDs, according to Nielsen SoundScan. While the 2006 figure was up slightly from 2005, the overall trend has been down since 2000, when 1.5-million vinyl records were sold.

[Last modified February 23, 2007, 06:17:55]