Vinyl 101: Learn About Different Pressing Plants

As you’ve been on your vinyl journey, you might have noticed marketing bullet points underneath the records you’re buying. “Pressed at RTI,” or “Pressed at Third Man Records,” or “Pressed at Gotta Groove.” If you’re not aware of what those places are, or what that means, Vinyl 101 is here for you.

While many music fans focus on artists, mastering engineers, and labels, the pressing plant itself can have a significant impact on your record’s sound quality, durability, and overall presentation. Unlike with something more mechanical like CDs, vinyl manufacturing processes can be different, and each plant can offer different colors, quality, and options.

Along with the vinyl boom that happened in the last 10 years, there has also been an incredible boom in the amount of pressing plants around the world. There’s GZ in the Czech Republic, Optimal in Germany, and plants opening in different countries seemingly every month. For the purposes of this email, let’s focus on just ones in the U.S., though. This list can’t be exhaustive—it’d run to the length of 10 emails, but here’s a starting guide to learning about different plants:

Starting on the West Coast, there’s Record Technology Incorporated (RTI) in Camarillo, California. One of the oldest still operating plants, it was opened in 1974 with a focus on hi-fi records. It’s the plant favored by many labels for their reissue series, and has a vaunted reputation in the vinyl arena. If you see that name on a marketing sticker, you can trust it.

Also in California is Fidelity Record Pressing, the home of the legendary Mobile Fidelity series. Started with vets from RTI, this is a newer plant, but has been pressing reissue series from Rhino recently, and gotten great reviews in a hurry.  

One of the most well-known and respected facilities in the country is more towards the middle of the country: Quality Record Pressings (QRP), located in Salina, Kansas. Founded in 2011 by Chad Kassem, the owner of Acoustic Sounds, QRP quickly became synonymous with high-end audiophile vinyl production. QRP is known for pressing premium releases for labels such as Analogue Productions, Verve/Acoustic Sounds, and many major reissue campaigns.

Tennessee boasts two major pressing plants. First is United Record Pressing (URP), based in Nashville, Tennessee. Established in 1949, United is one of the oldest and largest pressing plants in America. The company has produced records for generations of artists, from Motown legends to contemporary indie bands. It puts out more vinyl than any other in the U.S., so it’ll be a name you see often. And west of URP is Memphis Record Pressing (MRP), headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 2014, it’s located in one of the most musical cities to ever exist.

Jack White’s Third Man Records has a storefront and studio in Nashville, but their pressing plant, Third Man Pressing, is located in Detroit. Opened in 2017 by Jack White’s Third Man Records, the plant was built not only as a manufacturing facility but also as part of an immersive public experience; it’s set up like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate factory.

Also in the Midwest is Gotta Groove Records, based in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 2009, it’s known for its inventive color blends and interesting effects, and its attention to detail in packaging and pressing.

And finally, in the southeast, there are two recent plants that have opened. In North Carolina, Citizen Vinyl opened in 2020 in Asheville. They have a focus on a NFC chip that allows you to track info about your records. Furnace Record Pressing is in Virginia, and is famous for being the pressing plant owned by Metallica. If you buy a Metallica record, it was pressed there.

Many of these plants have tours, or merch stores, or performance spaces, because unlike the plants of the past, these have become cultural hubs around celebrating music. Keep your eye out on your records—often, the plant is listed on the back of the jacket or in the credits—and see which plants your favorite records came from.