One off vinyl cutting

OK. I know this doesn't have anything to do with tiki music directly, but bear with me. I'm looking for feedback on an idea. I'm thinking of buying a record lathe. This is a new system that can cut vinyl, not just lacquer dub plates (that can only be played about 50 times or so before they wear out). These discs will have the same lifespan as a regular vinyl LP. They are not cheep to make! They have to be cut in real time, and unlike making a CD, to cut vinyl properly, you must almost wear the lab coat and a pocket protector (huge learning curve for anyone doing it for the first time. I however have many years of vinyl mastering experience.) The estimated cost would be as follows.

7" 45 both sides $35.00
12" single side cut $45.00
12" maxi single both sides cut $60.00
12" LP 25 min. of music each side $75.00

My question is, before I invest huge sums of money into this, is there a demand for one off vinyl? Would "vinyl heads" actually be willing to pay for a service of this nature. Keeping in mind, you can't usually get vinyl pressed in quantities of less than 500 (and you still have to have a lacquer master cut anyway). The cost is determined by studio time plus the cost of the vinyl blanks.
So, any feedback?

Tiki Bill.

[ Edited by: Tiki Bill 2010-02-18 11:36 ]

[ Edited by: tiki bill 2010-02-18 12:01 ]

[ Edited by: Tiki Bill 2010-02-18 12:10 ]

Sounds interesting Tiki Bill but looks VERY expensive.

There are all kinds of places that will press vinyl for you for much less. I've seen minimum quantities of 100, 300 and 500. If you don't need that many then it probably shouldn't be pressed anyway. Plus add the cost for printing covers and the price will basically double again!

Don't get me wrong, I love vinyl and it all sounds very cool but I really don't think there would be much demand for something like that. At least not at those prices.

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

Granted it is expensive but, think of all the vintage jukebox owners, can't find a 45 of a tune you really want on your juke? No problem. And like I say, you still have to pay for this kind of service (even from a pressing house) to have records pressed. Have a tiki band and really want to hear yourself on vinyl or show your friends but cant afford $800+ for 300 pressings. It's a niche market I know, but some might still be as crazy as me :wink: Heck, if people will pay $50 for a 45 that they "just have to have" on e-bay, I think they would pay $35.00 for a custom one off vinyl of their song or a song not available on vinyl. I'm basing the price $10.00 lower for the service from what I've seen available from other cutting (not pressing) houses both in the US and the UK.

Tiki Bill.

[ Edited by: tiki bill 2010-02-18 12:48 ]

[ Edited by: Tiki Bill 2010-02-18 12:53 ]

I like the idea. I have more than a few masters from 1979 - 2000 that have never been pressed to vinyl...they would be great X-Mas presents for friends - friends with turntables :) - although yeah, a little pricey.

Keep us informed on your decision.

That's the idea tiki g. One off vinyl is too expensive to sell at a show, but for a promo give away for vinyl frenzed fans, or for those DJ's who ONLY play vinyl (because CD's suck as they say) it's actually not a bad deal.

Tiki Bill.

Now that I think about it, $35 for a one-off 45 is reasonable considering the 45s I like (regional 60s garage) now routinely sell in the few-hundred to a thousand dollar and up range...now that's crazy but collectors are a unique breed. When I first started buying 45s $10 each was like "are you kidding!!" Today .99 cent scores are difficult when talking 45+ year old records.

Each one of your pressings could really be considered "rare" - especially if the owner of the master source only pressed up one or two copies.

What about label graphics and stuff like that?

The company who sells the vinyl blanks makes ink jet feed labels that you can print on then stick on to your record after cutting. I could print these for the customer if they supplied the artwork, but I don't have a printer capable of doing jackets. They would just be plain white jackets.

Tiki Bill.

I would most definitely pay 35 bucks for a one (or two) off 45rpm of my rockabilly band. One copy, as you already pointed out, would go directly into my 1950 Seeburg Jukebox. Let me know when you are up and running and I'll be your first customer!

Well, one thing to look at is that vinyl is on the uprise. Large chains like HMV are expanding their vinyl floorspace as consumers realize they either miss or are just finding out about the whole "vinyl experience" of artwork, inserts, and the whole physical-ness of flipping the record over be it on a $10 garage-sale 'table or a $150,000 unit for the very serious turntable freak. CD's are waving goodbye and downloads are for the throwaway crowd who are either too young yet or are just as happy listening to a pre-programmed radio station.
As always, depends on the genre of music, where you sell it etc. Last time I checked, a 2-song 7" at the local wax shop was selling @ $6.
Would I buy it? Well, I'm a cheap bastard who gets most of my old vinyl at thrift & used stores, so I'm the wrong person to ask. Colored vinyl (solids and splatters esp.) and inserts are always a plus, though. If an upgrade to gatefold for the sleeve isn't much, there's also that to consider as well...

I can get the blanks in colors (solid or transparent), and even user photo picture disks! Another possible selling point.

Tiki Bill.

On 2010-02-18 12:10, Jeff Central wrote:
I've seen minimum quantities of 100, 300 and 500. If you don't need that many then it probably shouldn't be pressed anyway. ...
Jeff

There is a niche market for one off vinyl. One of them is for performing artists/DJs that do turntable "scratch" and want to use their own original recordings. Yeah, you can do scratch with those DJ CD players but I'm sure the "purists" will insist that the tactile control is just not the same as vinyl on a turntable. Plus $45 for a one sided 12" is a price that can't be beat. When the disk wears out, just buy another pressing. In the long run, this would still be cheaper than buying a minimum pressing elsewhere of 100 copies.

We'd probably do a few.
Just to have it.