Putting the Needle to the Groove
- the easy way to put out a 7” record
An interview with Vinyl Record Guru
by Tanya Harding

You might have been wondering how and where to get your 7" done. We started investigating this for The Skinny’s upcoming release of a Hawaiian Bibles / Los Malos split single and thought we would share what we learned with you. It's not like there are a lot of choices or help available here in Canada and since half our staff can't get across the border, we figured we were screwed (just kidding, er, maybe not). But then I stumbled upon Vinyl Record Guru, like a genie in a bottle.

Vinyl Record Guru is a vinyl brokerage company based in Nanaimo B.C. They source out record pressing, lacquer cutting, plating, CD duplication and printing of jackets, labels, stickers, inserts, inner sleeves, MP3 download cards and anything else someone throws at them.

Vinyl Record Guru is David Read (president) and Brent Coulton (production coordinator). I chose to speak with Brent, because he is the one that you will deal with if you want a quote.

Skinny: Ok, I know several bands who have been talking about Vinyl Records Guru, and some have already got their vinyl done through you, like Pretty Vanilla (new release coming out in June), Apollo Ghosts, Japandroids and, of course, your sister Lindsey’s band Bash Brothers. With every band in Vancouver clamouring to get a 7" record out, what makes Vinyl Record Guru the best choice?

Brent: Just before I started working at Vinyl Record Guru, my band self-released a record. It was a slow, confusing and frustrating process. Vinyl Record Guru takes all the pain out of the process and we have some good value-added services you won’t get by going straight to a plant. Example: my band did not go to a proper recording studio and did not do any mastering of the record. As a result, it sounds kind of thin and quiet. When we did the Bash Brothers record it was recorded exactly the same but we did a little “EQ tweak” and the difference between the two records is huge. A big plant won’t offer to do this! We feel it's little things like this, that we don’t have to do, which will make your project a more gratifying parcel to receive in the mail! (We will never re-master someone’s record! We only did this after their approval!)

S: According to your website (www.vinylrecordguru.com), David Read is the mastermind behind the company. Who is he? Is he ‘the’ Guru?

B: He is the Guru no doubt. He’s managed plants, owned labels, worked for labels, been in bands, toured, played festivals and on and on. He’s a super nice guy and makes some mean ribs!
David knows so many people out there. He knows the history of most of the plants in North America, can tell you where the presses at one place came from and who used to operate them before they switched jobs. He used to live in Brooklyn and has some crazy stories from his experiences there. Interesting side note: The presses he used to manage ended up being sold to the Church of Scientology!

David likes going out in his boat, bbg’ing, hanging out with his family and adding to his huge collection of records. David performs solo and is in a local band called The Happys!

Skinny: And since you do all the quotes and such - who are you?

Brent: I’m a music collector, gear collector, play in a bunch of bands, do a radio show, am part of a weekly knitting group and like to go to my parents for dinner!

Skinny: I heard your radio show on CHLY 101.7 fm Sunday 4-6 and you played Chrisariffic's band, The Bible Belts, and I know that you are in The Madonna Bangers, (myspace.com/madonnabangers), so you’ve got good indie music credentials, but, really, why should we trust you?

Brent: Because I’m a musician who used to really want to put out vinyl records before I worked here. I’d spend hours wandering through the interweb, confused and frustrated. So I can relate to someone in the same boat. Cutting a record is not easy. I’ve learned a huge amount since I’ve started working here and can use that knowledge to your benefit! I’ll actually give a shit whether or not your record does well or you as a band do well. I go to shows and might even try to help book you a show over here in Nanaimo!

Skinny: What was the first album that you ever bought?

Brent: The Beastie Boys Root Down EP!

Skinny: What is your favourite album?

Brent: Ever or right now? Right now: Number One Cup’s Wrecked by Lions. EVER? Hmmmm… off the top of my head it would be R L Burnside’s first recordings by George Mitchell.

Skinny: What is the greatest album Vinyl Record Guru has done so far?

Willie Nelson’s last LP maybe? Or a reissue of the Bad Brains’ first record? We get excited about a lot of stuff that shows up. Depends on our mood too. We just worked on a bunch of reissued early metal records like Anthrax and Overkill. They are pretty insane!

Skinny: What is the cheapest way to get a 7" done by Vinyl Records Guru?

Brent: Personally, I don’t agree with the cheapest option mindset when it comes to vinyl. Like anything, you get what you pay for! But keeping printed covers simple or doing them yourself and doing at least 500 copies will keep your cost per unit down. I’m always working on new options for affordable 7”s.

Skinny: Last kick at the can: convince us Vancouverites that you are the way to go.

Brent: When you, as an independent artist, call a huge pressing plant in an industrial park, they are not going to give you as much priority as a major label pumping out huge runs. Between all the little projects we send them, we have the same pull as a major label (but we get to make more interesting projects). Also we don’t have to be loyal to any one plant. If it makes sense for us to press your record at one place we will. Each plant has different strengths and weaknesses. We know what they are and can work around them to get everyone a great product according to their needs. That, and you’re supporting a Canadian company!

Thanks to Rob Frith at Neptoon Records, the friendly knowledgeable staff at Audiopile and Felix from Little Red Sound for their help on this subject.

Next issue we will cover distribution options. Posted: May 24, 2009