But Citizen Vinyl in Asheville actually makes records in the most literal sense.
The company manufactures 12-inch vinyl disks in the downtown building that once housed the daily Citizen Times newspaper. While the basement presses that once turned out pages of newsprint are gone, they’ve been replaced on the floor above by record presses.
Gar Ragland, a musician and producer who saw the value in repurposing the building to align with his interests and expertise opened the business two years ago. I recently had a chance to tour the facility that offers much more than the manufacturing of the much beloved analog vinyl platters.
On the third floor the old WWNC radio station has been transformed into a recording studio suitable for capturing the performances of both solo artists and full bands. The powerful station in the past had broadcast live acts such as Jimmy Rodgers and Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys to a large section of the eastern United States, as well as parts of Mexico and Canada. More recently the new recording studio has been used by area musicians as well as such international artists as Ann Wilson lead singer of the popular rock group Heart.
Manufacturing takes place on the first floor. The operation has two record presses, a manual one that can be used for specialty albums and a larger capacity one that can turn out up to a hundred records an hour. Polyvinyl pellets are melted down into pucks that go into the hot presses sandwiched between metal plates that have grooves cut into them based on master recordings provided to Citizen Vinyl. Each of the plates includes one side of the album. Applying just the right amount of pressure for about a minute or two produces the disk which then goes to a trimmer to cut the excess vinyl from the rounded edges. The finished product comes in the traditional basic black or a variety of other colors and unique artistic flourishes. The day I took the tour, the press operator was putting out a purple record. While the center label is pressed onto the disc, the cover and other packaging is done elsewhere.
Due the big comeback of analog vinyl records in recent years, Citizen Vinyl has been busy and is considering adding a third press to keep up with demand.
As if a record manufacturing plant and recording studio weren’t enough, Citizen Vinyl has other features that attract both food and music lovers. A café offers gourmet meals, craft beers, cocktails and coffees. And an analog record store stocks classic albums from the likes of the Beatles to Willie Nelson as well as records by local artists that were made right there.
Want to really make a record? Contact Citizen Vinyl.