Custom Vinyl for Limited Edition Releases

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

The answer to this question is: “of course you can!” Most vinyl runs start at 100 units, which is a good size for a limited release. If you have a devoted audience, you can charge more for a limited release than a regular one and thus make a tidy profit. If you’re just getting started, stick to standard vinyl market price (around $20-25).

Table of Contents:
• Introduction to custom vinyl production
• Understanding the vinyl production process
• The benefits of custom vinyl for special projects
• Steps to create a custom vinyl
• Challenges and considerations
• Marketing and selling your custom vinyl

Introduction to custom vinyl production

Custom vinyl production refers to the manufacturing of vinyl units from client-supplied music. The artwork, label design, and records will be manufactured to your specifications with your supplied materials.

What is custom vinyl?

Records that are pressed with your designs and music are custom vinyl. As long as you own the rights to the art and music, you can put anything you want on a vinyl record and album cover.

Why choose custom vinyl for limited edition releases?

Vinyl is all the rage right now! For the first time since the 1980s, vinyl record sales outperformed CDs last year. People love the tactility of vinyl; it’s great to hold in your hands. Hearing the needle hit the record is very satisfying in this age of intangible digital music. Many also feel that vinyl reproduces sound in a more realistic way than its digital counterpart.

Understanding the vinyl production process

If you’ve never ordered vinyl records before, it’s helpful to know a bit about the process before diving headfirst into it. And if you have, well, everyone can use a refresher!

From mastering to pressing

Work with your mastering engineer to make sure your master has been optimized for vinyl. Sometimes this requires a separate vinyl master. Your engineer will confirm that your tracks aren’t too sibilant, compressed, or bass-heavy for vinyl, and if they are they should adjust them. Once the master is finished, the files will be used to create a lacquer which is used to create metal stampers. These stampers are then used to mold molten plastic and create vinyl records.

Selecting the right vinyl type

One of the main choices these days in selecting what type of vinyl to press is between standard thickness and 180g. If it’s not cost prohibitive, 180g records generally sound better and will last longer. You might also want to press colored vinyl, as this can be something exciting for your followers, especially for a limited-edition release. Many professionals feel black vinyl has better sound quality, but the sound doesn’t diminish so significantly with colored vinyl as to prohibit pressing it.

The benefits of custom vinyl for special projects

Since Record Store Day began in 2008, many artists have been pressing special, one-off projects on vinyl in anticipation of fans’ excitement at having something new and scarce to purchase. These include previously unreleased live albums, outtake records, and newly remastered versions of classics. Announcing the release in advance of Record Store Day helps build fan excitement, as listeners can look forward to adding the new disc to their collections. And even independent artists can cash in on this trend, as a special release can garner enthusiasm in even the tiniest fanbase.

Unique collectability and aesthetic appeal

A one-off release not only gives your audience something that is instantly collectable, but it is an opportunity for you to create inspired cover art and/or showcase previously unseen photos. Album cover art is extremely important for a vinyl release. In the past, people would often purchase a vinyl record simply because it had a striking cover. While those days are mostly over, a memorable album cover will still inspire pre-existing fans and those on the fence to buy the record.

Sound quality considerations

The maximum achievable sound quality on 12” vinyl would most likely be on black vinyl recorded at 45 RPM using direct metal mastering. This might be unaffordable for many; 45 RPM pressings turn single albums into double and triple albums. But if sound quality is your prime concern, it’s worth it to spend extra. You might choose to sacrifice some sound quality and press colored vinyl. Consider what you think your actual or future fans might want.

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Steps to create a custom vinyl

This next section will provide clarity on what actions you need to take in which order. If you are new to the process, some of this might be revelatory … bookmark for later!

1. Determine the project’s scope and budget

How many units will you press? It depends on what you can afford and what you intend to do with the finished vinyl. Plan thoroughly for every step of the process from recording to manufacturing and you’ll minimize your chances of unexpected costs. If you plan to distribute records in stores, you’ll want to press at least 300 units.

2. Choose a vinyl pressing company

Once you’ve determined your budget, the next step is to choose a vinyl pressing company. Some companies press their vinyl in-house and some do not. The advantage of in-house pressing is the quickness of fixing errors, though this shouldn’t dissuade you from working with companies who do not, as they might offer other advantages. Generally off-site pressing doesn’t add anything to the turnaround times.

Factors to consider when selecting a company

Firstly, consider price, which costs are included, and which are extra. Then consider turn times, the availability of rush ordering should you need it, and proofing/test pressing process. Vinyl pressing nationwide generally takes 8–10 weeks. You can find boutique pressing plants that do short-run orders more quickly; ask for samples of their work to make sure it’s high quality. Allow yourself plenty of time before any deadline and don’t book release events until you have received your products.

Recommended vinyl pressing companies

There are a myriad of vinyl pressing companies out there. At Disc Makers, the costs are all upfront and The Design Studio can create your artwork from scratch using supplied text and images. There are also many boutique record pressing companies that do custom vinyl in short runs of under 100 or even one-off discs. Do your research and pay attention to hidden costs and what the pressing plant will require of you. Some plants will not accept supplied lacquers, and some will, for example.

3. Design the vinyl record

The record artwork is almost as important as the music inside! Sounds like heresy, but it was even more true in the pre-digital era. Take your time and select images for your record label, album cover, and packaging that truly represent you and your music.

Custom label and packaging design

Record labels can be full color or black and white. Packaging options can be simple — just jacket and sleeve — or more complicated if you want a gatefold or if you have a double album set. Thoroughly evaluate your options and select what you need.

Color and style options

Colored vinyl is very popular these days! Some fans of major artists will collect the same album in all the different released colors. Selling the same album to your fans four times is no small feat! Some engineers believe colored vinyl doesn’t sound as good as black vinyl, though the jury is still formally out on this. If you opt for colored vinyl, you’ll need to select the color of your records and also a pattern if available. Splatter patterns are very popular. Colored vinyl for a limited-edition release can be something novel for your followers to buy.

4. Submit audio and design files

Almost all vinyl pressing facilities will accept digital files. If you are sending digital audio files, make sure they are in an uncompressed format like WAV, AIFF, or Apple Lossless. Digital compression sounds terrible on vinyl! Consult your mastering engineer to ensure your music has been tweaked for maximum audio fidelity on vinyl. Sometimes this requires a separate vinyl master. Make sure all design files are submitted in the pressing plant’s appropriate templates with enough bleed and safety margin provided.

5. Approve test pressings

Make sure to inform your pressing plant that you want test pressings to approve before final production. Some places will charge an extra fee for this, but it’s worth it. You’ll usually receive five test press discs to approve. Listen to all of them. If there is a pop or click on multiple discs, it’s probably on your stamper; if only one disc has an issue, it is probably just that record. Use the best turntable you can for proofing, as you want to avoid the equipment itself being an issue and cheap turntables tend to skip more easily.

This is not the time to proof your mix and/or mastering work, as you should have approved that earlier in the process. Remember that test pressings generally have more surface noise and won’t sound quite as good as the final product. The main thing to listen for is surface noise that might be on the discs themselves and not from dust, so clean the test pressing with a microfiber brush before playing. Listen for any unwanted distortion, especially toward the outside of the disc; there will be some inner groove distortion if the music on each side is pushing the time limit, but this should be present on the inner grooves and not the outer ones.

If you do find an issue, check to see if it’s present on all the records, then play them on a different turntable to make sure it’s not your equipment. If there is still an issue on all five discs after doing that, consult your pressing plant, as most likely an error has been made.

Challenges and considerations

Custom manufacturing is not an exact process. For major label vinyl runs, 1000 is just considered a test run. The shorter your run, the more difficult it can be to ensure quality among all the discs. This is less true at boutique vinyl pressing companies where more attention is paid to each disc in the process and they are used to tiny runs. But errors happen and are in fact a common part of the manufacturing process. Make sure you know your pressing company’s policy on fixing errors —your errors and especially theirs.

Cost implications

We all make mistakes. If you submit your masters with the wrong track order or with any other errors that need correcting, you will have to pay to correct them. If the mistake is on the pressing plant, they should correct that at no additional charge — but make sure you are thoroughly familiar with their policies and understand any possible hidden costs. If you can afford to do so, make a category in your budget for mistake correction so that you don’t experience any sticker shock should you need to fix your own error.

Production timeframes

It is highly recommended to not make any marketing plans or book any release events around your vinyl records until they are finished and in your hands error-free. This way, delays in production won’t lead to embarrassment, frustration, or lost income. Sometimes, though, you do need records on a deadline. In this case, be prepared well in advance with knowledge of your company’s turn times, rush fees, and what you need to have for the company when. Delays can happen in production for all sorts of reasons — be prepared for this!

Quality control

If you are concerned about your final product, it’s best to get the test pressings. There should be some sort of proofing method for your artwork as well at any pressing plant. Be aware that neutral tones (including gray and earth tones) can shift in color in commercial printing, often more red or more green. If you can’t avoid neutral tones on your artwork, then just be aware of what might happen. Triple check your test pressings and proofs for errors. Have a friend help, as sometimes one can miss the simplest typos even after reading the page 10 times.

Marketing and selling your custom vinyl

Your custom vinyl records are finished — congratulations! Now how will you sell them? The process of promoting and selling your records is known as marketing. If you already have an audience for your music, then they will be your main targets.

Strategies for limited edition releases

Customers always respond to scarcity. Think about how often you see this advertised: “Act now while supplies last!” This “scarcity principle” applies also to limited-edition vinyl releases. The more demand you have upfront, the more the scarcity principle will work to bring in customers, but you can also stimulate demand by framing your product with scarcity. “Only 500 copies! Won’t be pressed again!” Working with the idea of scarcity will help generate promotional ideas for your limited-edition release.

Building hype and anticipating demand

Another great way to market your record is by letting people know what’s coming and sharing (rather than curbing) your enthusiasm. Strategies to build hype include encouraging listeners to pre-save the album on streaming services, offering discounts to those who subscribe to your email list, and allowing fans to preorder the album so it will be automatically sent to them once finished. A solid promotional strategy begins far in advance of the actual release so that people’s anticipation can build. Framing the release as “an event” helps, too.

Pricing your custom vinyl

New records today average in price from $20–$30. You can charge lower if you want to sell more, but, factoring in all of your costs, you probably don’t want to go less than $15 a unit, as 100 vinyl records usually cost at least $1000 to produce. Add up your total costs including recording, mastering, artwork design, printing, and manufacturing, then divide by the number of units. This is what you need to charge to break even. Generally the rule of thumb is to double that figure to calculate a final price, which includes a profit margin in your price. Charging $25 for a vinyl record is very reasonable in this day and age, so you should be able to charge a healthy price for your records, recoup your costs, and make a profit no matter if you have a large, devoted following or are just getting started.

Create your record with Disc Makers

Now that you’ve learned the ins and outs of pressing a custom vinyl record for your limited-edition release, it’s time to make it happen. Reach out to us to start your project!

Can You Make a Custom Vinyl for a Limited Edition Release or Special Project?