Created by Studio TCB for The ADS Group.

Evidence of the revival of vinyl records is everywhere. In 2022, 43.5 million records were sold in the United States, according to Luminate’s U.S. Year-End Music Report, and the first few weeks of 2023 saw a more than 15 percent increase in sales compared to the year prior.

But Greg Schoener—vice president of technology at The ADS Group, which owns and operates the subsidiary Copycats Media—doesn’t like to say there has been a “resurgence” of vinyl records. “It has already resurged,” he says. “It’s here.”

The consistency of vinyl’s popularity led the longtime media manufacturer to open Minnesota’s first large-scale vinyl record pressing plant in Osseo last summer—one of only about 30 record pressing facilities in the entire country. The 65,000-square-foot facility currently houses four presses and churns out about 20,000 records a week. Their goal is to ramp things up to eventually pump out 8,000 records a day.

Creating records is an art, starting with beads of polyvinyl chloride that melt together to form a charcoal-colored puck that is then pressed into stamper plates to create a physical waveform that, when spun on a turntable, emits music. Press operators at Copycats Media examine each record by hand to scour for any imperfections, ensuring the end product is arguably better than major labels but at a price that most indie musicians can afford.

But audiophile consumers don’t only want the record itself; they want the immersive experience. “The artist intends you to sit down, and they’ve laid out the music on the record intentionally,” Schoener says. “They want you to listen from beginning to end. And when you’re doing that, you’re looking at liner notes, you’re looking at the poster that’s in the box.”

Copycats Media ensures musicians that they work with—such as Prince, Macklemore, Steel Panther, Five Finger Death Punch, Fleet Foxes, Alicia Keys, Dessa, Humbird, and The Okee Dokee Brothers—are equipped to meet consumer demand for their new records. When a musician is ready to drop a new release, Copycats Media’s sister company Studio 120 can assist with video production and media development to create and distribute the assets needed to engage a new generation of music lovers.

What happens when the experts have questions? Good question. Enter, the sixth annual Making Vinyl Conference, presented by The ADS Group. This unique conference celebrated the 75th anniversary of the LP format, and also commemorated Prince’s 65th birthday on June 7, inviting all kinds of major players in the record industry to the Loews Minneapolis Hotel to address issues facing the industry.

Thankfully, demand for records isn’t one of them.

“What happens at the merch table?” Schoener says. “We want all the flavors.… People want it just because it’s different.”

5 Cool Customizations Copycats Media Can Create

1. Etchings. One side music, one side art. Etchings are a unique form of art pressed into the non-musical side of a record, often found in double LPs on the “D” side, offering a highly collectible addition to any audiophile’s collection. Just don’t drop your turntable’s needle on the etched side. It won’t make music—we promise.
2. Colored vinyl. While Copycats Media will soon press colored vinyl at their Osseo facility, they currently partner with other companies in the record industry to offer 54 custom colored-vinyl offerings.
3. Packaging. Art and design choices make a tremendous difference in the perception of your product. Copycats Media can help musicians design the jacket, gatefold, and inner sleeve for their record. Call it “media made simple.”
4. Labels. Before you place your record on the turntable, you might catch a glimpse of the circular label in the middle of the record. Yes, Copycats Media can help design that part too.
5. Inserts. Looking to add some artistic flair to your release? Musicians often opt to include a booklet, or zine, inside their record jacket, sometimes featuring art, lyrics, narratives, or poetry. Copycats Media can bring your creative visions to life with customizable options for booklets and other record inserts.

The ADS Group is a Plymouth-based, full-service media development and distribution company. Their subsidiary companies Studio 120, Advanced Duplication Services, and Copycats Media make media simple with everything you need to bring your brand to the next level, all under one roof.