Here’s something unexpected: Vinylize.it, a start-up company that lets you press SoundCloud tracks into vinyl, just put its website live. Though the service itself is in the pre-launch stage, Vinylize.it aims to create “on-demand records”, meaning fans will be able to turn a track or playlist of tracks on SoundCloud into an actual, physical vinyl record.
The way it works is fans request for the tracks they want to “vinylize”, and then they can pre-order or crowdfund the record via QRATES, which is an online vinyl-pressing service for small print runs.
Vinyl-on-demand is an interesting concept akin to the “burned” CDs of yesteryear that were the byproduct of the first wave of MP3 peer-to-peer transfers (Napster / Audiogalaxy / Kazaa, anyone?). Of course, this would cost considerably more than a blank CD, but vinyl heads will have something to look forward to.
• Sign up at the Vinylize.it website to be notified when it launches.
Do you think this is a cool idea? Would you want to press a record if it’s something that you can listen to on SoundCloud? Will vinyl really save us all in the end? Let us know your thoughts below.
Joey Santos
