Kindercore Vinyl was a vinyl record pressing plant based in
Athens, Georgia
Athens is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Downtown Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta. The University of Georgia, the state's flagship public university and an Research I university, ...
. It began as an
independent record label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...
, founded in
1996
1996 was designated as:
* International Year for the Eradication of Poverty
Events January
* January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
by Ryan Lewis and Daniel Geller to help create a unified
music scene of Athens.
After the dissolution of the record label, Lewis and Geller partnered with Cash Carter and Bill Fortenberry to revive Kindercore as a vinyl pressing plant. During its time in operation, Kindercore Vinyl was the only vinyl pressing plant in the state of Georgia. As of 2023, the plant operates as Classic City Vinyl Works under different ownership.
Record label
Kindercore Records began in the mid-1990s by musicians Lewis and Geller in response to the variety of musicians in Athens, but no unifying music culture. Early releases of the label include music by
of Montreal
of Montreal is an American indie pop band from Athens, Georgia. It was founded by frontperson Kevin Barnes in 1996, named after a failed romance between Barnes and a woman "of Montreal". The band is identified as part of the Elephant 6 collec ...
and Kincaid (Geller's own band), singles from various Athens musicians,
and bigger bands such as
Japancakes
Japancakes is an American indie rock group, based in Athens, Georgia, United States.
History
Rhythm guitarist Eric Berg formed the band with the idea of putting ten musicians in a band without any rehearsal, and performing a D chord for 45 minu ...
.
Kindercore's scope grew from a regional to national level as their records could be heard on radio stations and their bands networked with other touring bands. In 1998, the label moved to New York and joined with Emperor Norton records, creating better finances and more national exposure for Kindercore. In 2000, Kindercore moved back to Athens.
Pressing plant
The idea of creating a record pressing plant began in 2015. Cash Carter suggested reviving the label, to which Lewis refused. Carter then suggested a pressing plant. Lewis at first rebuffed the idea, but soon agreed upon further consideration. They then partnered with Geller and Bill Fortenberry to begin plans for the plant.
After struggling to find financial backing, the group found a local investor interested in their idea to use plant-based PVC for the records.
With a $1,000,000 investment, the plant acquired three brand new pressing machines, each costing $200,000, created by Canadian company Viryl Technologies. The presses, named “Warm Tone”, are fully automated, contrasting with former manual pressing machines; Kindercore was among the first factories to use such machines.
Kindercore pressed its first record on Halloween of 2017
and presently can press up to 3,000 records in one day. As of 2023, the plant has been sold by Kindercore in a "friendly
foreclosure
Foreclosure is a legal process in which a lender attempts to recover the balance of a loan from a borrower who has Default (finance), stopped making payments to the lender by forcing the sale of the asset used as the Collateral (finance), coll ...
" and now operates as Classic City Vinyl Works, and none of the Kindercore founders remain at the plant.
See also
*
List of record labels
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File:AmMusicBunk78.jpg
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Lists of record labels cover record labels, brands or trademarks associated with marketing of music recordings and music videos. The lists are organized alphabetically, ...
*
Music of Athens, Georgia
The music of Athens, Georgia, includes a wide variety of popular music and was an important part of the early evolution of alternative rock and New wave music, new wave. The city is well known as the home of bands such as R.E.M., Widespread Panic ...
References
External links
Official websiteKindercore’s Tips on Pressing VinylKindercore’s Environmental Process
{{Authority control
American independent record labels
Record labels established in 1996
Companies based in Athens, Georgia
1996 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
2017 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
Defunct record labels of the United States
Vinyl record manufacturing companies