Sonopress Launches Eco Record
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All Image Credit: Sonopress
Development continues with replacement materials for the good old vinyl record. It started with HD vinyl and now Sonopress, a manufacturer of storage media that is part of Bertelsmann Marketing Services, has developed a revolutionary new form of vinyl LP that drastically reduces the environmental impact of the manufacturing process, making it ECO friendly. The product is being launched in collaboration with Warner Music, a long-term client of Sonopress.
For those not familiar with Sonopress, it is is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA. Now little background. Sonopress is a leading international provider of entertainment and media services providing an extensive range of services and solutions for its business partners in the games, video, audio, publisher and TV/broadcasting industries. Its service portfolio covers all aspects of media asset management; from digital services such as digitization, replication, Electronic Content Distribution, archiving and asset management to the replication of CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs and 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays – both 66 GB and 100 GB – through to print management and print services, fulfilment and Supply Chain Management.
This new vinyl is produced using recyclable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as its base material, which can also be made from 100% recycled PET, rather than polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Pressing the discs does not require either natural gas or steam, with a test operation claiming to see energy savings of up to 85 percent compared to the traditional process, therefore making it very ECO friendly. Eco Records are produced and assembled by a new injection molding machine with a contact pressure of up to 300 tons, that together with the supporting special tools and supplementary equipment were developed entirely by Sonopress. The manufacturing uses the same injection molding process that has been used for decades to produce LaserDiscs, CDs, DVDs, and other digital storage media. Sonopress also developed the replication technology for high-definition 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray.
This latest vinyl replacement dubbed Eco Record is now available from their plant in Gütersloh, Germany. It has just been used for the first commercial Eco Record order for its client Warner Music Group (WMG). These “sustainable” LPs have been produced in orange for an exclusive release from two of rock’s greatest icons, Liam Gallagher & John Squire. The new “sustainable” and eco friendly album is out now, released on the Warner Records label and is available exclusively at Amazon worldwide as well as JB Hi-Fi in Australia.
Sonopress are claiming that quality of this new PET formulation Eco Record “should match that of a conventionally produced vinyl LP in terms of sound quality.” Going on to say that; ” It should not only convince the experts, but above all offer the music lover an excellent feel and a great listening experience.”
I look forward to reading the first independent detailed technical review of this or similar pressed material especially after reading the phrase, “should match”.
MSRP:
- US: $44.01
Available from Amazon US here.
Read the original 2023 press release from Bertelsmann here.
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