Guides2 min read
Funding a vinyl pressing without a label
A vinyl record is the project your fans understand best. Here is how to cost it without getting it wrong, and how to talk to them about it.
A vinyl record is the project your fans understand best. An object, a date, a price. It is also the one you rarely fund alone.
Start with a quote, not a number
Do not pick a goal at random. Ask two or three pressing plants for a quote, with the same details for each:
- the format (LP, 7-inch, 12-inch single) and the number of tracks per side
- the quantity, asking what the plant's minimum is
- the weight and the color of the record
- the sleeve: single, gatefold, with or without an insert
- cutting, test pressings, and who does the vinyl mastering
- shipping to your door
Compare quotes before and after tax, and look at what is included. Two quotes at the same price rarely contain the same things.
What the goal has to cover
The quote, plus what gets forgotten: mastering adapted to vinyl, the artwork, shipping, and the fundraiser's fees. On VYU they are 5% + €0.25 per contribution, unless the fan chooses to cover them.
If you plan to sell the records afterwards, the goal does not have to cover everything. Part comes from the fundraiser, the rest from sales. Tell your fans, it is a good reason to chip in.
Lead times
Plants quote anything from a few weeks to several months depending on how busy they are. Ask for a delivery date in the quote, and promise your fans nothing before you have it.
How to talk about it
On your page, a fundraiser with a clear title, for example "Vinyl pressing of « Marée basse »" on the page of Malo Ferrand, one of our example profiles, fictional. In the description: why vinyl, how many copies, for when.
Every contribution lands on your wall with the fan's first name and their note, and becomes a post they can share. Your fans watch the gauge rise. That is what makes the next ones chip in.
The money
On VYU, every contribution goes straight to your Stripe account the moment it is made. There is no threshold to reach before you get the money, and nothing is refunded if the goal is not met: you keep what was given and adapt the project, fewer copies or a simpler sleeve. How the fundraiser works is detailed on the Crowdfunding page.
And when the records arrive
Reply on the wall to the people who chipped in. Post a photo of the box. And put the record in your wishlist if you keep a few to give away.