Vinyl is not DEAD!?

After conducting research on pressing a vinyl record in Jamaica I was surprised to find out that there is only one working press in Jamaica…

The Tuff Gong label in Kingston is the only working record press currently and has been so for at least the last ten years, according to my sources.

There is a Record store on Orange street downtown in Kingston that is well-known, actually legendary as it's also the name of a well known Jamaican movie, "Rockers". I was surprised when speaking with them to find that they no longer press records there either and the only other label that kept up the traditional method of recording, according to their knowledge, is also not active.

So what has happened to the traditional recording industry here in Jamaica. It's well known in the industry that Vinyl is still very popular and has a huge global market. There are many persons who are avid collectors of Vinyl records. 

Some of the original recordings are now so rare that they can be very valuable to collectors. Still what does this do to the value of our music if we don't keep the original vinyl recordings safely stored in our own archives. As well as if we don't have the opportunity to continue to press these recordings and produce or reproduce them?

Are we not allowing our authentic, Jamaican brand Reggae product to be owned and exploited by collectors? 

There is a huge market for Vinyl that is still so limited. Most collectors will search extensively for specific recordings, and are willing to pay considerable amounts. This creates an opportunity for private sellers to make huge profits but what does this mean to the record industry? And what effect does this have on the revenues received by the Artistes themselves. Who also have to consider protecting their rights not only to receive royalties but also the total value of their works.