Metallica have bought their own vinyl pressing plant in Virginia, having acquired a majority interest in Furnace Record Pressing – a vinyl manufacturing company that already has a long history of working with the metal icons and other bands and labels.
Since 2014, Furnace has produced over five million pieces of Metallica vinyl, having worked with the band on deluxe box set editions of albums like Kill ‘Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, …And Justice for All and more.
Metallica Has Acquired a Majority Interest in Virginia’s Furnace Recording Pressing Plant
Per a press release, the aim of the acquisition is partly to meet the “massive demand” for Metallica’s catalogue on vinyl. The press release adds that Furnace will continue to serve “the various artists and record labels” who use the company for vinyl manufacturing, something founder and CEO Eric Astor confirmed to Billboard.
“We couldn’t be more happy to take our partnership with Furnace… to the next level,” Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich said in a statement. Frontman James Hetfield added: “Their indie spirit, the passion they have for their craft… culturally we’re kindred souls
“Furnace has been great to Metallica and more importantly to our fans. This deepened relationship between Metallica and Furnace ensures that fans of vinyl everywhere… will have continued access to high quality records in the future.”
Furnace was founded by Astor in 1996. It is one of the largest record pressing companies in the United States, offering standard and heavyweight pressing, colour and special effect colour vinyl and custom vinyl etching. In addition to Metallica, the company “counts many major artists, global music companies, record labels and indie/punk acts as clients.”
Amid Metallica’s acquisition of the company, Astor, along with chief of operations Ali Miller and VP of operations Mark Reiter will continue in their respective roles as the company. Each will remain an equity owner of the company and be a member of the company’s Board of Directors.
Jack White, whose label Third Man Records opened its own vinyl pressing plant in 2017, took to Instagram to congratulate the band for the acquisition. “Welcome to the cause gents! And thank you for putting your money to amazing creative use,” White wrote on Instagram. “Here’s hoping the major labels will also see this as further proof, and finally start investing in themselves. Outstanding.”
Next month, Metallica will release 72 Seasons – their first studio album since 2016’s Hardwired… to Self-Destruct. The band have released three singles from the album thus far: ‘Lux Æterna’ in November 2022, ‘Screaming Suicide’ in January of this year, and ‘If Darness Had a Son’ earlier this month.
Further Reading
Metallica Release First Single From New Album, Announce Tour of Europe and North America
Metallica Announce Worldwide Cinema Events for New Album ’72 Seasons’
Watch Metallica Bring Out St. Vincent to Perform ‘Nothing Else Matters’
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