Marley Estate Relaunches Vinyl Pressing In Jamaica For Record Store Day
The Marley Estate has resumed its dormant vinyl pressing activities ahead of today June 12, 2021’s Record Store Day festivities. That’s according to Tuff Gong International CEO and eldest Marley heir, Cedella Marley, who shared the good news with her Twitter followers and avid fans of the King Of Reggae. “Beyond excited to be pressing vinyl again at Tuff Gong in Jamaica.
It’s been a long time but Daddy’s records are being pressed again in our new factory! Come visit @TuffGongINTL soon. Thank you @viryltech!” she captioned the behind the scenes video clip.
Cedella’s announcement comes ahead of the global celebration, a spin off of what’s been dubbed the vinyl revival which began in 2007. The vinyl revival describes the renewed interest and surge in sales of vinyl/ gramophone records, which was once the main means of music distribution from the 50s until the 80s.
Beyond excited to be pressing vinyl again at Tuff Gong in Jamaica 🇯🇲 It's been a long time but Daddy's records are being pressed again in our new factory! Come visit @TuffGongINTL soon. Thank you @viryltech ! 🎧 pic.twitter.com/WVfsf9KrOR
— Cedella Marley (@cedellamarley) June 10, 2021
In a recent Billboard feature, the outlet stated that the vinyl boom only accelerated during the pandemic, generating $626 million in revenue in 2020 in the United States. Over in the UK, vinyl revenues jumped 30 per cent to £86.5 million in spite of the closure of high street record shops during the pandemic. And The Times UK claims vinyls now make more money for record labels than at any point since 1989, a remarkable feat for a format that nearly went obsolete.
Naturally, the Estate would be getting involved in the resurgence of the vintage medium that propelled the Patriarch into the canons of history, and over the years they’ve creatively kept the momentum alive. Tuff Gong’s newly refurbished vinyl pressing plant, re-opened in the summer of 2020 and has an annual capacity of 250,000 units.
The first among the offerings, the Bob Marley & The Wailers: Exclusive Tuff Gong Pressing Bundle is set for release in December and has already sold out. The set comprises twelve limited-edition Bob Marley vinyl LP’s, each pressed exclusively at Tuff Gong International’s new facility. Nine original studio albums, two original live albums, as well as the world’s best-selling reggae album, Legend, are all included in the super rare collector’s item
Additionally, Catch A Fire, originally recorded by The Wailers in Jamaica and eventually released with overdubs and a mix overseen by Island founder Chris Blackwell at the label’s London headquarters, will be available in its original Jamaica-recorded version, with two extra tracks from the sessions and some with longer fades. Produced entirely by Bob Marley & the Wailers and mixed by longtime Marley associate Errol Brown, this Jamaican version will be on vinyl for the first time.