The path to New Orleans Record Press is one quintessential to the city. Dodging potholes and puddles on washed away roads, I found my way to the warehouse in industrial St. Claude to find managing partner Mike Quinlan buried in stacks and stacks of papers, excited to take a breath to chat about his new venture – the New Orleans Vinyl Club.
Starting in January, subscribers will receive one record monthly from the press’s stacks. These will come in various forms and will stretch across all genres. One month may see a double LP. One month may see a rare color variant. Though New Orleans-based music is the majority of what the company presses, it’s not limited to local acts. Price choices are $28 a month for one month, $25 a month for 3 months, or $23 a month for a year.
While networking at the Making Vinyl conference in Los Angeles earlier this year, Quinlan and his team gained confidence in the idea of people around the world having interest in what the company was doing. He’s proud of the diversity in sound in what will be coming through this club. “We’ve pressed just about every genre under the sun here in the short amount of time we’ve been open. Jam, Americana, bluegrass, traditional jazz, funk, electronic, hip hop, gospel. We’ve done it all,” he says. There’s been international interest in the project, and Quinlan is proud to showcase the city as more than jazz alone.
This club is made for what Quinlan pegs as the “uber-fan.” “A lot of the bands we press have fans totally obsessed with what their bands are doing. Some of the rare stuff we plan on doing is going to blow those folks away,” he says. “The band will attract them at first, but after that, hopefully they’ll see what we’re doing and stay on board.” On top of the records, subscribers will also get surprise extras. Stickers, posters, and access to special events the press occasionally holds are all things Quinlan and team are considering.
The New Orleans Vinyl Club website is currently in beta testing, with a mad dash to get live for the holiday gift giving season. For all the latest, sign up for the newsletter at NewOrleansVinylClub.com.
