Vancouver's Clampdown Records Pressing Plant Launches "Tinder for Bands" to Make Split Vinyl Releases

BY Josiah HughesPublished Apr 23, 2020

Despite the continued interest in vinyl records, pressing small runs of releases can be expensive for up-and-coming bands, particularly because setup costs are the same whether you're pressing 100 records or 10,000. That's why split releases have been such a staple of the music underground for decades — by sharing the cost, bands can share the wealth of sweet, sweet vinyl. But what if you can't find the right band for a split? Enter Vancouver's pressing plant, Clampdown Records.

The company has launched a new split database, which it has described as "Tinder for bands." The premise is simple: bands who have a few tracks kicking around for a split upload a dating bio, of sorts, to the plant's site, and then they can connect with like-minded artists to then make a split 7-inch or 12-inch record.

Here's how the pressing plant describes it:

Pressing small runs can be expensive. Why not put out a split with a buddy band? No buddies? No problem. Post your band here as looking, or contact one of the bands posted here to see if they're interested in putting out a split with you. Sure, you only get half the records, but you put in half the money. Instead of spending $1800 on 100 records, you could spend $1500 each and have 250 records. I'm no Rocket Surgeon, but if you're looking to make records on the cheap, this might be for you.

Sound like something you'd be interested in with your band? Join the Clampdown community by signing up for its Splits program here.
 

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