Home Read Features Area Resident’s Stylus Counsel | How to Avoid Buying American-Made Records

Area Resident’s Stylus Counsel | How to Avoid Buying American-Made Records

Track 281 | Get all of the riffs without any of the tariffs.

Illustration by Chelle Lorenzen.

If you’re a record collector like me, at least half of the records you buy are brand-new pressings. Here in Canada, this usually means that record was either made in this country, the U.S. or Europe. Perhaps more than ever before, this little detail has — or should — become a major sticking point for Canadians.

Because yes — new tariffs will mean higher prices for U.S.-pressed records. The 25% tariff on Canadian imports from the U.S. means vinyl records pressed in the U.S. and sold in Canada will become more expensive. Retailers importing U.S.-pressed records will likely pass on the cost to consumers.

Expect there to be a shift among Canadian buyers towards records pressed elsewhere to avoid the higher prices. Here in Canada, of course, expect this to be fueled by an additional interest in boycotting American stuff. As such, there may be a noticeable increase in demand for non-U.S. pressings. Even the record labels may adjust their supply chains to have more records pressed in Canada or Europe to avoid the tariffs.

This is good news for Canadian pressing plants, of which there are more than 20, compared to nearly 200 in the U.S. The major, active plants in Canada right now include:

Precision Record Pressing (Burlington, Ont.) was established in 2016 and works in partnership with GZ Media in the Czech Republic. These folks did three of my own Area Resident albums. In my case, the test pressings came from the Czech Republic and the regular pressings came from Burlington. Precision is one of the largest vinyl pressing plants in North America and not only does indie releases, but also full-scale pressings for Sony, Universal and Warner. If you see a new record with a Made in Czech Republic sticker, it’s probably Precision. You can tell for sure if there’s a “PRP” etched in the dead wax. My regular pressings do, while the test pressings have “GZ.”

A newer pressing plant, Rip-Vinyl, opened in Toronto in 2022 because of a growing demand for vinyl, and the long wait lists at Precision. Rip-Vinyl pressings have “RIP-V” in the dead wax. Microforum Vinyl Record Pressing is another active pressing plant in Toronto, which specializes in small-batch and indie pressings. Out west, Soft Plastics Vinyl Pressing in Vancouver also specializes in small-run indie releases — but with a focus on eco-friendly methods. Montreal’s Duplication.ca, aka Analogue Media Technologies, does everything from cardboard mailers, poly bags, labels, CDs and tapes, to full-scale vinyl pressing. For companies like these, a 25% tariff is likely to have a myriad of effects, depending on how the counter-tariffs roll out.

Canadian vinyl pressing plants get a lot of components from China, which like Canada and Mexico has also been saddled with new tariffs. If they apply to the vinyl pellets (which are pressed into records), packaging, or lacquers imported from China, Canadian pressing plants might face increased costs, even if the final pressing is done in Canada. However, if only finished vinyl records are tariffed, Canadian pressings wouldn’t see much of a price increase, and might actually be a better alternative for U.S. buyers. If you’re a store or individual who imports records from China or the U.S., you are likely to see a price increase. But, if you buy Canadian-pressed records in Canada, there should be little to no impact.

But cost isn’t the only factor being considered by Canadian record buyers right now. Lots of folks are looking into how they can boycott American-made products. The “buy Canadian” movement happening right now is fueled by politicians, businesses and social media. There is a growing anti-American sentiment and a sharper focus on supporting our own vulnerable companies.

So, how can you tell if a vinyl record was made in Canada? The most obvious way is the manufacturing credits on the back cover. Look at the fine print. It may say “Made in Canada” or mention a Canadian pressing plant. More obvious is some Canadian pressings actually include a maple leaf symbol on the packaging, or even a “Made In Canada” sticker.

If the record happens to be open or not sealed in shrink wrap, you can look for pressing plant identifiers in the dead wax, or look at the inner-sleeve liner notes to see where the record was made. Sometimes, the pressing plant will put its own name on a sticker on the shrink wrap. I’ve seen both Precision and Rip-Vinyl do this.

This one is a little more expert level, but you can often tell where a record was made by the catalog number. Some Canadian versions have a “C” prefix, or other regional identifier. For example, my copy of Anderson .Paak’s Malibu album is a U.S. / Canada / U.K. pressing. The catalog number is ERE222, compared to the U.S. version which has ERE218 as its catalog number. The European version has SW234223. My copy was pressed by Precision and has the code: 140027E in the dead wax, identifying it as a GZ Media pressing.

Similarly, look at the barcode. Some retailers like Walmart Canada, Sunrise Records and Amazon Canada will put country-specific stickers or barcodes on the sleeve or shrink-wrap with Canadian distribution details. These shops also often stock Canadian-pressed vinyl. If you’re buying from Amazon, look for this info in the “product details.”

You may want to download the Discogs app, which has a scan feature that allows you to scan the barcode of any record and determine where and when it was made (and what it’s currently selling for elsewhere). Pay particular attention to records on Columbia, RCA and Epic (all subsidiaries of Sony Music Canada). These are often made by Precision. Same goes for Universal Music Canada releases. Warner Music Canada releases, particularly those distributed in Canada, are often pressed at Rip-Vinyl or Precision. Canadian indie label Dine Alone Records often presses domestically, as do Royal Mountain Records, Paper Bag Records and Arts & Crafts.

Buying Canadian is the goal, but avoiding American-made is probably the next best option. If you want to avoid records made in the U.S., read the fine print and look for “Made in USA” or “Manufactured in USA” credits or stickers. Look for records that have Made In Canada, Made In Germany, Made In Czech Republic, Made in the EU, etc. You can also identify records pressed at non-American plants. Some prominent plants include Optimal Media (Germany), Record Industry (Netherlands) and MPO (France).

Your exposure to American pressings has a lot to do with where you shop. Retailers like Sunrise (Canada), HMV (U.K.), JPC (Germany) and Rough Trade (U.K.) are more likely to stock non-US pressings. Amazon Canada, Amazon U.K., or Juno Records may specify the country of manufacture.

There’s never been a better time to support Canadian indie artists and Canadian used retailers.

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Deleted Pressings

Prior to the compact disc era, there were some major record pressing plants in Canada:

Columbia Records Pressing Plant (Don Mills, Ont.) – Closed in the 1980s
RCA Records Pressing Plant (Smiths Falls, Ont.) – Closed in 1978
Compo Company (Lachine, QC) – Closed in the 1970s
Quality Records (Toronto, Ont.) – Closed in the 1980s
Cinram (Toronto, Ont.) – Stopped Vinyl Pressing in the 1990s
Dominion Records (Toronto, Ont.) – Closed in the 1970s
London Records Pressing Plant (St-Laurent, QC) – Closed in the 1980s
Capitol Records Pressing Plant (Mississauga, Ont.) – Ceased Vinyl Production in the 1980s

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Area Resident is an Ottawa-based journalist, recording artist, music collector and re-seller. Hear (and buy) his music on Bandcamp, email him HERE, follow him on Instagram and check him out on Discogs.