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BUSTED: UK company is raided for fake vinyl production

This is pretty interesting:

https://www.securingindustry.com/fake-vinyl-record-pressing-plant-busted-in-uk/s112/a8989/#.XEXrXVxK...

I wonder how much start-up costs there were with this and what their return on investment would be?  Seems to me, this is a very hard way to make money...
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chronoglidesky's avatar
chronoglidesky
40 posts
 
As an interesting, and Hi-Fi related, aside concerning Skip James ...
John Peel (the most important British DJ of all time) had a small section of his late evening show called "The Pig's Big 78" ("The Pig" being his affectionate name for his wife who enjoyed original 78s).I heard live, at the time, first-hand - so I can swear this is TRUE...
Anyway, he first played a Paramount Skip James track that had been respectfully (and professionally) mastered on a proper re-issue label.He then said something like "OK, that was the CD, but *I* have an original copy - which I know is worth a LOT* of money - here it is..."
* No kidding. The last Skip James original Paramount I know of sold for "over $10,000" in early 2000's (closer to $20k I suspect).

The point here was that the original was UNBELIEVABLY natural and clear and simply "alive". It blew away the (well made) CD master.I noticed this instantly.
It was like Skip was literally singing right there in my room, so present. John Peel commented also on this. How amazing the original sounded over the CD and many, many, many people wrote in saying they could not believe how much better the 78 sounded. No-one knew why.
Something to be said in favour of that long-forgotten medium perhaps?
I still wonder why it sounded so much better than the CD ... but it DID, please believe me. Peel says he had same experience on many other 78s.

bdp24's avatar
bdp24
4,908 posts
 

Weren’t pre-war 78’s recorded live-to-disc? There were no tape recorders available for the recording of music until after WWII (the Germans invented the recorder for tricking the Allies, "time shifting" fake news), and direct-to-disc LP’s remain the highest fidelity music sources I’ve ever heard.

Elvis Presley’s five Sun Records singles (1955-6) were recorded to tape, and offered on both 10" 78’s and 7" 45 RPM discs. They were distributed in only the southern states, and are worth some money in excellent condition. But not being direct-to-disc, they are not that rare, nor that good sounding in pure audiophile terms. But musically, awesome! A Blues on one side, a Hillbilly on the other. Elvis, guitarist Scotty Moore, upright bassist Bill Black (and later drummer D.J. Fontana, plucked out of a band that performed behind burlesque "dancers" ;-), and Sun Records owner and recording engineer Sam Phillips invented Rockabilly.

chronoglidesky's avatar
chronoglidesky
40 posts
 
Indeed, these records were cut direct-to-disc.
The process used was beautifully demonstrated and filmed on the recent American Epic PBS documentary, URL here

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/american-epic/
Look under "American Epic Sessions". This shows modern day artists (like Jack White, Elton John etc) all recording direct-to-disc on 78rpm using the last surviving mastering machine of its type.
tastyfreeze's avatar
tastyfreeze
94 posts
 
Lots of efforts...

snackeyp's avatar
snackeyp
227 posts
 
I bought a Smiths LP and a Paul Weller LP on ebay recently from a seller in the U.K.  When I received them it was obvious they were counterfeit.  
I sent the seller a message and he immediately refunded my money and let me keep the records.  I guess he didn't want to take any chances I would report him to ebay.  On Discogs there are countless listings for counterfeit pressings of all kinds of music.  They don't allow it to be sold there, but they document the fakes.  They are everywhere.  Even my local record stores sell fakes.  What makes me mad is they have absolutely no collector's or resale value.  Might as throw your money away.   
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