Warner Music Group’s Quest To Recycle Vinyl & Not Compromise Quality – Billboard

The label group is proving that unsold vinyl can be reprocessed into new pressings without compromising sound or quality, and is now asking music fans for help. Recycled vinyl at GZ Media Courtesy Warner Music Group Trending on Billboard In May, Warner Music Group quietly completed a test program that could change the future of vinyl.  The program, conducted in partnership with the world’s largest vinyl manufacturer, GZ Media, set out to answer one question: can recycled vinyl deliver the same sound quality? Related GZ Media collected 10,000 unsold records across artists, titles and pressing plants throughout Europe and first shredded, then repressed them using a range of recyclable materials — from 10-100%. Next, a selection of industry experts were gathered at London’s famed Abbey Road Studios for a blind listening evaluation. Each vinyl passed. “What impressed me was how consistent the pressings were across the different material blends, showing that sustainability and sound quality do not have to be at odds,” Abbey Road’s mastering engineer, Miles Showell, shared in a statement to WMG. The recycled pressings weren’t just being evaluated for quality, though, as the project also aimed to evaluate the environmental impact of preprocessing vinyl. Even with the
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