Program Records
Program Records is an Australian vinyl-record pressing facility in Thornbury, Victoria.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Program Records is an Australian vinyl-record pressing facility based in Thornbury, Victoria. Founded in 2017 by Steve Lynch and Dave Roper, the business was established during a period of renewed demand for physical music formats and limited domestic vinyl-manufacturing capacity. The founders initially announced plans for the plant to begin operations in 2018, but pressing activity ultimately commenced in 2020. At that point, the Australian market had only one other vinyl pressing plant, Zenith Records, giving Program an important role in expanding local production capacity. The company manufactures vinyl records for Australian and international artists and labels. Its credited output includes releases associated with performers such as Courtney Barnett, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, and Jimmy Barnes. Program uses WarmTone pressing equipment supplied by Canadian manufacturer Viryl Technologies and sources its vinyl compound locally. The facility has been reported to press approximately 1,500 to 1,800 records per day over a ten-hour operating period. By 2023, it employed 13 staff, indicating a small but established manufacturing operation rather than a purely boutique or artist-run service. Program Records also developed an environmental-reuse initiative. In 2021, it introduced a Vinyl Deposit Scheme through which unwanted records could be donated for processing into new vinyl records. The scheme connected the company’s manufacturing activity with material reuse and offered a way to redirect obsolete or unwanted records into new production. The plant’s success contributed to the expansion of Australia’s vinyl-pressing sector. Its performance helped demonstrate sufficient demand for additional domestic capacity, and Neil Wilson subsequently opened Suitcase Records in Brisbane, described as Australia’s third pressing plant. Program therefore occupies a significant position in the modern Australian vinyl ecosystem, serving labels and artists while also participating in the country’s broader revival of physical-record production.
History
Program Records was founded in 2017 by Steve Lynch and Dave Roper as a new Australian vinyl-record pressing facility. The venture was announced with an intended 2018 launch, but the plant began pressing records in 2020. Its opening was significant within the Australian music-manufacturing industry because the country had limited domestic vinyl capacity; at the time, Zenith Records was the only other Australian pressing plant identified in the available reference material. The company established its facility in Thornbury, Victoria, and built its production process around WarmTone presses manufactured by Canadian equipment company Viryl Technologies. Program sources its vinyl compound locally, combining imported pressing machinery with domestic material supply. The plant manufactures records for both local and international artists and has been associated with releases by Courtney Barnett, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, and Jimmy Barnes. Program’s operating scale grew during the early 2020s. By 2023, the facility employed 13 people and was reported to press between 1,500 and 1,800 records per day across a ten-hour production period. These figures placed the company among Australia’s notable specialist record-manufacturing businesses and reflected the renewed commercial demand for vinyl as a physical music format. In 2021, Program introduced the Vinyl Deposit Scheme. Under the initiative, people could donate unwanted vinyl records so that the material could be used in the creation of new records. The project gave the company an additional environmental and circular-economy dimension, complementing its core manufacturing role with a mechanism for recovering old physical media. Program Records’ growth also influenced the development of Australia’s broader pressing infrastructure. Its success was followed by Neil Wilson’s opening of Suitcase Records in Brisbane, described as the country’s third vinyl pressing plant. Program’s history therefore forms part of the post-2000s revival of vinyl manufacturing in Australia: it emerged from a period of constrained local supply, added modern production capacity, served a diverse artist and label base, and helped demonstrate that additional domestic plants could be viable.
- 2023
Production and staffing scale reported
[1]The facility was reported to employ 13 staff and press approximately 1,500 to 1,800 records per day.
- 2021
Vinyl Deposit Scheme launches
[1]Program introduced a scheme for collecting unwanted records and converting their material into new records.
- 2020
Pressing operations begin
[1]Program Records began pressing vinyl records at its Thornbury facility.
- 2018
Initial launch target announced
[1]The company initially announced plans to launch its pressing operation in 2018.
- 2017
Program Records is founded
[1]Steve Lynch and Dave Roper founded Program Records as a vinyl-record pressing venture in Australia.
Products and positioning
A specialist Australian vinyl manufacturing facility combining local pressing capacity, modern WarmTone equipment, and a material-reuse initiative.
Music manufacturing · 2020
Vinyl record pressings
Program Records presses vinyl records for artists and record labels. Its output has included releases connected with Australian and international acts such as Courtney Barnett, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, and Jimmy Barnes. The facility uses WarmTone presses supplied by Viryl Technologies and locally sourced vinyl compound.
Sustainable music manufacturing · 2021
Recycled-vinyl records
Through the Vinyl Deposit Scheme, unwanted records can be donated for conversion into material used in new records. The initiative extends Program’s standard pressing service into reuse of existing vinyl stock.
Marketing campaigns
- 2021Vinyl Deposit Scheme
Australia
Program Records launched a deposit and donation initiative for unwanted vinyl records. Donated records could be processed for use in making new records, positioning the project as a material-reuse effort within the physical-music industry.
Outcome. The scheme became a distinctive sustainability initiative associated with the company. The available reference material does not provide participation totals or quantified environmental results.
Brand decisions
2021
Launch of the Vinyl Deposit SchemeStrategyBackground
The company sought to connect vinyl manufacturing with reuse of unwanted physical records.
Action taken
Program created a scheme through which unwanted vinyl records could be donated and turned into material for new records.
Aftermath
The initiative added a circular-material component to Program’s manufacturing proposition, although the available material does not quantify its results.
2020
Commencement of vinyl pressingProduct launchBackground
Program had announced an intended 2018 launch but did not begin pressing until 2020. At that time, Australian domestic pressing capacity was limited.
Action taken
The company started production at its Thornbury facility using WarmTone presses from Viryl Technologies and locally sourced vinyl compound.
Aftermath
Program added a major new domestic pressing operation and subsequently served both Australian and international artists.
Recent events
- 2023
Program Records expands Australia’s vinyl pressing capacity[1]
Product generation · Other
By 2023, Program Records employed 13 staff and was pressing approximately 1,500 to 1,800 records per day over ten hours. Its output included releases by major Australian and international artists.
- 2021
Program Records introduces the Vinyl Deposit Scheme[1]
Campaign · Other
The facility launched a scheme allowing unwanted vinyl records to be donated and processed into new records, linking pressing activity with material reuse.
- 2020
Program Records begins vinyl pressing operations[1]
Product launch · Other
Program Records commenced pressing records after initially announcing plans to launch in 2018. Its opening expanded Australia’s domestic vinyl manufacturing capacity.
Sources1 sources
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