The Vinyl Factory

The Vinyl Factory is a London-based music company whose activities span record manufacturing, recorded-music publishing, retail, editorial media, and arts programming. It began in 2001 as a vinyl pressing operation after acquiring manufacturing equipment from EMI. During its first two years, the business completed orders that had remained with EMI, helping it preserve technical continuity and establish relationships with customers in the record industry. The company expanded beyond manufacturing in 2008 by establishing a record label. This development allowed The Vinyl Factory to participate in the creation, release, and physical presentation of music rather than operating solely as a supplier to other labels and artists. Vinyl records remain central to its identity, with the company associated with carefully produced physical editions and projects that connect music with visual art, design, and limited-edition cultural objects. Its broader portfolio includes Fact magazine, an editorial platform focused on music and culture, and Phonica Records, a London record store known for its specialist music retail role. The combination of label, pressing, retail, and media activities gives The Vinyl Factory a position across several stages of the music ecosystem: artist and repertoire development, physical production, promotion, journalism, and consumer sales. The company has also developed a substantial cultural-programming practice. It has curated or presented exhibitions, audiovisual installations, live events, and artist commissions at venues including The Vinyl Factory Soho, Brewer Street Car Park, and Store Studios at 180 The Strand. Projects have involved collaborations with institutions and galleries such as the Hayward Gallery, Lisson Gallery, the Serpentine Galleries, and the British Council. Its programming has included work by artists such as Ragnar Kjartansson, Ryoji Ikeda, Carsten Nicolai, Richard Mosse, Arthur Jafa, Kahlil Joseph, and Dinos Chapman, as well as projects centered on the visual and historical culture of Kraftwerk, David Bowie, and punk. In 2017, The Vinyl Factory launched VF Commissions, a program intended to produce and collaborate on site-specific works. Early projects included Kahlil Joseph's Fly Paper, presented at the New Museum in New York, and Ryoji Ikeda's test pattern (no.12), shown at Store Studios in London. Through this combination of music production, physical media, retail, publishing, and contemporary-art presentation, The Vinyl Factory operates as a cross-disciplinary cultural company rather than a conventional record label alone.

The Vinyl Factory was established in London in 2001 as a vinyl pressing plant. Its early business followed the acquisition of manufacturing equipment from EMI. Rather than starting with an entirely new customer base, the company spent its first two years completing orders that had remained from EMI's operation. This transition helped maintain production continuity and supported the development of an established client network. For much of its first phase, the business was principally associated with physical record manufacturing. Its later development reflected the renewed cultural and commercial importance of vinyl as a collectible and expressive format. In 2008, The Vinyl Factory expanded into recorded-music publishing by creating a record label. The move broadened its role from manufacturer to music company, allowing it to participate in the development and release of music and in the design of physical editions. The company subsequently built a portfolio that connected music production with other parts of the cultural economy. It became associated with Fact magazine and with Phonica Records, a specialist record store. These activities complemented the label and pressing operation by providing editorial coverage and a retail channel for music discovery and sales. A further stage of development involved exhibitions, audiovisual presentations, and collaborations with artists and cultural institutions. The Vinyl Factory presented work in London at The Vinyl Factory Soho, Brewer Street Car Park, and Store Studios at 180 The Strand. Its projects included The Infinite Mix in 2016, produced in partnership with the Hayward Gallery; Everything At Once in 2017, developed with Lisson Gallery; and Arthur Jafa's Love is the Message, the Message is Death, presented with the Serpentine Galleries. Earlier programming included solo exhibitions involving Ragnar Kjartansson, Ryoji Ikeda, Carsten Nicolai, and Richard Mosse, together with group projects and presentations linked to Lazarides and The Moving Museum. The organization also used music and event production to connect contemporary art with major cultural platforms. In 2013, it partnered with the British Council for the opening party for Jeremy Deller's presentation at the Venice Biennale. It also presented Dinos Chapman's first live music show at Sónar and later during Frieze Art Fair in London. In 2017, The Vinyl Factory formalized its artist-production activity through VF Commissions. The first announced projects included Kahlil Joseph's Fly Paper, which opened at the New Museum in New York in September 2017, and Ryoji Ikeda's test pattern (no.12), which premiered at Store Studios from October through December of that year. The company reported that the latter presentation attracted more than 100,000 visitors. Across these stages, The Vinyl Factory developed from a specialist pressing plant into a multidisciplinary platform combining physical music, label services, media, retail, exhibitions, and commissioned art.

• 2017

  Launch of VF Commissions

  [1]The Vinyl Factoryen.wikipedia.org

  The company establishes VF Commissions to produce and collaborate on site-specific artistic works.

• 2016

  The Infinite Mix

  [1]The Vinyl Factoryen.wikipedia.org

  The Vinyl Factory presents The Infinite Mix in partnership with the Hayward Gallery.

• 2013

  British Council and Venice Biennale collaboration

  [1]The Vinyl Factoryen.wikipedia.org

  The company partners with the British Council on the opening party for Jeremy Deller's Venice Biennale presentation.

• 2008

  Record-label expansion

  [1]The Vinyl Factoryen.wikipedia.org

  The Vinyl Factory expands from pressing and manufacturing into record publishing through the creation of a label.

• 2003

  Completion of inherited EMI orders

  [1]The Vinyl Factoryen.wikipedia.org

  During its first two years, the company completes outstanding EMI orders, helping preserve production relationships and customer continuity.

• 2001

  The Vinyl Factory begins as a pressing plant

  [1]The Vinyl Factoryen.wikipedia.org

  The company starts operations in London after acquiring vinyl-manufacturing equipment from EMI.

A premium, culture-led music company built around vinyl production and the intersection of recorded music, visual art, design, retail, and editorial media.

• Music manufacturing · 2001

  Vinyl pressing and manufacturing

  The company's original business is the manufacture of vinyl records. It began after the acquisition of EMI equipment and initially relied on completing outstanding EMI orders. Vinyl production remains the operational foundation for the wider brand and supports physical releases associated with its label and cultural projects.

• Record label · 2008

  The Vinyl Factory record label

  Established in 2008, the record label expanded The Vinyl Factory's role from manufacturing supplier to publisher and curator of recorded music. Its label activity is closely connected to the company's interest in high-quality physical editions and the relationship between music, artwork, design, and collectible formats.

• Music and culture media

  Fact magazine

  Fact is a music and culture publication within The Vinyl Factory's broader portfolio. It extends the company's reach beyond production and retail through editorial coverage and cultural discovery, complementing its label, events, and artist-facing activities.

• Specialist music retail

  Phonica Records

  Phonica Records is a specialist record store owned by The Vinyl Factory. The retail operation gives the wider company a direct point of contact with listeners and collectors and complements its manufacturing, label, and editorial businesses.

• Artist commissions and exhibitions · 2017

  VF Commissions

  VF Commissions is a program for producing and collaborating with artists on site-specific works. Its first projects included Kahlil Joseph's Fly Paper and Ryoji Ikeda's test pattern (no.12), linking The Vinyl Factory's music-centered identity with contemporary art, audiovisual installation, and public exhibition.

• 2017Everything At Once

  United Kingdom

  The company collaborated with Lisson Gallery on the presentation of Everything At Once.

  Outcome. The collaboration broadened The Vinyl Factory's gallery and exhibition partnerships.

  Source
• 2017Love is the Message, the Message is Death

  United Kingdom

  The Vinyl Factory presented Arthur Jafa's work in partnership with the Serpentine Galleries.

  Outcome. The project added a major audiovisual art presentation to the company's London program.

  Source
• 2017VF Commissions launch projects

  United Kingdom · United States

  The newly established VF Commissions program supported Kahlil Joseph's Fly Paper at the New Museum in New York and Ryoji Ikeda's test pattern (no.12) at Store Studios in London.

  Outcome. These inaugural commissions established a formal platform for site-specific audiovisual and artistic production.

  Source
• 2016The Infinite Mix

  United Kingdom

  The Vinyl Factory presented an audiovisual exhibition in partnership with the Hayward Gallery.

  Outcome. The project reinforced the company's role as a presenter of music-related audiovisual and contemporary-art experiences.

  Source
• 2013Jeremy Deller Venice Biennale opening

  United Kingdom · Italy

  The Vinyl Factory partnered with the British Council to host the opening party for Jeremy Deller's presentation at the Venice Biennale.

  Outcome. The collaboration extended the brand's cultural-programming activities into an international contemporary-art event.

  Source

• 2017

  Creation of VF CommissionsStrategy

  Background

  The company sought to extend its music-and-art activities into the production of new site-specific works.

  Action taken

  The Vinyl Factory initiated VF Commissions and launched projects with artists including Kahlil Joseph and Ryoji Ikeda.

  Aftermath

  The initiative strengthened the company's position as a producer and presenter of interdisciplinary contemporary art and audiovisual work.

  Source

• 2008

  Move into record publishingStrategy

  Background

  After operating as a vinyl pressing plant, The Vinyl Factory broadened its business scope within the recorded-music sector.

  Action taken

  The company established a record label.

  Aftermath

  The Vinyl Factory developed from a manufacturing operation into a broader music company with label, media, retail, and cultural-programming activities.

  Source

1. 1The Vinyl Factoryen.wikipedia.org