Hellbender Vinyl

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Hellbender Vinyl is a vinyl record manufacturing company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Opened in 2023, it is notable as the only record pressing plant currently operating in Western Pennsylvania [1] [2] and, due to its acquisition of Softwax Record Pressing in Philadelphia, is now the largest record manufacturer in Pennsylvania. [3] [4]

Contents

Company history

Hellbender Vinyl was founded by Misra Records manager Jeff Betten and Paperhaus band member Matt Dowling. Betten cited the vinyl revival of the 2010s as the reason that the two men felt Hellbender Vinyl would be a necessary addition to the music industry. [5]

The company is located in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. [6] To date, Hellbender Vinyl has pressed records for clients such as Victoria Monét, Sixpence None the Richer, Urban Outfitters, Castle Rat, DFTBA Records, Chad Smith, MCG Jazz, Get Hip Records, Guster, Cello Fury, Wheatus, Jim Donovan, Donora, Camping in Alaska, Beedie, Dizzy Reed, Raymond Watts, Cowgirl Clue, Zao, Buffalo Rose, Sparta, Beauty Pill, Ollabelle, Brittain Ashford, The Juliana Theory, Caroline Rose, and more. [7] [8]

In April 2025, Hellbender Vinyl was announced as a winner of the "Excellence in Customer Service Awards" by Business Intelligence Group. [9]

Innovations, notable projects

In May 2025, Hellbender Vinyl made news when it was announced that the company had pressed a 7-inch record for The Ataris containing the ashes of singer Kristopher Roe's father, William. [10] [11] [12]

Hellbender Vinyl participated in the Super Bowl LIX ad campaign by Mountain Dew Baja Blast, for which it pressed a vinyl record of the song "Kiss from a Lime" by Seal featured in the commercial. [8] [13]

Hellbender Vinyl collaborated with Pereira O'Dell in October 2024 to create a pancake-shaped record as part of the "Working for the Weekday" ad campaign for IHOP featuring Loverboy. [14] [15]

Hellbender Vinyl is also notable for its collaboration with Munnycat that resulted in the world's first "3D vinyl record" - in which the record acts as 3D glasses for the album cover’s stereoscopic artwork. [3] [16]

Technology

Hellbender Vinyl uses LiteTone and WarmTone vinyl presses engineered by Viryl Technologies [17] as well as a Hamilton M-231 and a SMT Model 1500. [18] As a result, the company can produce several thousand records per day. [3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "How is a vinyl record made? We visited Pittsburgh's Hellbender Vinyl to find out!". 91.3 WYEP. 2024-09-20. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  2. ↑ "Pressing Vinyl in Pittsburgh: How Hellbender Vinyl is Bringing Records to Life". Other Record Labels. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  3. 1 2 3 "At Hellbender's pressing plant in Lawrenceville, 'vinyl makes an album real'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2025-12-22.
  4. ↑ "All of the Vinyl Plants in the USA (with Interactive Map)". Hellbender Vinyl. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  5. ↑ "Inside Hellbender Vinyl's Mission to Support Independent Artists". Digs. 2025-04-01. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  6. ↑ Bailey, Pony. "Lawrenceville's Hellbender Vinyl is filling a music-industry need while building community". Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  7. ↑ Hundley, Dylan (2025-03-21). "TVD Radar: The Podcast with Dylan Hundley, Episode 175: Hellbender Vinyl". The Vinyl District. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  8. 1 2 King, Ashley (2025-02-20). "Pittsburgh Has A New Vinyl Pressing Plant—Hellbender Vinyl". Digital Music News. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  9. ↑ "From Good to Great: These Organizations Are Defining the Future of Customer Service | News | Business Intelligence Group". www.bintelligence.com. Retrieved 2025-12-25.
  10. ↑ saxelrod@siadvance.com, Scott R. Axelrod | (2025-05-07). "Punk band returns with vinyl record infused with ashes of frontman's father". silive. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  11. ↑ Alper, Eric (2025-05-05). "The Ataris Release "Car Song" and Reimagined "In This Diary" Ahead Of First Album Since 2007". That Eric Alper. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  12. ↑ Herbert, Geoff (2025-05-06). "Pop-punk band returns with semi-illegal tribute, first new album in 18 years". syracuse. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  13. ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  14. ↑ "IHOP and Julie Bowen Bring '80s Nostalgia to the Table with Loverboy's 'Working for the Weekday' | LBBOnline". Archived from the original on 2025-07-13. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  15. ↑ "Connor Witt — IHOP Pancake Loverboy". Connor Witt. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  16. ↑ Stillman, Cory (2025-10-10). "Interview: Indie Pop Artists MUNNYCAT on Their Debut Album 'till death do we art'". Awards Radar. Retrieved 2025-12-25.
  17. ↑ "Hellbender Vinyl Pressing Plant - Pittsburgh". Buzzsonic. 2024-12-05. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  18. ↑ "The Latest Startups in Music Are Banking on Analog Technology". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 2022-03-23. Retrieved 2025-12-22.
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