Industry Spotlight: Celebrating Women-Owned Record Businesses
In recognition of Women's History Month, we want to celebrate the great work of some of our female artist clients and industry colleagues who are doing amazing things with vinyl.
Liz Dunster, owner and founder of Erika Records. Photo from LA Times.
Liz Dunster began Erika Records as a record label, scouting bands at venues like the Whisky a Go Go and the Troubadour, according to the vinyl company's website. "To keep costs low, she split manufacturing expenses with artists and sold her share of records at swap meets to fund future projects."
Then, "in 1981, driven by a desire to control quality, Liz launched her own vinyl manufacturing plant and fabricated a record press. Her vision was clear: create vinyl that went beyond the standard round black record."
For decades, Erika Records stood out as the only women-owned vinyl-pressing operation in the U.S. These days, Erika Records is 36,000-square-foot facility in Buena Park, California, and is family-run by Liz, her husband Chuck, and their children. As the website states, "Erika Records continues to push the limits of vinyl in shape, size, and color."
Women-Owned Record Stores
The Pour House Music Hall & Record Shop, 224 S. Blount St., Raleigh. Owned by Lacie Lindstaedt.
Record shop by day. Live music venue by night. "My husband and I have owned The Pour House Music Hall since 2012 (est. 1997) and I opened a record shop to compliment the business in 2019," Lacie told WomenInVinyl.com. "The music industry as a whole has been largely managed by men. I love that we’re seeing more and more women taking roles and proving our place in the industry."
Sound Off Records & HiFi, 608 W. South St., Raleigh. Owned by Anna Cassan.
“Used and old-school is our general gist,” Anna told Visit Raleigh a couple of years ago. “We are ultra-local, and we don’t really list anything online. We’ll sometimes post on Instagram or Facebook, but we’re more into the idea that we have something rare and want it to go to someone here as first option. Our priority is our customers we see all the time. We like to think we have a community we cater to.”