At a time when endless access to music rests at our fingertips, it might surprise you to learn that record album sales in the U.S. — that is, analogue music — have grown from 3.5 million to over 43 million since 2009. It’s even outpaced CD sales. What explains the vinyl revival? It’s not just their timeless quality or nostalgic appeal of owning physical media — though there’s that — but the technological brilliance that produces a profound and superior sound. Just ask Todd McLean of Edmonton’s vinyl factory Flashback Records.
Growing up in the 1980s, McLean was raised on his parents’ collection of southern gospel and quartet band LPs, though of course, his own tastes veered more toward bands like Petra, Van Halen and Journey. However, while most friends bought cassettes, young McLean was already building his vinyl collection.
He undertook a business management career in non-profit and private sectors, but maintained his passion for music, striking up conversations with touring independent artists about their albums. “I found the same recurring theme happening over and over,” he says. Big-name pressing plants rarely prioritized small vinyl orders from indie bands, leading to long waits and poor quality. Meanwhile, factories that did offer small-batch orders often did so with outdated technology that compromised sound quality. Motivated to fix the problem, McLean began learning about modern vinyl technology to start a high-quality production plant for independent artists.
Seven years later, Flashback Records is one of only about six vinyl-pressing factories in Canada, producing over 150,000 units per year. The company uses cutting-edge technology to deliver indie-friendly quantities with major-label quality.
For McLean, making records is more art than operation. He had to develop both the technical skills — like measuring the right grams of material — and the intuition to recognize high-quality vinyl. He also must determine what colour combinations pair well with the artist’s intentions, in order to get the mixture right. Every individual vinyl is also inspected for scratches, cosmetic flaws and misaligned labels.
The best part, however, is seeing the musicians’ reactions to the finished product. “It really makes quite an impression on them. It’s a milestone.”
This article appears in the July/August 2025 issue of Edify
