Page 60 - 06_July-Aug-2025

Music
Todd McLean manager
of Flashback Records
CLASSIC LISTENING
Flashback Records is more than just an operation —
it’s an artistic craft built from personable connection
by BROOKLYN HOLLINGER photography BUFFY GOODMAN
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
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