Sony Music Japan to Begin Vinyl Production at Shizuoka Plant in March

A Sony Corp. of America spokeswoman confirmed in a Tuesday email Sony Music Entertainment Japan is getting back into vinyl production to capitalize on renewed consumer interest in LPs and turntables. Sony Music Entertainment Japan, a separate company from Sony Music Entertainment in the U.S., works with Japanese music artists and promotes them to a larger global audience, she said. The vinyl manufacturing plant will be in the Shizuoka prefecture in Japan, with initial production slated for March, the spokeswoman said. No artists have been announced. Sony last manufactured vinyl records in 1989, she said. An interview with Sony sound engineer Kazuo Nada on the Sony Electronics website in 2016 referenced turntables’ “second wind.” Nada said the resurgence of vinyl wasn’t just about nostalgia but “listeners are pining for higher-quality sound” that CDs and MP3s don’t deliver. Sony Electronics is meeting that need with a turntable it launched last year -- the $499 PS-HX500 -- which adds a new spin to the retro format: the ability to record vinyl discs to create hi-res audio tracks that can be transferred to PC via USB.