New production technologies, the use of traditional and innovative materials and continuous experimentation are the drivers of the Terenzi Srl group, - a mechatronics company founded in 1967 - that have enabled it to tackle areas 'different' from its original ones. Having extensive know-how in the processing of metals and plastics, the company recently founded, together with the record company Rude Records, Greenyl Srl to produce vinyl, cult products beloved by music fans, with next-generation processes, i.e. PVC-free records. All this confirms that production flexibility and openness to diversified sectors can create and nurture new opportunities. A positive and virtuous example, the result of a co-design between two lively, different but complementary Italian entrepreneurial realities. A pleasant chat with Eleonora and Luca Terenzi reveals information and curiosities. With them, we reconstruct the project jointly and favourably executed by a number of people, and invite them to talk about Greenyl, the new brand that starts from a reinterpretation of the record as a true design object. This takes on new colours and textures: next to the timeless black version, the “Supernova” proposals reminiscent of stellar clouds and “Cloudy” in a variety of semi-transparent colours, or “Transparent” derived from 99% recycled and recyclable material. The meeting between Luca Terenzi and a high school friend reunited after 23 years sparked a new idea that emerged after a mutual update on their professional existence. From here came the intuition that something innovative could be created between a company specialising in the processing of materials and a record company active in the world of music. Industrial entities coming together to produce novelty, innovation and a sustainable object.
The name Greenyl: where does it come from and what is its history?
The idea of making innovative and green records originated in the summer of 2022 from the meeting of two companies: Terenzi SRL, a mechatronic manufacturing company since 1967, specialising in the processing of plastics and metals, and Rude Records, a well-established international record label and independent music publisher. Terenzi SRL has acquired many years of experience in its 55 years of activity, applying its innovative precision technology to the design and manufacture of products in a wide variety of sectors. Rude Records is an independent record label based in Milan and recognised worldwide. Founded in 2000, it is particularly active in the alternative genre. With more than 20 years of experience, Rude continues to grow in the international market, also thanks to a global distribution in partnership with The Orchard (Sony Music company). Rude Records' successes have been recognised by Billboard, which included the label in its International Power Players List 2021, and by Forbes, with a dedicated article. In March 2022, Rude became the first record label to acquire international B-Corp certification, promoting a new business model for the music industry. It also fights inequality, poverty and discrimination through Rude Cares, a non-profit branch of the label.
Greenyl is the acronym that expresses the innovation of the records on offer: green “vinyl”. A turning point in the history of this timeless musical medium. In only five months, from July 2022 until the end of the year, the ambitious project took shape and officially became “GREENYL”. Acronym and brand name that immediately refers to content, to good music produced in an innovative and environmentally friendly way. In December 2022 the first productions were realised and in July 2023 Greenyl was a partner of the important I-Days Milano Coca-Cola 2023
“I am not just green, I am Greenyl”, a project in its entirety and deliberately linked to sustainability. How does it fit into the current focus on environment and ecology?
Concern for the environment and the resources working in the production process is the main reason for Greenyl's “revolution”. Starting from the choice of a recycled and recyclable raw material, through its transformation into a product by means of advanced technologies and sustainable energy, with constant quality monitoring, Greenyl has managed to significantly reduce the impact on the environment and harmful emissions typical of traditional vinyl production.
The eco-friendly nature of Greenyl makes it possible to maintain the sound quality of historic vinyl records that have allowed music to spread through time and space, without causing the same environmental damage that old production methods do. PVC-free, Greenyl records are made from a polymer compound that is partly recycled and 100% recyclable. This polymer enables an innovative and environmentally friendly production process that avoids the emission of harmful gases into the environment.
Automation and the creation of ad hoc lines also make it possible to eliminate waste as well as to respond with extreme flexibility and timeliness to requests, to greatly improve and refine production times and thus to have much faster turnarounds for deliveries.
Traditional vinyl processing, on the other hand, due to the main component, PVC, has always generated high emissions of harmful, toxic gases with a very high environmental impact. Older pressing plants still used today, often employ steam boilers. The currently growing demand for vinyl, expected and based on industry studies, will have an even more negative impact on the environment.
What values have you shared with Rude Records?
Terenzi Srl provided its knowledge and tested technologies starting from a 12-year old experience made for the lighting sector; specifically for a lighting reflector from which it began to add and integrate the research and development that led to the production of green vinyl. Rude Records on the other hand brings its international experience and great contribution as a record company
How important was your commitment to research on materials and your entrepreneurial vocation in re-thinking the production of the record as an 'object' and its new concept?
The many years of experience applied flexibly to the manufacture of products in a wide variety of sectors, the technological expertise and the ability to manufacture all designed equipment in-house have been fundamental.
What are the connections between the world of music and the design industry?
In the history of music, vinyl has always been a fundamental medium for its dissemination, and over time has become a collector's item for its sonic value, but also for its aesthetic peculiarities. The technical name of vinyl, put on the market by COLUMBIA RECORDS, was Long Playing or also Long Play, later shortened by the abbreviation LP. COLUMBIA RECORDS was also responsible for the widespread popularity of record jacket design, thanks to the idea of Alex Steinweiss, who devised and proposed the first: Smash Song Hits by Rodgers & Hart (1940).
Can we talk about the renewal and re-design of the record as a 'product' for music and a 'sound' object?
Yes, for the reasons stated above. Greenyl has excellent acoustics and comes in colour variants as innovative as its eco-friendly appearance. PVC vinyl, which has always been produced in the same way since 1947, is now made with innovative processes and recyclable and recycled materials.… From production to the attention to sound, its faithful reproduction, the perception and quality of the recording room acoustics.
Example colour variants - Photo Eleonora Terenzi You have gone beyond the iconic and traditional aspect of the total black record to introduce the theme of colour in a purposeful way. What is the origin of this sensitivity to colour?
Vinyl has always been an aesthetic object of appreciation and collecting. As we said, fundamental besides the music track is obviously the colour of the record, the graphics of the labels, the creatively designed covers. Alongside the timeless Black version, Greenyl offers new nuances and colour blends, transparent versions or ad hoc productions on request of specific Pantone colours. Each record then has equally innovative 3D printed labels. The elimination of glue and paper labels allows for recycling. The etching we use on request is an even greener solution as it is made from the same material as the record.
You have gone beyond the iconic and traditional aspect of the total black record to introduce the theme of colour in a purposeful way. What is the origin of this sensitivity to colour?
Vinyl has always been an aesthetic object of appreciation and collecting. As we said, fundamental besides the music track is obviously the colour of the record, the graphics of the labels, the creatively designed covers. Alongside the timeless Black version, Greenyl offers new nuances and colour blends, transparent versions or ad hoc productions on request of specific Pantone colours. Each record then has equally innovative 3D printed labels. The elimination of glue and paper labels allows for recycling. The etching we use on request is an even greener solution as it is made from the same material as the record.
Vinyl records have several unique characteristics that contribute to their enduring appeal among music fans. Analogue vinyl sound recordings are created by directly capturing the physical sound waves produced by musical instruments and voices. In contrast, digital recordings capture a series of snapshots of sound waves at discrete intervals. Analogue sound is perceived as warmer and more natural than digital sound, which is why many audiophiles prefer vinyl records.
From the research and development phase to the market response of Greenyl, what are the sales forecasts and how has the world of collectors and music culture reacted?
The size of the vinyl record market was estimated at 1,987.74 million dollars in 2022 and is expected to reach 4,124.92 million dollars by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 9.57% from 2023 to 2030. MAKING VINYL, the annual record production conference, reports about 180 million records pressed in 2022. According to the RIAA 2022 Year End report, vinyl records led the growth of the physical market. Given this market growth, IMARC GROUP predicts that the vinyl market will exceed 2.6 billion dollars by 2026. The current worldwide focus on “PVC free” is also increasing and we trust in the sensitivity of artists to use green music media. Greenyl has a production forecast that takes these factors into account.
Who is the audience made up of and what is the profile of the “ideal” buyer?
The consumer audience is certainly diverse in terms of age and musical genre. Certainly, Greenyl will be of interest to collectors, music lovers, and vinyl enthusiasts. After that, the ideal audience would be each artist's fanbase. With each musical release, be it an album or an EP, there are often merchandise products, including the physical music support that is mainly purchased by fans of a particular artist to support, listen to, collect etc. As far as B2B buyers are concerned, Greenyl is open to receiving enquiries from both record companies and artists who want to contribute to the greening of the physical market.
Records - from the 1930s onwards - had two versions, 45 and 33 rpm made of traditional PVC; which alternative format did you choose?
Greenyl is a 12-inch, which in most cases is 33 rpm.
The record covers of the past, a world full of important graphic designers and illustrators who have marked various eras, leaving us a legacy of historical covers. Are the covers still made of paper today and is their visual impact as valuable as it was before the advent of CDs?
The packaging that accompanies the records is a unique feature: large-format covers or sleeves offer space for “artwork”, liner notes and other promotional material. COLUMBIA RECORDS is credited with the popularity of record cover design, thanks to the idea of Alex Steinweiss who conceived and proposed the first one in 1940.
The covers and graphics will be able to contextualise the Greenyl discs coordinated with them, as has already happened in the case of historical covers that have remained etched in the memory of music fans. Avant-garde, cult covers, which have become as historic as the Pink Floyd covers designed by Andy Warhol or the covers with photos of the Beatles, today considered expressions of a culture and avant-garde that has marked the culture and history of customs, true expressive languages of the evolution of society and the world of music. The unique and original etching, conceived by Greenyl, is an extension of the graphic-decorative-artistic part directly on the record.
What can Greenyl represent for today's audience?
A new potential for collectors and a revolution in record design. This revival of passion involves a vast public, made up of enthusiasts and collectors of all ages, eager not only to listen to music but also showing appreciation for aesthetics as well as sound quality, a valuable object to be collected and preserved in the home as a piece of furniture and design on a par with others integrated in personalised and familiar habitats.
Record collections and turntables for listening to them become a cult object and a true 'design object', an integral part of the living environment, a 'corner' of the home in which to listen and get excited.
Does each record have an unglued label?
Yes. Labels are made directly on the surface of the record using a 3D design or etching, i.e. without any additional material.
Obviously to listen to a record we have to use new generation turntables; what advice can you give us, between the 'wireless' and the 'smart' turntable option?
The current increase in the popularity of turntables reinforces the data on the increase in the market distribution of records as a medium for listening to music. Certainly, wireless audio systems allow music to be played from different sources often offering connectivity options via Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi, allowing devices to be connected for listening to the sound. Turntables can offer a warm and authentic sound quality due to the analogue nature of vinyl playback and can add a special touch of design due to vintage aesthetics. Turntables require special care, with vinyl needing to be cleaned regularly and the turntable needle replaced periodically.
Buying a good turntable and a high-quality sound system can be expensive, of course there are affordable options, varying according to the particular sound quality and the td and the technical characteristics desired.
#syncronia #syncropedia #vinyl #recovery #discs
