Hellbender opens in North Philly
Pittsburgh-based Hellbender Vinyl has expanded pressing operations into North Philadelphia, opening a plant in the Lawncrest neighborhood to give artists and labels more local manufacturing access. (whyy.org) The company shipped its first order in 2023 and the new facility is presented as one step toward easing pressing bottlenecks that affect vinyl releases. (whyy.org)
Hellbender Vinyl has opened a record-pressing plant in Philadelphia’s Lawncrest neighborhood, adding a second Pennsylvania site to its Pittsburgh operation. (whyy.org) The Philadelphia plant sits at 300 East Godfrey Avenue in North Philadelphia, and Hellbender says it presses 12-inch, 10-inch and 7-inch records there for independent artists and labels. (hellbenderphilly.com) The expansion came through Hellbender’s acquisition of Softwax Record Pressing, a Philadelphia company that now says, “Softwax Record Pressing is now Hellbender Vinyl North Philly.” New Jersey Stage reported the move last week and said Hellbender also added industry veteran Travis Whitlock to its team. (softwaxrecordpressing.com) (newjerseystage.com) Record pressing is the factory step that turns finished audio into physical discs, and artists have spent the past few years dealing with long waits as vinyl demand climbed. Hellbender owner Jeff Betten told WHYY the Philadelphia site gives musicians in the region a closer manufacturing option. (whyy.org) That demand is still rising. The Recording Industry Association of America said United States vinyl sales passed $1 billion in 2025, the 19th straight year of growth for the format. (riaa.com) Hellbender is still a young company. Pittsburgh Magazine reported that it delivered its first client order in January 2023 and had pressed more than 100,000 records by late 2025. (pittsburghmagazine.com) The company’s main plant remains in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood, and its website now describes Hellbender as operating in both Lawrenceville and Philadelphia. The site also lists Philadelphia staff including plant manager Nick Landstrom and project manager Benjamin Schurr. (hellbendervinyl.com) WHYY reported that Hellbender pitched the North Philadelphia opening as one answer to the manufacturing bottlenecks that can delay vinyl releases for local acts. For artists trying to get records made without shipping work out of state, the new Lawncrest plant puts that process closer to home. (whyy.org)
