Today, Yep Roc Records is kicking off a week long “1 of 4 A Cause” auction event where you can bid to own a small piece of music history. For the first time ever, we’ll be auctioning off official test pressings of albums. Test pressings are extremely rare first pressings of a vinyl record that are used to approve the vinyl pressing before the LP is mass-produced. Generally, only four copies are made– one for the artist, one for the producer, one for the label, and one extra (sometimes a few extra are made, but overall the quantity is always very small). Simply put, these are collector’s items, and anyone in ownership of one is part of a very small and exclusive group.
Five test pressings will be listed on eBay and available to bid on starting 2/14. They are…
- Dolly Parton – Puppy Love 45
- As yet unreleased, soon to be a Record Store Day 2017 exclusive! Part of the incredible Southern FolkLife Collection.
- Robyn Hitchcock – There Goes the Ice
- Autographed 2xLP, Record Store Day 2013 exclusive, long out of print.
- Aoife O’Donovan – Fossils
- A critically acclaimed album, a song from which ended up on Barack Obama’s Summer 2015 Spotify Playlist).
- Jackie Greene – Light Up Your Window 7″
- Record Store Day 2015 exclusive, limited edition and out of print!
- Tift Merritt – Stitch of the World
- The latest from the alt-country singer-songwriter, recently lauded by NPR Music.
The proceeds from the auctions will go to four nonprofits local to our North Carolina community.
Here’s some info on the non-profits the proceeds will be going to:
- Girls Rock NC – In thirteen years of programming, Girls Rock NC has held nearly 100 music programs for girls in Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh. Campers have gone on to perform in successful bands and have even take on leadership roles at camp.
- Activate Good – With a goal that all good causes in the Triangle will get the help they need, Activate Good continues to influence the community and work with volunteers who realize and exercise their potential to make a change, facilitating over 360 local causes in 2016 alone.
- WHUP – Broadcasting from Hillsborough, WHUP’s vision is consistent with that of excellent community stations around the country – present a high-quality, eclectic, host-driven mix of music and conversation that collectively reflects the community we serve, with an emphasis on local and regional talent.
- Be Loud! Sophie Foundation – The Be Loud! Sophie Foundation supports adolescent and young adult cancer patients and their families at UNC Hospitals. The foundation funds the only adolescent and young adult program director at a cancer hospital in the United States in honor of Sophie Steiner, a Chapel Hill teenager who died of cancer in 2013.
Visit our eBay store here to check out the auctions! Happy bidding!
Still confused on what a test pressing is? Watch below!