Identified by matrix scheme MRP####. Many releases contain the MRP catalog number and the GZ Media catalog number in the runout. For US releases, it can be assumed that plating was performed by GZ Media (Mastered At credit for now), as well as cutting the lacquer or DMM if not done by another mastering facility, and record pressing performed by MRP. Use Manufactured By if not sure about pressing. EU releases are typically pressed at GZ Media.
MRP uses some additional internal stamper IDs for their pressings, e.g. hand-etched A4, B1, C2. Therefore records with such hand-etched IDs were really pressed at Memphis Record Pressing and "Pressed By" will be the correct tag here if these additional etched stampers IDs are present in runout. E.g. The Killers - Wonderful Wonderful. If there are some notes about Made in the EU or Made in the Czech Republic present on the artwork and there are no hand-etched MRP stamper ID codes in runout, it means that such records were either pressed at GZ Media (Pressed By tag) or the printed material was made at GZ Media, and MRP was acting as a broker or presser (Manufactured By tag). Even one color version of a particular title can be pressed at GZ and the rest of color versions can be pressed at MRP or vice versa. As such it is unclear if the record was pressed or the sleeve was printed at GZ Media, don't credit GZ Media for pressing, just manufacturing as it's unclear which part they are responsible for.
Next to United, MRP is the worst pressing plant in the United States and in the world. They have major problems pressing problem free records. Common issues with their pressings include non fill, album sides pressed way off center, hair marks on their records. Do not buy anything that is pressed by them. They don’t care. MRP sucks
re: Shintaro Sakamoto Let's Dance Raw 2022 reissue, 1st copy had a small chunk of vinyl missing on the edge. Returned it to my favorite local shop and 2nd copy had the same issue (larger chunk) in almost the exact same place.
Just bought an old new stock of Junior Kimbrough + Daft Punk - I Gotta Try You Girl (Daft Punk Edit) and it seems that the clear plastic sleeve doesn't age well and on every part of the vinyl that touched the sleeve, the disc started to change color (on both sides). The disc still plays but the etching on the B-side looks very weird now. Oh, and the disc is off-center as well.
Their opaque colored pressings are just terrible! So much surface noises like "Shhhhhh" that i can hear it during almost every quite part of the records. A shame, cause this problems are happening with limited edition LPs that never was released on this format before, and we do not have a chance to get another prpessing of the albums.
Bad pressing plant. I have a couple of craft recordings that were pressed at MRP and they come with either non-fill, very distressed edges, incrusted pieces of dirt that cause some pops. It could also be a combination of some of these things. I think these guys are just a bit better than United.
Tommyboy65
April 29, 2023