This week we are heading into Bordentown New Jersey's pressing plant Independent Record Pressing (IRP) to meet their Accountant, Kim Gosselin and Alanna Tomey in Quality Control. IRP serves to sustainably manufacture the highest quality vinyl records with best-in-class customer service. Founded in 2015 by Dave Hansen (Exceleration Music) and Ben Swanson, Chris Swanson & Darius Van Arman (Secretly Group) along with Red Light Management; with the vision to support and press records for independent labels, IRP opened its doors with six vintage Hamilton Presses made in the late 70s/early 80s.

IRP has since grown, partnering with Viryltech and now operate a total of nine new 12” presses, producing 140g-180g records for the likes of Alabama Shakes, Bad Religion, Bon Iver, Decendents, Elliott Smith, Fela Kuti, Iron Maiden, J Dilla, Radiohead, Ray Charles, and many more.

When not at work, Kim enjoys hiking and exploring the Catskills, she is also a member of the Climate Neutral team. "I’ve always been big on recycling, but I’ve learned so much more about being friendlier to the environment after being a part of this team. I also recently joined our town’s Green Team. It’s great to see so many people care about doing better for the environment."

Alanna in her free time is trying to follow music. Whether it’s a random band at a local dive bar or a festival, she likes to get lost in the sound — or in the woods.

How did you get into your industry / What motivated you?

Kim: I got into Accounting right after college. I was a Liberal Arts major and really didn’t know what I wanted to do after college. I fell into accounting by accident and realized that I had a knack for numbers. I joined IRP three years ago, and to be honest, because it was only a few miles from where I live. But it’s such an amazing industry with such a creative group of people, and I’ve learned so much!

Alanna: I was honestly lucky to find a record pressing plant in the same town I live in. When I got here, I realized I had some really cool coworkers and I decided to stay for 2 1/2 years now.

What is a day in the life like?

Kim: Numbers, numbers and more numbers. I check our bank account for deposits and apply them to our customers’ accounts. I keep the lights on by making sure our utility bills and rent are paid. I pay our vendors and generate invoices to our customers. Nothing glamorous at all! But I love hearing about what projects we are working on, or that a member here is going on tour with their band. I’ve never worked in such a creative environment before.

Alanna: I get paid to listen to all different types of music and watch the process of making vinyl sound nice. It’s the best job I’ve ever had. Especially when I get to work with lots of creative people from different walks of life.

In your opinion what has been your favorite / the coolest thing you've worked on?

Kim: It has to be the new Slash album released this past May.

Alanna: My favorite album visually has been Raised by Hailey Whitters. We did this in clear and the etched flower art is so beautiful to look at. Audibly, Louie by Kenny Beats has a special place in my heart because we were working on this when I first trained for my current position and it was such a transitional time during my work life here.

What has been / is the most difficult part of your job?

Kim: Asking our customers to pay their invoices due to us. Don’t get me wrong, we have great customers who generally pay us pretty quickly. But every once in a while I have to get on one or two of them.

Alanna: The most difficult part of my job is having to complain about sound issues that are difficult to work out. There are so many factors that go into keeping a press running properly, consistently, and making the vinyl records sound good on top of it all. I’m grateful for the team that I work with, their patience, and for the laughs we share along the way.

What advice do you have for someone wanting to get into pursuing what you’re doing?

...don’t be afraid if you didn’t study it in college. There are many ways to get exposure to it and you can always take classes later to further your education.

Kim: Don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone to try new things and new industries. And don’t be afraid if you didn’t study it in college. There are many ways to get exposure to it and you can always take classes later to further your education.

Alanna: Like any job, my advice would be to find a good place with even better teamwork. As interesting as this is, any job can become stressful without the right attitude put behind it. There is a lot of communication involved when creating a vinyl that sounds as beautiful as it looks.

Are you a vinyl collector yourself? What drew you to it? If not, why the vinyl industry?

Kim: As I mentioned, I saw a job posting for an Accountant. I had no idea that there was even a vinyl pressing plant here! I checked out their website and just thought that it would be such a cool place to work. My previous jobs were in big corporate offices, and this was such a big departure from that. I’ve learned so much about the industry!

Alanna:I wasn’t a vinyl collector until I started working here. I didn’t really see much value in one album when I had Spotify at my fingertips. Then, I realized how nice it is to find an album you like, take the time to set it on a record player, and just be present. The convenience of subscriptions are nice until your credit card declines and all your music is gone or covered in ads. With vinyl records, people don’t have that problem.

What types of things are happening in your industry / with vinyl that you’re excited or worried about? i.e. innovation, or trends you’re seeing.

Kim: Like in a lot of industries, there are ebbs and flows. I sometimes get nervous when we’re not billing as much as I’d like. But then things pick up.

Who has been influential to you and your growth as a professional in this industry? 

Kim: My manager in a previous company taught me so much! I brought that knowledge with me here and was able to create a smoother running accounting department.

Alanna: The most influential people have had to be those who I have spent the long hours of the night shift with. Most notably my coworkers, Jason and Nate. There have been so many laughs (and clementines) shared between everyone I’ve worked with since becoming a QC and I could definitely say we owe a lot to those two. I’m grateful for all the advice and information they’ve shared with me over the years.

Anything else you’d like to add; if not tell us what you're listening to: 

Kim: I tend to “discover” bands a little later on. I really like Green Day and older U2 songs. I can get into some Disturbed. Lately, I’ve been getting into the classics like the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac.

Alanna: My favorite music genre right now has to be Synth-pop /Synthwave. My best friend and I are always bumping 80s music on our way to Asbury Park!

All photos thanks to Mike Elliott: https://www.instagram.com/mpielliott/?hl=en