It’s been a while since we’ve had the pleasure of catching up with our friends across the pond at Sheffield-based stamper production leader, Stamper Discs! At Stamper Discs technology, collaboration and camaraderie are at the core of their success. As the only UK company providing a 'trade' galvanics service to the vinyl industry, they support pressing plants and record labels, to deliver stampers at the highest quality. Beyond their technical expertise, the team members share a special bond that enriches their workplace and drives their shared mission, read Elsie's interview here.

In this group interview, we meet Lucy, Hanora, and Sharon. Lucy plays a key role as a production operative, contributing to the creation of high-quality stampers, mothers, and fathers that uphold Stamper Discs' commitment to excellence. Hanora manages responsibilities in Customer Service and Accounts while pursuing an ACCA qualification, showcasing dedication to both professional growth and customer satisfaction. Sharon, as a customer services administrator, ensures seamless communication and support for clients, helping the company maintain its industry-leading reputation.

When not at work, Lucy enjoys a good movie or TV series binge, usually "...while my dog Otis snores away on the sofa next to me". She is also really into learning languages, studying French and Italian at university, and has also just started learning British Sign Language. Hanora loves to attend all her musician friend's gigs. "I like to exercise and eat well, and I read a lot. I enjoy music, film and television". Sharon says, "unsurprisingly I love music!! I live and breathe it. If I'm not listening to or buying copious amounts of it, I'm experiencing it at gigs". She is also a film buff so if not at a show you can catch her at the cinema! She is also a regular volunteer with Sensoria, the Sheffield based "music, film and digital festival" whom she's been involved with before joining Stamper Discs and who she still volunteers with when the opportunity arises.

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

Lucy: I actually just googled ‘Vinyl Jobs in Sheffield’, I was feeling quite unfulfilled in my previous job and had always wanted to work in music but didn’t have any qualifications or experience, but the job advert had only just been posted so I kind of took it as a sign and applied straight away.

Hanora: I had the great fortune to stumble across the advert for this job, and knew immediately that I wanted it. Stamper Discs seemed like a great place to work, and although I knew very little about vinyl myself, I have friends who collect vinyl and I have very fond memories of them comparing their collections, so I thought it would be great to have my own small part to play in the industry.

Sharon: I applied for my current job with Stamper Discs via the job search site Indeed. Vinyl manufacturing is not an industry you hear much about in terms of the music industry at large. I was drawn to Stamper Discs when I looked at the company's website whilst doing my research for my job application. I liked what I saw! The website had a "meet the team" section which consisted of each team member listing their top 12 vinyl albums. A lot of them matched my own tastes and I Immediately felt an infinity with the company.

What is a day in the life like?

Lucy: My day starts early, usually around 6 or 7 am, which is ideal for me. I’ll usually start by either quality checking the nickel solution in the plating baths to make sure they’re ready for that day’s production or I’ll audio check mothers from the previous day (one of my favourite jobs). Then from there it’s usually a good mix of loading lacquers / metalwork, separating, de-silvering and forming stampers ready to be shipped out.

Hanora: I aim to get to work between 7 and 7:30am to study before my shift starts at 9am. Then I read through emails to check for any urgent queries or issues. I log into Xero (the accounting software that we use) and check payments on the dashboard to reconcile any payments coming in and check for anything unusual or that I don’t understand.

Then throughout the course of the day my attention is divided between various accounting/customer service tasks, such as uploading bills and invoices onto Xero, reconciling inward and outward payments on Xero, responding to emails, helping my colleagues in customer service with boxing up and shipping out stampers, and sending shipping emails and invoices to customers.

Sharon: Busy!! My day typically starts with checking emails - all correspondence is either email or telephone based. Our clients are mainly pressing plants and cutting houses as this is where stampers lie in the world of vinyl manufacturing. Emails tend to consist of customer orders which it is our team's job to input on to our in-house jobs management system.

We will then receive the lacquers for these orders which are either sent from cutting houses or directly from the clients themselves. Once confirmed, the jobs will then go onto our production schedule which is a daily list that either my manager and colleague Elsie or myself will draw up for our Production team for the next day.

I will then start getting ready to ship stampers out to clients. This involves checking them first for any defects then getting them boxed up and booked on with our couriers ready for collection.

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

Lucy: I don’t know whether I have a favourite but I remember when I first started we were working on some stampers for Tash Sultana’s Sugar EP and I remember thinking ‘No Wayyyy!’, I’d been a fan of theirs for a while so that felt really cool. I kept sneaking the mothers out of the archive for another listen.

Hanora: My answer to this is probably not as exciting as those of my colleagues, but I thoroughly enjoy figuring out discrepancies between Xero and Scribe (our software for orders and invoices), and making sure the figures balance. I also really like being handed invoices or receipts to upload onto the system. I basically just love being the accounts person!

Sharon: Its hard to answer this as 9 times out of 10 we don't actually know what the finished record will be as we just have the catalogue number - which we refer to on scribe as matrix ID - and not the artist name or title. Sometimes we will get the artist / title and I will be like "yes!! We're doing so and so's new album" or other times I might happen to be walking past Production whilst they're QC'ing and I will hear something that I like and will then contact the client to enquire as to who that artist /title is.

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

Lucy: I think the most difficult part is looking after the solution in the baths. In order to produce the best stampers, you have to make sure your solution is spot on so we check ours daily for pH, temperature, nickel concentration and surface tension. It’s not always obvious what the root cause is if the plating quality isn’t perfect so it can be a case of trial and error at times, which can be frustrating.

Hanora: Handling lacquers always makes me feel uneasy because I’m scared of damaging them, but thankfully I don’t have to do that very often, and when I do I have the moral support of my colleagues to help me through it. Besides, being uneasy serves as a strong reminder to be extra careful!

Sharon: Timing! Time has never been a friend of mine anyway, but at work timing is everything. We deal with clients from all over the world so I'm always aware whilst emailing our clients the difference in time zones. The above isn't necessarily difficult, more a point to remember.

What I do find 'difficult' is shipping: WE ARE AT THE MERCY OF OUR COURIERS! It's all very well planning and making sure we have stampers ready to ship out on a certain day but all that relies on what time our parcels get picked up by the couriers! We do get emergency requests from clients needing stampers "tomorrow". This all depends on timing - the earlier we're told about a job the more chance it has of being ready to ship out the same day - communication - it's vital customer services and Production talk to each other (Production know whenever I'm on the factory floor I'm going to be asking for or requesting them for something) - and the generosity of the courier - many a time I have been caught out with tape in hand frantically trying to get a parcel ready before the courier comes only to be told "they're here!" by one of my colleagues who all know to be on courier watch!

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

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have any previous experience in the industry. I was passionate about music and determined...

Lucy: Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have any previous experience in the industry. I was passionate about music and determined to be in an industry where I could learn new skills and I’ve found that most people working in the industry share that passion so are always excited to pass on their knowledge.

Hanora: I’ve only been in this role for just over a year so I’m probably not the best person to give specific advice, except to say that I would advise anyone to find an employer whose values you believe in and who values you as an employee. For anyone wanting to study accounting, I have found the Kaplan on-demand ACCA course to be really good so far, but there are many different options and learning providers available so it’s worth doing some research to find the best course to suit you.

Sharon: Be persistent! And patient. I was unsuccessful the first time I applied for a job with Stamper Discs - I was up against something like 300 other applicants! When the opportunity arose to apply again a year later I was pessimistic yet optimistic about my chances, and, lo and behold, here I am talking to you about my job at Stamper Discs!

Volunteering is always a good way to gain invaluable skills if you've not had much work experience (or are between jobs). I myself have volunteered at music and film festivals and also used to do a regular stint on local radio. Get out there, get involved and keep pushing. It's taken me 30 years to finally land the right job and that's in no small part thanks to my previous jobs in hospitality, retail and civil service.

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

Lucy: My vinyl collection started when I was in university, my dad’s collection was wasting away in a damp garage so I helped myself to his records, turns out he has pretty good taste in music. My collection today is still quite modest, I prefer to buy records that I know I’ll listen to again and again so it’s mainly a selection of my most favourite albums and singles.

Hanora: To be honest, I only started my vinyl collection when I started working here - I don’t have a turntable yet! The passion of my colleagues is inspiring, and I really enjoy noticing how everyone has their own relationship with music. It’s very cool to be surrounded by vinyl enthusiasts at work; I learn something new about music every day.

Sharon: You betcha!! Being of a certain age (*cough*) I grew up at a time when vinyl - and cassettes - were what you bought to listen to music on. I never stopped buying them. Even with the advent of CDs I stubbornly refused to make the switch from vinyl to CD like so many people did back then. Ironically, in this age of digital downloads, I know relish being able to buy CDs! It's weird to view my vinyl buying as being a "collector" but yes, this old dinosaur is definitely a vinyl collector as been buying vinyl for nearly 40 years!

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.

Lucy: I was really excited to read the carbon footprint report that our very own Peter Frings has been working on with VRMA and Vinyl Alliance. It’s great to have some more robust data to understand what kind of environmental impact vinyl records have on the planet and what steps can be taken to reduce that impact. I’m eager to see more of a shift over to bio-derived PVC compounds. Here’s the full report.

Sharon: It's interesting how coloured vinyl and picture discs have now become the norm whilst black vinyl is now almost the 'rarity'. I find the abundance of choices both fascinating and overwhelming - does a band really need to release four different vinyl versions of the same album? I do like to buy the 'deluxe' version of an album and am a sucker for box sets / anything different or unusual, unfortunately these don't come cheap! Vinyl is very expensive and it's getting worse. I'd say I've definitely bought less records this year than usual and not because I've gone off vinyl but purely because I can't afford to buy every record I like!

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

Lucy: Honestly, I’d have to say the entire Stamper Discs team, firstly for giving me the opportunity to work in this industry, despite my lack of technical knowledge. Everyone has been extremely supportive so it’s been an absolute joy right from the start.

Hanora: Our directors, Peter and Martin Frings, and my manager, Elsie Chadwick, have been extremely supportive and encouraging during my first year in this role and the beginning of my studies. My colleague, Sharon Coke, always has a kind word or helpful advice to offer. I deeply admire the skills of our production team, which are largely beyond my understanding! Being part of such a brilliant team of people has greatly contributed to my professional growth, as it makes it very easy to stay motivated and give my best effort every day.

Sharon: Gosh that's a hard one!! There's been many people who I feel have helped me in one way or another to finally get to where I am, but for the sake of brevity I'll narrow it down to three women (apologies Paul "Jacko" Jackson from Hull Adelphi who was also instrumental in my journey).

Jo Wingate - Director of Sensoria Festival. Not vinyl related in the slightest, but Sensoria Festival and Jo in particular helped me to find my feet in Sheffield and immerse myself in Sheffield's rich cultural landscape. Jo has been a mentor to me, offering me paid work when I was made redundant after COVID and it was her who alerted me to the Stamper Disc job advert on Indeed which led to me getting the job!!

Priya Coe née Rau, aka DJ Priya. Anyone who's been to an indie club night in Hull since the 90's will have heard of Priya, if not, have been to one of her club nights. She gave me my first DJ job at Hull Welly back in 1995!! When I look back at it now I think how remarkable it must have been to have 2 women of colour occupying a space usually reserved for white males. Priya was an inspiration for someone like me to see that I too could be "allowed" to be an indie music DJ.

Elsie Chadwick - Customer Services Manager at Stamper Discs. I wouldn't have a job at Stamper Discs if it wasn't for Elsie as she was instrumental in the recruitment process. Not only that but since becoming a member of the Stamper Discs team Elsie has monitored and nurtured my development within the team helping to make Stamper Discs the most exclusive and inclusive employer I've ever had the privilege to work for.

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

Lucy: At the moment, my listening habits are a rotation of SZA, Childish Gambino, Sonder, The Internet and Tems.

Hanora: My favourite music genre at the moment is gothic country, especially the band, Lost Dog Street Band.

Sharon: I don't believe in genres, and I like pretty much anything, but I guess if push came to shove and I had to name one genre I'd have to reluctantly say "alternative". I'm currently buzzing from the new Osees album "SORCS 80" and have bought a ticket to see them live next year which I can't wait for. I've seen / am seeing IDLES a billion times this year - ok, four times in Berlin, Halifax, London and Manchester.

I can't talk about favourites and not mention Bruce Springsteen! That man is like oxygen to me! I've seen him three times this year including twice at Wembley! It saddens me to know I'll never be lucky enough to ever be the recipient of a Brucie harmonica or plectrum (he hands them out to people in the front row at his gigs), but just knowing I'm in the same room as him for those magical three and a half hours is enough... well, it's not, hence why I went to Wembley both nights!

All photos (except sign) thanks to Monty Rakusen: https://rakusen.co.uk