The world's first 3D printing record store

If you’ve never read the Amanda Ghassaei Instrucatables page on how she created a working 3D printed vinyl record then we recommend you do so before you ask how this next news piece is possible.

Bloc Party’s frontman Kele Okereke is releasing his next record in 3D printed format to be played on a traditional record player. In collaboration with emerging singer/songwriter Bobbie Gordon, Kele is releasing the new track – Down Boy – solely as a 3D-printed record. The limited-edition single will be sold from a pop-up shop in London in December, complete with a choice of four sleeves created by designer Kate Moross.

The plan is backed by the Bacardi Beginnings project, which aims to bring together established and new musical acts as well as push the boundaries of technology. This 3D printing project is the final phase of three, which have previously included a soundcloud remix contest and a track written, recorded and released in 24 hours.

The Bacardi pop-up shop dubbed “the world’s first 3D printing record store” is open for just two days;  all proceeds from the record sales will go into British music charity Nordoff Robbins.

Vinyl pressers across the globe fear not. This is not a technology set to ruin your recovering and thriving industry but simply a marketing stunt (though a charitable marketing stunt so that’s all right). A 3D printed record will sound pretty dreadful in comparison to the luscious sound of a freshly pressed vinyl anyway.

Another Instructables project a while back saw a hacker make some new tunes for a Fisher Price record player and we imagine, judging by the record Kate Moross is holding in the video, this Bacardi project will be a slightly more advanced version of this technique.

A novel idea and one for a good cause but is this another case of capitalising on the back of mainstream hype without investing in the technology itself?