Citizen Vinyl Expands North Carolina Operations Amid a $1 Billion Analog Resurgence
Asheville, Tuesday, 26 May 2026.
Following a $1 billion year for U.S. vinyl sales, Citizen Vinyl is expanding its operations in May 2026 to scale production of its exclusive NFC-embedded records.
Strategic Relocation and Capacity Scaling
On May 24 and May 25, 2026, Citizen Vinyl formally announced its strategic relocation from its original downtown Asheville, North Carolina location to a new facility at 179 Merrimon Avenue in neighboring Weaverville [1]. To meet escalating market demands, the company has acquired all vinyl pressing equipment previously owned by Donaldson Record Pressing [1]. This acquisition introduces two additional vinyl presses to Citizen Vinyl’s production line, significantly increasing its manufacturing output [1]. The expansion serves as a direct response to a booming physical audio market, which saw United States vinyl record sales reach an impressive $1 billion in revenue during 2025 [1].
Restructuring Leadership for Technological Innovation
To shepherd this expanded operational footprint, Citizen Vinyl has comprehensively restructured its executive leadership team [1]. The newly appointed roster includes Lauren Rash as Chief Manufacturing Officer, Audra Gaiziunas as Chief Financial Officer, and John Lenac as Chief Strategy Officer [1]. Furthermore, Brent Manning has stepped into the role of Vice President of Sales and Marketing, joined by Scott Crane as Chief Brand Officer [1]. This robust management team is tasked with steering the company’s upcoming strategic partnerships within the broader music industry [1]. A central focus of these imminent collaborations [alert! ‘The exact timeline for unveiling these partnerships is not explicitly detailed in the press release’] will be the company’s proprietary vinylkey® technology, as Citizen Vinyl currently stands as the exclusive manufacturer of NFC-embedded vinyl records [1].
The Broader Analog Resurgence
The economic viability of facilities like Citizen Vinyl is heavily supported by major record labels continuously mining their back catalogs for vinyl represses, catering to a deeply nostalgic consumer base [GPT]. For instance, on May 23, 2026, musician Damon De La Paz announced that Interscope Records is repressing an album he recorded guitars and drums for exactly 25 years prior, around 2001 [2]. The record, which featured production by the late Jerry Finn and mixing by Andy Wallace, exemplifies the enduring consumer appetite for heritage analog media that actively drives the modern pressing industry [2].