“What I’m all about,” he said, “is saving the world from bad sound.”
Introduced in 1948, vinyl LPs seemed destined for extinction by the early 2000s, if not before, as the music industry went digital. But over the last decade or so, the format has been reborn, embraced by fans as a physical totem in an age of digital ephemera, and by increasing ranks of analog loyalists who swear by its sound. Today, the symbol of the vinyl craze may be a rainbow of collectible LPs by pop stars like Taylor Swift or Billie Eilish, which young fans snap up by the millions (though many may never be played). But on a chilly recent afternoon, Acoustic Sounds’ assembly lines were humming with albums by the likes of John Coltrane, Steely Dan and Lightnin’ Hopkins, in deluxe packages that go for up to $150 apiece.
Acoustic Sounds, founded in 1986, is Kassem’s umbrella for a group of interrelated businesses that form a nearly complete vinyl supply chain, including a mastering lab, a plating and pressing plant, a record label and a mail-order house. Almost entirely dedicated to reissues, the enterprise serves an affluent, global clientele that is constantly seeking out the newest, clearest-sounding, top-dollar reissue of a Muddy Waters or Dusty Springfield classic — and it has become a go-to partner for catalog-rich labels and artist estates.
“Chad’s attention to detail, his fanaticisms, are over the top — and his stuff sounds phenomenal,” said Jeff Jampol, who manages the legacies of the Doors, Janis Joplin and other classic acts.
Acoustic Sounds has pressed records by the Beatles, Queen, Jimi Hendrix and Kiss, and formed partnerships with major labels like Verve and Atlantic. In all, Kassem employs 114 people, and his Analogue Productions imprint releases a steady stream of more than 80 titles a year.
