Calgary-based Canada Boy Vinyl record press to stop spinning 2 years after opening

A Calgary-based record pressing plant billed by its owner as unique in the country is shutting down just a couple of years after it opened, leavingbands and record labels across Canada wondering what happened to their records and their money.

Geoff Simmering is one of several customers who paid to have records made by Canada Boy Vinyl.

• Dean Reid, founder of Canada Boy Vinyl, opening vinyl pressing plant in Calgary
• Calgary's Canada Boy Vinyl is riding the resurgence of records

It was supposed to be his Calgary record label's first release.

"I'd like to see my money back at least. I paid a deposit of roughly $1,300," he said.

"I was told in the new year they'd get a hold of me and haven't heard anything since."

Nick False and his band, The Foul English, were about to do a second pressing of their latest album.

"They have our master disc and we paid money to have that done and as far as I've been told, we can't get it," he said.

False says Canada Boy going under will be a big blow for Canada's music scene.

As the company went into full production in December 2015 to take advantage of the renewed interest in vinyl records, Reid saidCanada Boy Vinyl wasthe only record pressing plant in Canada.

Ben Andress, who owns and operates the independent labelBlacktop Recordsin southern Ontario,was producing a seven-inch single better known as a 45-RPM for '90s star Lisa Loeb.

Her current tour has three stops in Canada next month.

"Full balance has been paid on the release, about $2,000 in and that's kind of when they stopped answering emails back in December," he said.

Andress said he had to decline a couple of the test presses because of technical issues, then started seeing comments online about Canada Boy possibly closing.

"It leaves me with a missed deadline a second time around, first time was due to technical reasons, the time here they have our money and our record," he said.

"At this point in time we're going to have to somehow either get our plates from them or start again from scratch and we're either going to have to get our money from them, which I can see being very, highly unlikely at this point in time. For a really, small independent label, $2,000 is a lot of money so it sets everything back."

An automated email reply from the company says they don't expect to continue operations.

A lawyer's letter in the window says it owes $66,000 in unpaid rent.

One of the co-founders, Dean Reid, declined to comment and said Canada Boy officials will have something to say next week.

• MORE CALGARY NEWS|Oilsands giant CNRL fined $10,000 following accident that killed two workers
• MORE CALGARY NEWS|Week without hot water at Calgary condo building has tenants steaming