About Cavetone Records

Cavetone Records is a vinyl-only record label from Charleston, Ill. and the purveyors of 100% analog madness. Cavetone began as an all-analog recording studio in 2005, released its first record in 2008 and opened a retail record store called the Sound Bank in 2015. Cavetone Records can be found in independent record stores throughout the United States and on enlightened turntables everywhere.

• Why Vinyl (and Only Vinyl)?

  Listening to music is a profound experience without equivalent. Vinyl enhances this experience through its sound quality, its rituals and its unique physical presence. Sonically, all analog records envelop a listener with a sound that only improves with volume. Record listening rituals provide a necessary space away from a world cluttered with screens. The record collection itself tells an individual's life story on a format that will never be obsolete and the records themselves will physically outlive their caretakers. No other format provides this experience at such a reasonable price per album. Since 2008, we have released only vinyl and distributed through independent record store. Our wholesale and retail prices remain what they were before the vinyl resurgence.

• Why 100% Analog?

  Nothing on this planet sounds better than the combination of tubes and tape. Open reel tape captures amazing amounts of sound in real time. Recording analog changes the manner by which musicians perform a song (relying on technique and feel rather than post production) and mixing analog imparts a human touch and added warmth to the process. Mastering records from analog sources is an absolute necessary for maximizing the sonic potential of records. Since 2005 we have been tracked and mixed to open reel, the tapes are then used to cut our lacquers.

  Also included in this analog philosophy are Cavetone Records' live music events. Cavetone has a long history of successfully running showcases of original music without a cover charge in Charleston and beyond. For example, Free Music Friday was the longest running original live music showcase in Charleston. Cavetone hosts a yearly Anniversary Spectacular as well as shows at the Sound Bank.

• Why a Vintage Record Store?

  Cavetone Records is comprised of a cadre of musicians with large record collections. This translates to an in-depth knowledge about both the music on vinyl as well as the technical elements of the format. In 2015, Cavetone partnered with The Vault Arts Collective to deploy this knowledge in an innovative vintage record store to preserve the past of vinyl as well as promoting its future.