Chad Kassem of Acoustic Sounds talks about his career...

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by FrontalLobe, Feb 12, 2012.

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  1. FrontalLobe

    FrontalLobe New Member Thread Starter

    ...in a video on the AS website. If you click past the banner announcing a sale on Warner Bros. vinyl, the next selection is the interview with Chad. He's an interesting guy with an interesting story. Check it out.

    http://store.acousticsounds.com/
     
    jh901 likes this.
  2. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    Thanks. I'll check it out.
     
  3. 5-String

    5-String μηδὲν ἄγαν

    Location:
    Sunshine State
    Cool, thanks.
     
  4. tomman888

    tomman888 New Member

    Location:
    Queens, NY
    Chad is good people.:thumbsup:
     
  5. :edthumbs:Known and done business with Chad for 20 of the years Acoustic Sounds has existed...he's never given me any cause to regret it!!!
     
  6. "It’s been a story really unlike any other – Chad Kassem is sent by the courts from Lafayette, Louisiana, to Salina, Kansas, to seek sobriety. It’s 1984. Living in a halfway house, he furthers his passion for collecting records, beginning in earnest a literal substitution of vinyl for drugs and booze.

    He takes a job as a third-shift line cook at a local truck stop, earning not much more than minimum wage. Then works watching light bulbs roll at Philips Lighting as a temp just dying to get on fulltime for what he thinks would be a good job.

    All the while Chad’s collecting records at a freakish pace. He’s doing this precisely as the CD is replacing the LP in the mainstream. Soon enough, Chad realizes that while most people are dumping their vinyl, there is still quite a nice niche market for the most collectible audiophile LPs. A few “buy-sell-trade” advertisements in some audiophile magazines later and the first domino falls. Chad begins to sell records out of his two-bedroom apartment. Not too long after, he quits his job on the light bulb line and in 1986 officially begins Acoustic Sounds.

    The story then progresses in stages that Chad likes to describe as “the next natural step”. Natural, that is, for a rabid entrepreneur with seemingly no fear of risk.

    A one-man operation in a two-bedroom apartment grows to include a few employees operating out of Chad’s decent-sized ranch house.

    A few more employees are added and the business moves to a larger downtown location.

    And now in addition to selling the records released by others, Chad begins to reissue his own audiophile favorites on his Analogue Productions reissue label.

    Then there are more employees and another move to a 6,000-square-foot warehouse.

    And when a gothic-style church goes up for sale near downtown Salina, Chad purchases it initially for extra Acoustic Sounds storage. But the visionary takes over before the first box of extra records is ever moved in. Who wouldn’t look at a church in the middle of a mid-sized Kansas town and think state-of-the-art recording studio and concert hall? Chad did, and Blue Heaven Studios was born.

    Just before that, Chad had begun APO Records, an original label recording primarily older blues legends.

    And in 1998, Chad starts hosting a weekend blues festival – the Blues Masters at the Crossroads – at Blue Heaven, showcasing many of the same artists he’s recorded for his APO label.

    Chad and Acoustic Sounds are now not just selling records, they’re reissuing and recording their own. And putting on concerts in their spare time!

    A graphic design staff is added, and Acoustic Sounds is now producing the artwork to accompany their products in-house.

    Chad becomes a part owner of AcousTech Mastering (now defunct after 14 years) and he’s now, in the case of the original titles on APO, controlling the production process from the microphone to the cutting lathe to the artwork to the boxing and shipping. It’s almost complete vertical integration.

    Many more employees later and Acoustic Sounds is in an 18,000-square-foot warehouse.

    Just six years after that and Acoustic Sounds relocates to a three-building compound totaling 70,000 square feet.

    And as part of the expansion, Quality Record Pressings – a no-expense-spared, totally innovative vinyl pressing plant – is born.

    So now, all in little Salina, Kansas, from the humble beginnings of a one-man operation exists a virtual music empire employing just less than 50 people fulltime. We’re a mail-order business. We’re a distributor. We’re a reissue label. We’re a record label. We’re a recording studio. We’re a concert hall. We’re a pressing plant. We’re a hell of a story.

    And if you’re a good reader and quick with math, you might have noted that we mentioned that Acoustic Sounds started in 1986. So, we actually turned 25 in 2011. But with our recent move and with the beginning of Quality Record Pressings, we had far too much going on last year to think about a retrospective. And so we’re celebrating the milestone this year.

    This is, of course, but a simple synopsis. Throughout 2012, we’ll publish features that we hope will bring some of these storylines to life, giving you a better understanding of just what an incredible 25-year ride it’s been for Acoustic Sounds.

    Stay tuned."
     
    highway chile likes this.
  7. Michel Jazz

    Michel Jazz Forum Resident

    Location:
    Antwerp, Belgium
    Wow, beautiful ingredients for making a movie !
     
  8. Steel Horse

    Steel Horse Forum Resident

    Location:
    Uppsala, SWEDEN
    Great story........
     
  9. Roninblues

    Roninblues 猿も木から落ちる。

    :cheers:
     
  10. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    I've been doing business with Acoustic Sounds for years and Chad is the main reason. Plus I've always had fantastic customer support from the staff. Chad has done more for vinyl than anyone over the last 20 years or so IMO.
     
  11. tyinkc

    tyinkc Senior Member

    Location:
    Fontana, Wisconsin
    Great story! I live about 2 hrs east of Salina in Merriam Kansas and have done business with AS for years . Great people, great service always!
     
  12. Stone Turntable

    Stone Turntable Independent Head

    Location:
    New Mexico USA
    +1

    It’s a ten and a half hour drive from my front door to Salina. I’m dying to visit and drool on everything.
     
    Long Live Analog likes this.
  13. FrontalLobe

    FrontalLobe New Member Thread Starter

    I thought AS is strictly a mail order operation, not a retail store per se. Am I wrong?
     
  14. Stone Turntable

    Stone Turntable Independent Head

    Location:
    New Mexico USA
    I’m thinking mostly of ogling the vinyl pressing plant. In any case, if necessary I’m not averse to trespassing and running around until they manage to catch me and haul me off to the local jail.

    But seriously, they seem to welcome visitors.
     
  15. FrontalLobe

    FrontalLobe New Member Thread Starter

    You're right. Enjoy!
     
  16. mwv121

    mwv121 Forum Resident

    I grew up about 3 and a half hours north of Salina and when I was home home this past December, I drove down and received a tour of Acoustic Sounds. I called ahead of time and they were very accommodating. On the day of the tour, Chad Stelly met me when I arrived and gave me a tour of all 3 buildings. They also gave me some time to browse the warehouse and I picked up a few LPs I had my eye on. So, while they don't have a dedicated retail space, they will allow you to buy from them when you visit. I didn't see the old church/recording studio because the gentleman who runs it was out of town for the holidays.

    It was really neat to see the whole operation including the record pressing plant. I would absolutely recommend stopping by if the opportunity presents itself.
     
  17. Stone Turntable

    Stone Turntable Independent Head

    Location:
    New Mexico USA
    Cool! thanks for the info

    p.s, here’s how a commenter over at The Audiophiliac blog described visiting AS’s listening room:

     
  18. Ridin'High

    Ridin'High Forum Resident

    Recently, the owner of the Salinas High School website recently toured Acoustic Sounds' facilities, and wrote an entry about the company. The entry (which he will probably take down at the end of this July 2014 month) includes various photos:

    http://salina57.com/SHS57/
     
  19. BigE

    BigE Forum Resident

    I met Chad two years ago in an elevator at Axpona. He didn't know me from Adam, but despite being very busy, he took time to talk as we walked to his next destination. Last year, we visited briefly at his retail booth and again the consumate gentleman. People like this you enjoy doing business with.
     
    Shawn, hvbias and bferr1 like this.
  20. I've had the pleasure of knowing Chad face-to-face for over 22 years, since I became a customer of his at the 1992 San Francisco Stereophile audio show...I've been a loyal mail order/website customer ever since and we see each other periodically at CES every January...
     
  21. tubesandvinyl

    tubesandvinyl Forum Resident

    Chad has done a tremendous amount for the record industry.

    For his contribution, we are all grateful.
     
    Long Live Analog likes this.
  22. jh901

    jh901 Forum Resident

    Location:
    PARRISH FL USA
    I would like to become even more grateful, but the SACDs are not being issued as promised these days.
     
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