Vanity vinyl?

 

The affordability of vinyl also opened doors to a more personal kind of production: vanity pressings. 

These were small-run 45s often created by the artists themselves, sometimes with the sole purpose of distributing to friends, family, or a niche local audience.

Aṭiya Ḥasan Muḥammad Sharara’s Disques Sharara exemplifies this phenomenon. Run by and for its namesake, the label is a testament to the deeply DIY potential of the format.