Astor Custom Pressing

Record pressing and cassette dupliciation plant in Australia which pressed records for parent company Astor Records Pty. Ltd. and many other labels. The plant was located in Melbourne and closed 31 December 1981 when the Astor company was bought by PolyGram, who didn't include the pressing plants in the sale. At the time of closure, Astor ran 14 presses and handled an estimated 20% of Australia's record production, including many independent labels based in Melbourne. Pressings from this plant can often be identified by a "<>" horizontal diamond following the matrix string in the records run-out groove area.