British company And Vinyly offers customers a way to turn a portion of their cremated remains into a playable vinyl record.
The company has been in business since 2009 and was founded by musician and vinyl collector Jason Leach. He said the idea began as a joke among a small group of friends but unexpectedly attracted interest and eventually developed into a full-fledged business.
Turning memories into sound
Leach believes sound can be a powerful way to bring back memories. After cremation, a portion of the ashes is incorporated into the material used to make the record. The finished record remains fully functional and can be played on a standard turntable.
Customers can choose what to record on the vinyl, including music they have the rights to use, a person’s voice, sounds from nature or even silence. Each side of the record can hold about 18 to 22 minutes of audio.
Preserving a loved one’s voice
The service costs between £1,000 and £3,000.
A promotional video on the company’s website features British musician Joe Talbot, frontman of the hardcore band IDLES, who preserved recordings of his mother’s voice. After her death, he had the recordings made into a vinyl record.
Talbot said that while some people may find the concept unusual, it has given his family a meaningful way to preserve the memory of their loved one.
