German techno producer Arne Weinberg is set to close his AW-Recordings label with immediate effect.

In his latest newsletter to fans, Weinberg has cited poor sales as the primary reason for deciding to put the brakes on AW-Recordings, stating that he is "not able to break even any more as sales are too low but costs are still the same or even higher now. I don’t care about making profit but I can’t afford to loose (sic) money with every release," before continuing to explain that the concept of the label was based upon "real artwork and a high class manufacturing with proper sleeves etc... I’d love to continue with a label concept like this but unfortunately I can’t due to the costs."

Losing money isn't the only financial factor influencing his decision, as Weinberg has revealed that his A&R policy was affected by the downturn in vinyl sales. "I focused too much on sales rather than being able to release music because I love it from the bottom of my heart and soul, no matter if it will sell or not. It feels like I lost the spirit. Hard to describe. I didn’t do ANY release I regret, don’t get me wrong, I love them all, but the impact on me from the business side was too big over the last 1-2 years."

Before hardcore Weinberg fans do anything too rash as a result of the news, we should inform you that he is set to launch his new Diametric label later this year, with the first release coming from Aux 88's Keith Tucker under his Optic Nerve moniker. Unlike AW-Recordings, Diametric will be a vinyl-only label, and each release will be strictly limited to 300 copies. Speaking about the new imprint, Weinberg explains that "all records will be without labeling and there won’t be any colored vinyl special editions, pure black beautiful vinyl. I will make extra special inlays for each release and all the packaging will be done by hand to keep the costs as low as possible. Be assured it will not be one of those white label with a stamp and a paper sleeve labels you see all around these days as this is simply too basic. A little bit more of 'class' will be included even without a proper label artwork included." 1 Comment