Hard rules (do not break)
- Never invent a price. If you can’t cite a source + date, write UNKNOWN.
- No outreach (brokers, plants, OEMs, PVC suppliers, LinkedIn InMail) until Jamie lifts COMMS LOCK via Label Manager.
- Strike-off / Gazette flags = diligence only, not a buy signal.
- Don’t pick a single P&L thesis until Jamie answers. Always keep two volume scenarios: captive CT and tolling — both with volume = UNKNOWN.
Defaults until Jamie says otherwise
| Question | Default |
|---|---|
| Captive vs tolling? | Both scenarios, volumes UNKNOWN |
| Where? | England preferred; EU = comps only |
| Press-only vs full galvanics? | Press-only / stampers-in primary; in-house galvanics only as alternative (watch >30 m³ vat volume → Part A EPR) |
| Talk to sellers / OEMs? | No (COMMS LOCK) |
COMMS LOCK
Right now: no contact. No brokers, plants, machine makers, or suppliers until Jamie explicitly lifts the lock via Label Manager.
Quiet research and portal watching continue. Soft relationships / visits are optional only after the lock lifts.
House-hunt ritual (Mon / Thu)
Three minutes if nothing’s live:
- Open the portal-watch checklist in the research folder.
- Run the YES/NO checks (copy-paste search strings included).
- If no alert → stay quiet. If alert → file under listings + tell Label Manager (still no outreach).
Cadence: Label Manager Mon & Thu 09:00 London. Separate every-other-day digest: Vinyl Plant Research → Jamie only if something material changed.
Alert vs quiet
ALERT Jamie + Label Manager only if:
- a live going-concern UK/EU pressing plant is for sale, or
- a priced UK pressing package appears.
Everything else stays in the folder / Label Manager channel.
Ready-to-offer checklist
When something real appears, we should already have:
- A walk-away max number written down
- Cash / partners lined up in a separate pot (not album advances, not artist recoup)
- A simple “will this survive a quiet vinyl year?” check
- Who runs the plant day-to-day (not the Label Manager)
- Jamie’s OK to talk to brokers/sellers
Ring-fence principles
- Plant in a separate company / separate wallet from the label
- Releases never get frozen to float the factory
- Plant GM ≠ Label Manager
- Success = clean releases / campaigns funded — not tonnes pressed
- Kill criteria in writing before any CapEx
What this site is
Internal briefing only. Calm North Star dossier for Jamie → Yussef. Not a public marketing site. Not a commitment. Numbers without a source are forbidden.