AUSTIN, Texas — Austin proudly calls itself the "Live Music Capital of the World," so what better way for Austin FC to continue to ingrain itself into our musically-vibrant community than by teaming up with local record press Gold Rush Vinyl to help create a limited edition VERDE-inspired record?
One stroll through Gold Rush Vinyl, and you can quickly see and hear records being made.
"Every year, we're making hundreds of thousands of records for Austin and Texas artists, and national artists, as well," Gold Rush Vinyl founder and CEO Caren Kelleher told KVUE.
Kelleher has only seen her business boom since its inception in 2017.
"We've worked with everyone from bar bands that you'll see at Broken Spoke, up to Dolly Parton. And now we have the ability to make 24-karat gold and platinum records for top-selling artists," Kelleher said.
Now, you can also add a professional sports franchise to her list. A simple Q2 Stadium tour during Austin FC's inaugural season sparked a new idea.
"'Could we put some of the sounds from the stadium on vinyl?'" Kelleher said she wondered after the tour. "No one's ever done that before, and it's just such an Austin collaboration to have this team that cares so much about the community commemorating these moments in a very Austin medium like vinyl."
That idea has now come to life in the form of a limited edition, 5-track record highlighting Austin FC's historic 2022 season.
"Can you imagine being an Austin FC fan and having this on your turntable in between commercials for a game? Just how cool is that?" Kelleher said.
The A-side features the five tracks – play-by-play of five historic VERDE moments.
"One of the things I love about vinyl is that it carries memories," Kelleher said. "You can stream anything you want digitally, but to own a record, to hold it, means something to you – just like Austin FC moments mean to fans."
The B-side features the Austin FC logo.
"This is truly a unique record," Kelleher said. "It's only 250 copies made, and I can't think of a single professional sports league or team that has done a vinyl record. This might be a first. Not just for Austin, but for the U.S."
The best part is all proceeds benefit the 4ATX Foundation.
The good news is this collaboration is very cool and unique to Austin. The bad news is that those 250 copies are already sold out.
There were some available for auction on the 4ATX website, and some more for sale in the VERDE store at Q2 Stadium, but those biddings are now closed and the shelves are now empty.