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A dubplate is an acetate disc - usually 12 inches, 10 inches or 7 inches in diameter - used in mastering studios for quality control and test recordings before proceeding with the final master, and subsequent pressing. The name also refers to an exclusive, 'one-off' acetate disc recording pioneered by Jamaican sound systems but also used by drum and bass and other dance music artists, DJs and sound systems.
These dubplates will often be either unreleased recordings (which may or may not end up being made available to the general public) or exclusive versions or remixes of existing recordings. They are often used as a market research tool to assess the probable sales of a tune once it's released, as they are far cheaper to produce than a pressed vinyl. However, because they have a limited life-span they can only be used about fifty times.
Vinyl dubplates are a recently-developed format which allow extremely durable recordings to be made (lasting 90% as long as pressed vinyl) and are more suited to cases where no release is imminent, or the release date is a long time away.
The name also lends itself to the term dubplate special which refers solely to an exclusive version of a piece of music, usually (re-)recorded by a reggae or dancehall artist for a (Jamaican) sound system. Reggae sound systems will often compete with each other to acquire the most imaginative or unusual dubplate specials in order to win sound clashes with their rivals. Although CD is the preferred format for these recordings today, the name dubplate has been kept.
External links
"Dubplate"