Vinyl boom "over" after fire wipes out major supplier of essential materials

[octophone]

https://pitchfork.com/news/devastat...fire-threatens-worldwide-vinyl-record-supply/

So, this place supplied somewhere between 80 and 95% (depending where you read) of lacquers used worldwide, the materials required to cut a masterdisc for an vinyl record. It was one of 2 supplies, the other being in Tokyo (MDC, who only recently started taking orders from outside Japan again after struggling with demand). Even more serious is that Apollo seem to be the only manufacturer of the actual cutting heads, the styli without which you can have all the lacquers in the world but no way of making the master cut.

Given how much vinyl now contributes to getting people into stores as well as having the highest margin of any music product, it's no exaggeration to suggest that this could turn into the final death knell for retail. This year's RSD is likely to have all been cut and largely even pressed but what of next year? What of the deluxe/reissue market?

 

[GinAg (39)]

 

[Samanta TinAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaAAaaaA]

This may explain why the Hannah Diamond vinyl I preordered appears to have disappeared down the back of the sofa never to be heard of again

This is indeed a shame, but also probably quite good for my bank balance.
I seem to want to buy every album I've ever listened to on vinyl these days. It's SO ADDICTIVE now they've started making them all limited and fancy, never mind the JOY of searching the internet twice over to find where you can buy it cheapest including p&p

 

[Kala]

HMV are FUCKED then. Just after they opened that new store in Birmingham.

 

[ameraal]

you literally cannot make this shit up.

 

[ameraal]

HMV are FUCKED then. Just after they opened that new store in Birmingham.

i love how your first concern is for hmv

 

[octophone]

This may explain why the Hannah Diamond vinyl I preordered appears to have disappeared down the back of the sofa never to be heard of again

No, this has only happened the last couple of days - that record will already have been cut and master plates made.

 

[FetchFugly]

This sounds very worrying. You'd think there is still the money in vinyl and physical product that the record industry will do something to resolve this but any delay could be very damaging.

And those vinyl only exclusives won't come back to CD in the absence of vinyl, that will be it for a physical full stop.

 

[octophone]

That's the fear that's developing. It's being pointed out that Direct Metal Mastering is still a thing but apparently it's expensive and "audiophiles" don't like it.

 

[Christian]

Last year's stats for vinyl vs CD sales were quite interesting, with CD sales still outstripping LPs by huge multiples. I daresay the vinyl market might have a higher profit margin though, but I do wonder how much a green vinyl run of an 80s Kim Wilde album actually brings in in terms of profit.

 

[Zu]

i love how your first concern is for hmv

And BIRMINGHAM

 

[Zu]

TBH I’m sick of all this reissued remastered crap anyway. Focus on the NEW for God’s sake

 

[lolly]

Last year's stats for vinyl vs CD sales were quite interesting, with CD sales still outstripping LPs by huge multiples. I daresay the vinyl market might have a higher profit margin though, but I do wonder how much a green vinyl run of an 80s Kim Wilde album actually brings in in terms of profit.

The gap is narrowing, but that's more to do with the decline of CD than the rise of vinyl, which has very much begun to flatten out the last couple of years.

 

[HeLikedTurner]

TBH I’m sick of all this reissued remastered crap anyway. Focus on the NEW for God’s sake

But “the NEW” all release on vinyl too.

 

[octophone]

The thing is, it's new releases that won't happen. Pre-existing masters will get rolled out and reused so expect a run of pointless, undesirable coloured vinyl reissues to keep the wheels turning should the worst come to the worst.

 

[octophone]

Now that folk have calmed down a bit, it seems that Europe's biggest vinyl manufacturer - GZ - do 90% of their vinyl cuts using DMM. However, they have also said that they are already struggling with demand and wouldn't be able to take on the workload required to keep things as they are.