Sunday, February 9, 2020

Blow for the resurgent vinyl industry

If it makes the WSJ then it's probably big news. A fire at Apollo Masters, one of only two plants in the world that manufacture lacquers for pressing (and the other has no spare capacity) will likely impact the industry negatively. Some are calling it a catastrophe, some the death knell for a fragile niche product, and while we have no way of knowing what's ahead, you can certainly expect the cost of records to rise. Oh, and if you were tired of the same old titles before this, expect it to be even worse going forward.  Fortunately nobody was injured it seems but for those of us who love our records, the future just got a little darker. Here's hoping someone with resources can see an opportunity here. 

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do not worry my friend, for if there is money to be made in vinyl then records will be made in pursuit of said money.

I only buy records that I am familiar with, either personally or via recommendation of those I call friend so perhaps I am atypical in that regard.

Unknown said...

Death knell for vinyl. Record pressing companies will be waiting a year or two if and maybe if a solution is found. Most will not be able to wait it out that long. They will basically shutter operations or produce very little.