The Unwound Third > Phonograph Blues

The Current State of Vinyl

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Stuart:
An article on the current state of vinyl records in the NY Times:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/21/arts/music/vinyl-records-delays.html

“We had a raccoon infestation,” said Caren Kelleher of Gold Rush Vinyl, a boutique plant in Austin, Texas. “That set us back a week.”

Blues Vintage:
I got to pay to read the article.

joe paul:
If you have time, this is a more in-depth article from a UK record store.
Some of the worries are local - yes, Brexit, we're talking about you - but it's the same story, albeit with the major music labels versus the little guys angle emphasised a little more.
https://www.normanrecords.com/features/vinyl-pressing-delays

Not long ago I chatted with a friend of mine who runs a record store about this stuff and he was worried about staying in business.

Gordon

Stuart:
Thanks, Gordon. It's an interesting read. When we stop and think about it, none of it is surprising, though--except the resurgence of interest in vinyl, if in fact it can accurately be called a resurgence.

When CDs replaced vinyl for the most part, it would have been a difficult choice for the owners of the pressing plants, as well as all the suppliers involved in the business, to maintain turn-key operations, especially with little or no income being generated. And now to invest in what may turn out to be a passing fad is not an easy decision. The nature of the music business has changed re: recordings. Few are lining up at their local record store for the anticipated release by their favorite artist, if only because there are no longer local record stores in one's home town to line up at.

And as others have pointed out, why buy vinyl when all you are getting is a pressing of a digital recording? If it was a re-release of an analog recording that couldn't be reproduced on a CD, that's another matter (The music lost in the UMG fire aside).

I've picked up a few vinyl records at shows, but to support the artists, as a souvenir, etc. I'd like to see vinyl make a comeback, if only in a limited way, but I'm not going to bet the family jewels on it.
 

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