Exactly. And the money guys are watching how increases in prices do or do not affect demand. Prices that increase now may never go back.
people really jumped on this for the wrong reasons incorrectly assuming this was another person asserting streaming is the only way.
Major labels have ALWAYS bumped small labels and independent releases in the pecking order. This is nothing new. My band will be getting a record pressed later this year -- we're not even done recording yet, but I'm pricing out vinyl pressing right now. The company who pressed our last album has a disclaimer on the front page advising that "Vinyl starter packages are currently delivering in 10 to 12 weeks. Production times remain subject to change due to high order volume, Covid 19 constraints, and our scheduled summer plant maintenance". Any pressing under 500 is generally seen as a "starter package", and is (understandably) less of a priority for a pressing plant than a big massive order from Universal Music. I remember bands getting all upset when Rainbo was clogged up with Beatles reissues in 2012 and 2014 -- as if their little local release was just as important. To them, it was, but to the world at large, it obviously wasn't. It happens all the time.
And that's probably exactly what this label is doing -- preparing their roster and customers for a world where THEY don't produce vinyl editions of everything.
that’s true but the state of things seems more severe than than usual? Important has been at it a long time. good luck with the record! I hope things settle down a bit for you by pressing time
Yeah I'm on their email mailing list and they sent out an email saying they'll be concentrating on CD releases. Which is fine by me. The kind of experimental music they release, much of it minimal with lots of silence, sounds horrible on vinyl with all the pops and clicks.
truth to that. the stuff outside of master musicians, grails, acid mothers, etc is probably a better fit for CD or download. especially the long-form pieces from Eleh, Oliveras, etc
It seems like every week some music format is either dead, dying, revived, or bigger then ever. I wish they would make up their mind.
The label I used to work for has seen their lead times triple over at GZ, to the point where they're doing cassette runs first now to see if one of their vinyl pressing slots is worth allotting to that particular record/project. Good news is that tape times haven't changed too much, if cassettes are your thing!
Could lead to a bubble of epic proportions! I will say I'm in the lubricants business and I don't think the average person knows how screwed up everything is in the manufacturing field right now. So on top of very limited capacity on top of it, sounds like it could become interesting
then why am i still paying around 20 bucks for new releases from current artists? am i doing this wrong? are THEY doing this wrong?
so they're saying vinyl manufacturing is dead because demand far exceeds supply? or are they speculating that the remaining manufacturing base is going to close up shop for other reasons? very curious statement.
Strong Yogi Berra “nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded” vibes with this thread. As one might expect, the parallel discussion kicked off by Important Records that’s unfolding now on Twitter is even more overwrought and hyperbolically apocalyptic. The label is advising everyone to escape the current horrors of vinyl manufacturing and pricing by getting back into cassettes.
Your post wasn’t click-baiting, imo. It stated very clearly that the “dead” comment referred to the state of production, not demand or interest in vinyl. Unfortunately on social media, context often gets ignored.
Pressing issues: vinyl revival held back by production capacity, Brexit and more There are other components to the crisis. First is the small number of active factories, a legacy problem from the 1990s, when many labels pulled out of vinyl production. As pressing plants closed or streamlined, experienced staff left the industry, and a recruitment lag means there are not enough qualified people to go around. “These are skilled operators that need to be brought back,” says Bell. “[Vinyl production] is a craft and a science, a specialised skill set.” Just like every other industry they want to recruit/poach someone already skilled at these jobs from somewhere else, rather than hire/train/promote from within.
The longbox died years ago, and did anybody say anything about that?! Outrage! Where's the lighting hair on fire over that, huh?
