Vinyl records now in crisis: Apollo Transco Mastering lacquer plant is a total loss*

So, they work only with DMM?

 

Actually I’m not sure. But the link is helpful and worthy of exploring. It tells you what their main focus is. Did you get a chance to click on it? I scanned through much of the content, without reviewing the whole site, and DMM appears to be huge for them.

 

This gives an indication of what they focus on and what they think about lacquer:

Mastering GZ Vinyl

 

Dear Universal.

Maybe this is the moment for you to step up.
You know you should.

Kind regards.
You loyal customers.

 

The Day the Music Burned

 

Yep

 

Yes, but missed the side link to "Lacquer technology" where the description of their lacquer mastering studio hides. Seems they also do lacquer cut, but have only one such studio vs. four dmm studios.

 

Perhaps not, however, I, personally, have not played physical media directly, for the last 6 years, bar the occasional Vinyl session, and that is usually after/during recording the Vinyl following a good clean. All my CD, SACD, DVD Audio and Blu Ray Audio finds its way onto SSD/HDD before being fed into a decent DAC.

 

I think this is going to be hugely disruptive, and unless somebody steps up to the plate, could have a huge impact. I remember when vinyl was effectively dead, nobody was producing records except DCC and Classic records and a few 12 Dance labels. None of the majors produced anything, literally nothing at all and I would hate to return to that position. There are about 5 record stores in Dublin now having with vinyl and I can see this changing a lot. First to be hit will be new releases and then eventually represses. It funny but most of the classic catalogue is in print and as inventories dry up I wonder how it will be managed?

 

Yes. I missed it too, not having clicked on this link:
Lacquer technology GZ Vinyl

 

9 out of 10 of that 19 million at least is likely cut DMM and from digital sources. The lacquer market is fairly small and it's main users are specialist cutters that work for the audiophile labels. I've been told the Kevin Gray at least does not buy from Transco (presumably Japan). All the cutters that use the alternative supplier should be OK but I don't know if all or most of the audiophile specialists used Japan rather than Transco. Transco customers will have a problem with alternative sources. Also there is the issue with cutting needles made by Transco. Hopefully users will have a backup stock.

 

Well this is all rather depressing, I really hope something can be sorted out.

 

Development of DMM technology continues at GZ Media. The premastering / mastering software was only the first part of our long-term projects. The second part was a new, unique quality control system...

Theory for production: Even with 5 nonstop cutting dmm lathes, we would have troubles to cover the increasing requests for cutting. We would need more than 17 cutting engineers, 17 premastering engineers preparing audio masters for cutting, more high quality diamond cutting styli and around 240 blank copper plates per day. Are you able to imagine everything around that?
Does anybody want to start learning Czech language to help us?

 

Admittedly that's true, but not quite as much with later pressings. I don't know what people did with their their records in the 60s! There will be plenty in excellent condition too. Far more than there is with most, if not all, other bands and music due to the massive amounts sold.

It's incredibly narrow minded to think that a limited and possibly finite amount of lacquers left for a potential long time should be used to repress some of the most common albums ever. Even if it's a sound upgrade, they're hardly disastrous as they are or have been for years. New music or if it has to be old music, stuff that has been OOP for decades really should be prioritised above that. But you just know loads of pointless crap will still be reissued for RSD.

Ideally I'd like to see all The Beatles albums released and kept in print AAA. All the mono and stereo versions, but this is nowhere near ideal. It could affect a Let It Be reissue / remix on vinyl later this year, or the one I'm most looking forward to if it happens, The Kinks - Lola on vinyl.

 

Apologies for going a little OT but I'm seeing a lot of weird exaggeration/myopia here about the vinyl 'wilderness years'. I started buying records in the late 90s, have always bought tonnes of new music and the vast majority was available on vinyl. Rock, metal, indie, hip-hop, techno, whatever. Some labels that consistently released vinyl off the top of my head without even getting into the reissue market:

Touch & Go
Matador
Warp
One Little Indian
Drag City
Domino
Jagjaguwar
4AD
Rough Trade
Soul Jazz
Southern
Mute
Def Jam
Southern Lord
Stones Throw
Anti
XL
Kranky
Def Jux
Thrill Jockey

The list could go on..

'A few 12" dance labels' is is pretty reductive since vinyl never came close to dying in that world. A list of electronic labels putting out records in that period would be longer than both your arms.

It's closer to the truth regarding the majors but even they put stuff out, particularly on their more indie-styled subsiduaries and if you wanted to go out and buy a brand new copy of a Warners REM album or Illmatic by Nas on Columbia, it wasn't hard to do.

It's the smaller labels that largely kept vinyl ticking over during those years that I now worry about. The 'vinyl revival' has always seemed like more of a 'vinyl reissue revival' to me and if prices go up the majors are the ones with the money to keep pumping those out.

 

Actually EMI Hayes was in continuous production until sold to what is now Vinyl Factory around 2000. Around same time Columbia Holland was in continuous production through the purchase by Record Industry. RTI in US and Pallas were still operating. Only RTI were pressing Classic and DCC so rest relied on independents and majors who still issued limited vinyl runs of popular titles. Just not many shops were you could buy vinyl releases. GZ have been operating continuously since 195o's plus Rainbo and United in USA + MPO in France . There was still enough production for these plants to survive and they are still the main producers (other than Rainbo (just closed) and Vinyl Factory (speciality pressings)) together with Optimal (who entered vinyl production late) and a few smaller new plants in the US.

 

AFAIK they also can press lacquers created elsewhere. The "Matching Tie and Handkerchief" (with two concentric grooves) from the 2014 Monty Python boxset was cut by Abbey Road's Sean Magee but pressed at GZ Media.

 

I don't recall a time when the major labels totally stopped producing vinyl, but it could be different in other countries.

 

When I first saw this thread and learned of the fire, I soon thought of this thread:

 

So was this plant that burned supplying lacquers to the entire US and Europe?

 

Paging Mr. Young and Mr. White. Please use your Wonder Twin powers to create a new lacquer factory...

 

So, when we say that something was pressed at GZ, do we imply, at least in most cases, it was DMM, considering that they don't mark it on the release, as pointed upthread? If so, that would make some 50 if not 60% of today's vinyl records production (Economist article claims they produce 60% of today's vinyl).

 

Perhaps a full time English/Czech translator and some detailed training videos with English captions and superimposed audio in English (or other languages) would be helpful. Sounds like a lot to suddenly take on. Steady growth may be wiser than unplanned sudden major growth, despite the new market realities. Quality will win the day.

 

Younger vinyl buyers may be more inclined to not care whether it’s lacquer or DMM. The older audiophiles do care but will start to decline in number of sales due to either declining funds or declining health. We who grew up with records (I was born in 1956) are spoiled and used to a certain quality of sound. And particularly a certain NATURE of sound. Thanks to major technological advances in analog recording and production in the Sixties and Seventies. Via AAA analog lacquer vinyl. But not sure if younger buyers can miss what they didn’t experience in the Nineties and into the 21st Century. Until the relatively recent vinyl revival.

Homemade bread and homemade ice cream probably tastes better than store bought. But that doesn’t mean most consumers care enough to make their own bread and ice cream. Admittedly a stretch of an analogy. But somewhat applicable.

 

I felt a great disturbance in the Vinyls, it was as if millions of hipsters suddenly cried out in terror and then were suddenly silenced.