Under Pressure: How The Global Supply Chain is Pushing Small Name Artists Out of the Vinyl Business
Ken Miller/ Courtesy of changeagents.info
For anyone who has visited a music store in the past two years, the growing demand for vinyl records is no secret. In fact, the week of Dec 20th, 2021 saw vinyl sales skyrocket to 2.11 million, the biggest they have been since 1991. Those numbers were undoubtedly bolstered by big-name artists like Taylor Swift and Adele jumping on the nostalgia train to include the vinyl format for their newest releases. With the demand for records only growing larger through the pandemic, manufacturers’ turnaround times are now stretching up to eight months or more. This is leaving smaller artists, who worked to revive the format, in a precarious position.
Tyrone Turner / Courtesy of WAMV dcist.com
The popularity of records began a resurgence in 2008 when it became clear that digital would overtake CDs as the dominant format. With fans still wanting a physical representation of the music they loved, something that made them feel connected to the artist, manufacturers started pulling vinyl presses out of warehouses and garages. Even though the format never truly went away, there were still hardcore collectors frequenting swap meets and small shops, new vinyl production was virtually unheard of. The beginning of vinyl’s rebirth started with novelty pressings and record stores that had managed to survive the onslaught of digital, stocking their shelves with dusty, used albums that had been pulled out of the back corners of stock rooms. Even though the sudden renewed interest in vinyl albums was treated as an anomaly that would not last, smaller artists took the opportunity to release their music in a format they had never fallen out of love with. The gritty, popping sound of an album on a turntable was far more desirable than clean, compressed CDs.
With records beginning to produce a small but healthy part of music sales, manufacturers were sitting in a comfortable position. But, as the popularity of the format continued to grow, record companies saw an opportunity to recoup the money lost by dwindling CD sales. A new vinyl album with a deluxe booklet insert could be sold for $40 compared to just $10 for a digital download. With Generation Z gaining interest in albums, big-name artists began to jump on the bandwagon as well. The onslaught of the global pandemic slowed vinyl supply but not demand. Lockdown solidified vinyl collecting as a mainstream pastime, and without touring demands, artists were producing more work than ever. This would put even more pressure on an already strained supply chain.
Courtesy of thetakemagazine.com
As popular as the format has become in the past 14 years, there are still very few manufacturers to keep up with growing demands. Add to that, slow production times (30 seconds per record compared to two seconds per CD), equipment that hasn’t been upgraded since the ‘80s, and raw materials only available through overseas suppliers. While stockpiles of used vinyl are seemingly endless, new releases have been caught in a bottleneck. Although everyone is feeling the strain being put on a structurally underdeveloped industry, smaller artists have been disproportionately affected. Large record companies have the resources to minimize delays for their marquee artists but smaller labels and independent artists are being left with ever-growing turnaround times and unfulfilled orders. Because of this, some artists have turned their backs on the format yet again, opting instead to make their releases available on CD and cassette tape. Chad Dryden, Owner of The Record Exchange in Boise Idaho, had this to say about the shuffling of formats “CDs have never gone away for artists or indie record stores, despite several premature reports of the supposed death of the format. Cassettes are definitely having a moment, as more and more artists and record labels are manufacturing them to meet the demands of listeners who have embraced the format.”
Courtesy of thestar.com
With large retailers like Target and Walmart now stocking records in their one-isle music sections, supply delays and restraints are growing even worse. When asked how the issues have affected his store, Chad Dryden commented, “We have gone through lengthy periods, sometimes months, without several top-selling titles, whether they were classic rock staples like Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" and Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon" or new releases from the likes of Taylor Swift and Mac Miller. We've been told that the issues will subside in 2022, and we're hopeful that the industry is able to auto-correct sooner than later.” Even though retailers are keeping their offerings diverse to ensure inclusion, records are still disproportionately leading in sales. With 2022 shaping up to be another big year for the resurrected format, independent artists and record stores can only hope for an easing of the supply chain and wait for an out-of-date manufacturing system to catch up with demand.
