Why Are Independent Artists and Labels Turning Away From Vinyl?
Forgive the sound of a broken record: Vinyls comeback is still going strong. Streaming may be todays dominant music format, but revenues from vinyl albums are on track to top a staggering $1 billion in 2021, up from $626 million last year. Even as vinyl sales scale new heights, though, the type of smaller labels and artists who once helped kickstart the comeback a decade ago are starting to bow out. Production capacityalready strained before the pandemichas been especially squeezed since COVID-19 lockdowns disrupted supply chains; the global demand for vinyl albums was recently estimated at twice the available supply. With giant retailers like Walmart, Target, and Amazon now embracing vinyl, and multi-colored special editions from huge pop stars like Harry Styles and Billie Eilish crowding pressing plants, turnaround times for independent artists can range from eight months to a whole yearup from two to three months in times of less demand. Complaints about lengthy vinyl production schedules are nearly as old as the vinyl revival itself, but this time feels different. Several self-released artists and DIY label owners contacted by Pitchfork describe moving away from vinyl, largely due to pandemic-era manufacturing slowdowns. This vinyl turnaround crisis is by miles the worst Ive ever known it, says Britt Brown, co-founder of the L.A.-based experimental imprint Not Not Fun and house-oriented sister label 100% Silk. It raises the question if the format will even continue to be viable.  Mike Simonetti, who once co-founded the influential Italians Do It Better label alongside Johnny Jewel, recently called out vinyl turnaround delays in an impassioned Twitter thread: This cant sustain itself, he warned. Simonetti says the Brooklyn electronic label he currently co-runs, 2MR, will no longer widely release 12" singles like it used to. While thats partly due to economics, he adds that artists want their records out as soon as possible, and the label simply cant deliver them. The pandemic drew a line in the sand as far as vinyl, Simonetti says. Post-pandemic, it has to be something you know youre going to sell.  Venerable husband-and-wife indie duo Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang decided to forgo a vinyl release for their upcoming A Sky Record because of interminable turnaround times. Its craaaaz-y, says Krukowski, a Pitchfork contributor who has long been an outspoken critic of established industry practices. In an effort to maintain the tangibility of a vinyl record, Damon & Naomi chose to print an elaborate 48-page booklet, with visual and writing contributors including Pulps Jarvis Cocker. As Krukowski says, We made that lavish insert that you would have back in the glory days of LP packagingwithout the LP. (The idea of non-musical physical companion pieces for music releases is in the air: West Virginias Crash Symbols label is planning to incorporate scrap glass and a handmade zine with its upcoming tape by Brazilian producer Grimrio de Abril, The Glass Labyrinth.) At least anecdotally, the long and painful vinyl process seems to have also been a boon for other traditional formats including cassettes and CDs. Dania Shihab, co-founder of Barcelonas Paralaxe Editions label, which specializes in experimental sounds, was releasing more tapes than vinyl even prior to the pandemic, partly due to shorter turnaround times of around four to six weeks. I wouldnt say that Ill never do a vinyl release again, but it would have to be an especially interesting release and artist for me to make that sort of commitment, she says.