This is one of the unforeseen impacts of the commodities crisis. In the absence of polymers essential for the manufacture of vinyl records, this year, the 1,500 independent labels identified in France will have difficulty offering their novelties for the Christmas holidays. The National Federation of Independent Labels and Distributors (Felin) as well as the Syndicate of Contemporary Music (SMA) are moved by this and sound the alarm. They recall in a press release published Thursday, November 18 how much these labels “Play a crucial role on the music scene” , by focusing on producing “Innovative, demanding and unformatted works”.
However, the vigorous post-health crisis economic recovery leads to a demand for petroleum and its derivatives that exceeds expectations, which directly affects the pressing of vinyls. The production of these black cakes requires chloropolymer, vinyl chloride copolymer and vinyl acetate. Vinyl manufacturers are finding it increasingly difficult to source. They have to face very long delivery times, which penalizes the labels since they orchestrate their album releases simultaneously in digital and physical.
“A suffocation”
Mathieu Dassieu, president of Felin and director of Baco Music, which distributes a hundred labels, deplores that the hip-hop group Les Svinkels or the group of the new French scene Debout sur le zinc have lost many vinyl sales, released fifteen days after CDs and digital. To avoid this pitfall, jazz singer Rhoda Scott preferred to postpone the release of her album. This is not possible for example for the Californian reggae group Groundation, whose tour dates are already set. The vinyls, usually produced in three months maximum will be produced in six, that is to say after the end of the concerts.
Pressings planned for 300 copies could cost 30% more than before the pandemic
In addition to these timing problems, there is a sharp increase in the prices of raw materials, up to 40%, which will be reflected in the production chain. To the point where the pressings planned for 300 copies could cost 30% more than before the pandemic and 20% more for a thousand copies. The soaring price of wood will also result in an increase in the prices of boxes and therefore of pouches. Not considering “The majors, endowed with a negotiating force that the independents do not have, do not hesitate to reserve the production lines of the factories”, regrets the president of Felin.
He dreads “A stifling of the vinyl market” while, according to the national union of phonographic publishing, this sector has experienced a spectacular renaissance for three years. It increased again by 10% in 2020 unlike the CD which continues to decline but is only barely impacted by the problems of raw material supply.