In a statement and video, Jack White urges record labels to get serious about vinyl production. He says that supply chain issues and manufacturing bottlenecks need to be addressed.
Jack White has asked major record labels to begin building their own vinyl pressing plants, citing industry wide shortages and manufacturing problems as indication of consistent demand.
White has released three successful solo albums but is perhaps best known for his first band The White Stripes. Formed with his ex-wife Meg White, they found huge success in the noughties.
He also owns the Nashville-based label Third Man Records, which boasts its own pressing plant and a new London store based in Soho.
As part of his statement, White said that ‘at least once a week’ he’ll receive requests from smaller artists to help with their vinyl production. He is adamant that bigger labels need to take the same approach and begin creating vinyl records for themselves.
It could help to meet the high demand for vinyl – for both old and new releases – and create jobs within the music industry sector. Check out the full video below.
Why is Jack pushing for more record labels to produce vinyl?
Covid-19 and a lack of materials worldwide has caused huge shortages of vinyl records.
The limited pool of resources that are available have been unevenly allocated, as larger artists such as Adele gobble up a huge portion of available pressings and leave indie artists unable to produce merchandise in time for album releases.
It became such an issue at the end of 2021 that one independent record store boycotted Adele for printing 500,000 vinyl copies of her latest album ‘30’ while many smaller artists weren’t able to get even one hundred copies of their own LPs printed.
The lack of materials is also compounded by a limited number of vinyl production plants.
According to Super Deluxe Edition, vinyl’s meteoric rise back to the mainstream hasn’t been matched by production plants, meaning there are more people asking for new vinyl than there are facilities to do so.
This is the main crutch of Jack’s argument. There are a few vinyl record pressing plants popping up across the UK, such as Press On Vinyl in Middlesbrough, but it still won’t be enough to meet the huge demand.
In his statement, Jack says he ‘politely implores’ big labels such as ‘Sony, Universal, and Warner’ to ‘start dedicating resources to build pressing plants themselves’. He believes that the decision to upscale the scope of vinyl production is a ‘no brainer’.
More vinyl records actually being made and sold would benefit artists, consumers, labels, and jobs across the industry. It requires a leap of faith from big labels to get the ball rolling, however, which is what Jack’s open letter is attempt to do.
If industry giants can be swayed, the benefits could be wide reaching.
Are there any potential problems with promoting vinyl production?
While this letter is undoubtedly great for the music industry, it is somewhat disappointing to not see any attention given to sustainability. There is no mention of green production methods, plastic reduction, or alternative vinyl solutions.
Production plants create toxic wastewater, use huge amounts of plastics, and generate hefty amounts of emissions. There are a few companies testing out new, greener methods of production, but these are yet to be adopted as the norm.
Jack shouldn’t be expected to touch on every base, obviously, and nobody’s expecting his label to have all the solutions.
It’s just a shame that such a poignant moment for the vinyl industry didn’t include anything on sustainability whatsoever, especially as it becomes an increasingly more crucial aspect of business across all industries.
Vinyl will need to find a way to adapt if it wants to survive in a net zero emissions world. A brief mention would have gone a long way here.
Still, here’s to hoping that record labels will take notice. Let’s just demand greener methods moving forward – and ask Adele to chill out.
I’m Charlie (He/Him), Deputy Editor and Senior Writer at Thred. I was previously the Editor full-time at Thred before moving to Bristol in 2024. I have since returned to London. As a music and gaming enthusiast, I’m a nerd for pop culture. You can find me curating playlists, designing article headline images, and sipping cider on a Thursday. Follow me on LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.
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