Vinyl Alliance

Our recent report on the carbon footprint of vinyl records identifies where improvements can be made within the manufacturing process. But where do artists fit into this conversation? Ian Stanton, Head of Sustainability at Beggars Group, ventures an answer in Episode 2 of the Vinyl Futures podcast: “One of the really interesting, unique opportunities in the music industry and the wider creative sector, is the power of our artists to be able to talk and engage on these topics. Arguably, yes, we have to decarbonize the industry. Yes, we need to move to a more sustainable model, because all industries do. But culture comes upstream of politics. If addressing these impacts means that when artists want to talk about the climate crisis they feel more empowered to do so, then we can amplify and elevate their voice in this topic, which I think is a really untapped resource.” Hear the full conversation in Episode 2 of our brand new podcast: Vinyl Futures! Available now on Spotify, Apple, and all podcast platforms. Listen and subscribe below. Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/en4mSNFN Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eAJ7NFdD Read the full Vinyl Alliance & VRMA Carbon Footprinting Report: https://lnkd.in/dnUswATz #vinylrecords #sustainability #carbonfootprint #podcast

Welcome Gold Rush Vinyl to the Vinyl Alliance! Named one of the Most Innovative Companies of 2020 by Fast Company, Gold Rush Vinyl is a pressing plant located in Austin, TX. Proudly woman-owned, Gold Rush is a team of musicians and music-fans striving to make the vinyl pressing experience as easy and rewarding as possible, for customers ranging from young DIY artists to arena headliners. We’re proud to have Gold Rush Vinyl join us in our mission to keep the vinyl format thriving into the future! #vinylrecords #recordpressing #austintexas

Is there a case to be made for moving away from 180g vinyl, toward less raw material-intensive standard-weight (140g) records? In this clip from Episode 2 of the Vinyl Futures podcast, Key Production Group’s John Service weighs in on whether the perception that 180g vinyl is advantageous even still exists in the marketplace. “I think the value perception just isn’t there in the market. And actually the questions around whether people would value vinyl more or be more predisposed to buy vinyl if they knew the environmental impact was reduced, that kind of countered the heavyweight vinyl perception. There’s an argument there that making your package more sustainable and pushing that side of things is actually giving the consumer more perceived value in the end.” Hear the full conversation, which unpacks the carbon footprint of vinyl records, in Episode 2 of our brand new podcast: Vinyl Futures. Available now on Spotify, Apple, and all podcast platforms! Listen and subscribe at the links below in the comments 👇 #vinylrecords #podcast #carbonfootprint

Now spinning: the Vinyl Alliance Newsletter! Subscribe and get updated on the news and events affecting the vinyl record industry. 🗞️ vinyl record industry news 📅 event announcements 📣 updates on VA activities 🎵 and more… Straight to your inbox, never more than once per month. Stay in the know! Subscribe at our website, or at the link below in comments. Get connected with the industry’s central voice, 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱. #vinylrecords #musicindustrynews #newsletter #vinylalliance

In the latest episode of Vinyl Futures, Vladimír Víšek of GZ Media argues the value of knowing a vinyl record’s carbon footprint lies in giving us a benchmark for improvement, rather than serving as a comparison with streaming. “I wouldn't be comparing the CO2 footprint of digital and vinyl, because for me these are two different medias. I think what is important about the numbers is they should serve us as a benchmark. So if you know, this is the carbon footprint of vinyl records, we know this is the carbon footprint of digital streaming, and we know where the biggest hot spots are, we should focus on lowering them.” Hear the full conversation in Episode 2 of our brand new podcast: Vinyl Futures - available now on Spotify, Apple, and all podcast platforms! Links to listen can be found below in the comments 👇 #vinylrecords #podcast #carbonfootprint #vinylalliance #vinylfutures

If you're feeling confused about the recent misreporting of vinyl sales figures, this explainer from VA member Discogs is well worth a read!

Let's set the record straight: contrary to several recent headlines, US vinyl sales have NOT dropped 33% in 2024. A growing number of articles from the likes of Headphonesty, Consequence Media, NME, TechRadar and others have referenced a weekly Billboard national music consumption report which provided the false statistic. This report, and the various articles, are missing a crucial piece of context (something we wrote at length about earlier this year): Beginning in 2024, Luminate (Billboard's data source) made a major change to the way it reports data on physical media sales—a change which makes accurate YoY comparisons not possible using its changed model. The details around this change in methodology have been extensively reported on—by Billboard no less! (See: https://lnkd.in/dFySdHzs) Frustratingly, the failure to properly explain such a significant and unrepresentative figure has now led to a false narrative making its way around the internet. One that has the potential to be seriously damaging to our industry. The bottom line? US vinyl sales through the first three quarters of 2024 are actually UP 6.2% — as reported by Luminate's readjusted model which accounts for the previously mentioned changes. At the Vinyl Alliance, we're committed to accuracy in data and reporting within our industry. We'll continue to follow this space to ensure this narrative gets corrected. And to media outlets out there looking for their next vinyl story - we invite you to please reach out to us first before spreading misinformation and clickbait 👉 https://lnkd.in/ddmh6acK #vinylrecords #billboard #luminate #musicindustrynews

We had the pleasure of returning to the Haarlem Vinyl Festival last month to once again host our Meet the Experts program! Meet the Experts gives vinyl fans a chance to engage directly with the people working in various capacities to make vinyl records and playback equipment. Throughout the weekend, aided by our comparative listening session, we dug into all manner of topics related to vinyl records. From the record pressing process to listening habits to the science of the groove—it was a pure delight to explore curiosities and share insights into what makes this format so timeless and unique. In hosting this program each year, we're reminded how subjective the enjoyment of vinyl is for each fan, and how endless that journey of enjoyment and discovery can be. To that end, we're thrilled to have the chance to offer some guidance on that journey, and to give fans a unique way to learn about and celebrate the format. 👇 Read a full recap of the event on our blog! Link below in the comments 👇 A huge thanks to the Vinyl Alliance members and guest experts who contributed their time, knowledge and equipment to make Meet the Experts possible: Andreas Kohl, Andreas Wagner, Sven Van Laere, Clive Atkins, Billy Fields, Lloyd Starr, Ton Vermeulen, James Henriot, Jeremy Guillot, Ryan Weitzel, Daniel Krieger, Thorsten Megow, Karen Emanuel, Frederic Stader, William Shin, Ryan Mitrovich, Audio-Technica Europe Distribution, Discogs, Record Industry, Key Production Group, optimal media GmbH, Ortofon A/S and many others! Hats off as well to festival organizers Iryna M'yakush, Anouk Rijnders, Richard Zijlma, & Thomas Spronk for their immense efforts pulling off such a fantastic event! #vinylrecords #musicindustrynews #festival

The Vinyl Alliance is proud to partner with Murmur for its “Change the Industry: Music” initiative! Murmur, which brings together the worlds of art and music to lead and fund environmental change, has unveiled the first recipients of its funding program. In 2024, over £240,000 donated by art and music organizations will be given to groundbreaking projects which drive and inspire change in the art and music industries and across the wider world. Working alongside ClimatePartner and the Music Climate Pact, the Vinyl Alliance will help coordinate the project, which seeks to help the record manufacturing supply chain close out knowledge gaps, improve data, and agree on a framework to demonstrate long term sustainability performance. Vinyl Alliance general manager Ryan Mitrovich commented: "The VA has a core commitment to ensure that the record manufacturing industry is environmentally sustainable and this program will help the entire industry to transition to a low carbon model- we are excited to work with Murmur to deliver this on behalf of the industry." Murmur is a registered charity, dedicated to fostering systemic climate action both within and through the visual arts and music industries. Murmur’s mission is to provide a strategic blueprint for organizations within these sectors, enabling them to partake in transformative climate action and empowering artist voices within climate debates. Stay turned for further details and updates on this project! #vinylrecords #sustainability #musicindustrynews

Last week Kathi Ramsey and her Warner Music U team invited us to join their weekly call to dive into Gen Z's perspective on the vinyl record format. The conversation couldn't have been more enlightening! Warner Music U is the label's campus rep program, made up of 20+ students in the 18-24 demographic based in major markets across the US. Through the program, they gain hands-on music industry experience leading various promotional activities for developing artists. Our conversation with Kathi's team was a part of a research project the Vinyl Alliance has undertaken to better understand the interest, motivations and attitudes of Gen Z toward the vinyl record format. We were able to share with the reps some insights into how the market for vinyl has been evolving and continues to grow. We then engaged in a lively discussion, hearing directly from the WMU reps how and why vinyl has gained relevance (or hasn't!) in their lives as digital natives. If this fascinating conversation was any evidence, the future of the format is in good hands. A big thank you to Kathi, Pamela, and their WMU team! Stay tuned for the results of our research, and if you haven't yet taken our survey - head to the link below! #vinylrecords #GenZ #marketresearch Warner Music Group