Vinyl 101
Robert Halvari, Creator at Notes on vinyl
Why Does a Vinyl Cost So Much? Worth noting are the various factors that can come together to ultimately affect the cost of a record, no matter its final presentation.
Quantity Clearly the amount of record that are to be pressed will have a bearing on the overall cost of a record. The price of initiating a single pressing ($190) is the same as doing so for a pressing of 100.
Weight A trend among labels and pressing plants is to press records onto wax of 180 grams, purportedly so that that record lasts longer. These releases tend to be lathered with stickers that proclaim the wonder of this new fandangled thing, as an idyll to be upheld at all costs.
Length It does not take a rocket scientist to realize that a longer record is going to cost more, not only to produce but also to purchase. The longer the original release, the more sides it will likely have to be pressed onto. This will mean more stages of the process, accruing more costs along the way
Color Colored vinyl is costs more than a regular vinyl, a blue vinyl more than a black vinyl, even despite the fact that polyvinyl chloride is naturally clear. The former will cost more for being a more specialized offering, requiring specific colors, dyes, and materials to be sourced for the job.
Design Some colors are more difficult to reproduce than others, and even some materials are more costly to recreate than others. I once, for example, bought a copy of Depression Cherry by Beach House which was at least a buck or two more than some of the other records in the record store I was in.
The Process In order to properly understand the pricing of vinyl records, we must understand precisely the process through which they are constructed, lest we forget the fine details of vinyl record sales within the vinyl industry. Next story has table with approximate prices >>