With COVID came a surge in plastic consumption as restaurants closed, lockdowns continued, and many businesses pivoted to takeout in order to keep up with operational costs.Īs the holidays approach, a time when record labels and artists are scrambling to release their albums in time for the gift-giving season, these massive supply chain issues are growing particularly pronounced.īut the current vinyl pressing capacity cannot keep up with demand, according to Catherine Moore, a professor of music at the University of Toronto. So what, then, is causing the global vinyl shortage? Canadian radio broadcaster and music writer Alan Cross says a variety of factors are at play.Ī fire last year at the industry’s primary distributor of vinyl lacquer, one of only two places in the world that supplies the lacquer used to make master plates, combined with the increased demand for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) - a synthetic plastic used to make everything from takeout containers, pipes, cling wrap, and vinyl records - has led to month-long backlogs at vinyl pressing facilities. Adele’s 500,000 records, for example, only amount to approximately 0.3 per cent of the total vinyl units produced in 2021, according to Billboard. Taylor Swift’s latest studio album “Red (Taylor’s Version)”, a re-recording of her 2012 album of the same name, features a whopping 30 songs recorded on four vinyl discs.īut these major artists aren’t solely responsible. Adele isn’t the only artist pushing out vinyl.

Target adele 30 vinyl