{"id":22149,"date":"2022-11-04T09:58:40","date_gmt":"2022-11-04T09:58:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/all-news\/is-there-a-green-solution-to-the-vinyl-record-backlog"},"modified":"2022-11-04T10:14:33","modified_gmt":"2022-11-04T10:14:33","slug":"is-there-a-green-solution-to-the-vinyl-record-backlog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/all-news\/is-there-a-green-solution-to-the-vinyl-record-backlog","title":{"rendered":"Is there a green solution to the vinyl record backlog?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Mauritius. <\/strong><\/span>The backlog in the vinyl industry since the pandemic began means that artists and some music fans are having to wait around a year to receive their records.<\/p>\n

Global demand for albums is at its highest in 30 years, while most factories are still using the same pressing methods deployed in the 1980s. But a Dutch firm is offering, what it says is, a more sustainable \u2013 but more expensive \u2013 solution to the backlog.<\/p>\n

And it is doing so without the material that gave vinyl its name. Harm Theunisse, owner of Green Vinyl Records, in Eindhoven, believes it is the \u201cnew standard\u201d for the industry.<\/p>\n

His team has spent the past seven years developing a new large-scale pressing machine that uses up to 90% less energy than typical vinyl production, and which can be monitored in real time rather than retrospectively.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis machine can do almost 40% more capacity than the traditional plants, too,\u201d said Theunisse.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pressing here is both faster and better for our planet.
\nThe machine in Eindhoven avoids using PVC (polyvinyl chloride \u2013 which gave vinyl its name) \u2013 the most environmentally damaging of plastics, according to Greenpeace.<\/p>\n

Instead, it uses polyethylene terephthalate (Pet) \u2013 a more durable plastic which is easier to recycle. Theunisse said he wanted to do something to enable future generations to listen to music on vinyl without worrying about the environmental impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s for the kids,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur world is heating up.
\nThe barrier to finding eco-friendly alternatives to PVC has always been the desire to match the same rich sound quality while maintaining the hardness and durability of plastic, says Sharon George, senior lecturer in sustainability at Keele University.<\/p>\n

Green Vinyl Records\u2019 method is \u201ca real step in the right direction\u201d, she says. \u201cWe need to stop thinking about the cost at the till and think about that cost to the planet and to our health,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

Worldwide demand for vinyl is currently estimated at around 700 million records a year, as a result of a resurgence in popularity coinciding with supply chain problems during the Covid pandemic.<\/p>\n

The big factories are having to turn away business. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to have such a full order book,\u201d said Ton Vermeulen, chief executive of vinyl manufacturing company Record Industry, in Haarlem, near Amsterdam.<\/p>\n

But there are issues, he says, with people \u201calways over- or under-ordering\u201d. \u201cWhen they have a new album out, they order 1,000 [copies] and, by the time they\u2019re getting it, they already need 1,500.<\/p>\n

\u201d Mr Vermeulen says his company is dealing with frustrated customers who have album plans and gigs booked around release dates.<\/p>\n

He is having to tell record labels and artists to wait. \u201cThey\u2019re willing to pay more. They say \u2018whatever it costs, it doesn\u2019t matter\u2019 \u2013 but unfortunately, it doesn\u2019t work like that.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the whole chain we need to go through,\u201d he told BBC News. Painstaking Vinyl has been manufactured at Vermeulen\u2019s factory since 1957 and the company prides itself on its heritage methods, using the same 33 presses, which are painstakingly maintained.<\/p>\n

First a master disc is made of metal and converted into a stamper. Then PVC pellets are loaded into the machine, melted and pressed into the mould. The machines stay on for 17 hours and churn out 50,000 PVC records per day.<\/p>\n

The audio here is made and packed for the three major labels: Sony, Universal and Warner Music; deals that have been in existence for decades. Vinyl manufacturer Record Industry is trying to be conscious of the planet, too \u2013 from recycling waste to investing in solar power.<\/p>\n

So what does its boss think of a more environmentally-friendly future for pressing records? \u201cI\u2019ve had calls saying, \u2018Hey, can you press records from the plastic from the ocean?\u2019,\u201d said Mr Vermeulen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe could give it a try and it might look like a record \u2013 but if it needs to sound like a normal record, there\u2019s where we have a problem.
\n\u201cWhen you want to keep the quality of the product as it is now, then that\u2019s impossible,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The molecular attributes of the plastic are thought to have a significant impact on the quality of how the music sounds \u2013 so pressing plants want to avoid using impure materials. High cost Mr Vermeulen was involved with the Green Vinyl project when it began, but he raises concerns about the costs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s the unknown aspects, and the costs involved to put high investment in \u2013 because these machines are massively more expensive than the presses we use over here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not saying there is no space for such a new technique, but I have doubts if companies are going [to go] for it.<\/p>\n

\u201d But it seems some are willing to take the risk. Tom Odell\u2019s new album is being pressed at Green Vinyl Records.<\/p>\n

And Harm Theunisse has just signed his first order from Warner, too. The entrepreneur acknowledges the initial costs, but estimates a return on investment in around 18 months.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to buy one and then listen to it yourself,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Mauritius<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Mauritius. The backlog in the vinyl industry since the pandemic began means that artists and some music fans are having to wait around a year to receive their records. Global demand for albums is at its highest in 30 years, while most factories are still using the same pressing methods deployed in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":22148,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,9],"tags":[233,245,241,687],"class_list":["post-22149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-miscellaneous","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-mauritius","tag-mauritius","tag-pandemic"],"yoast_head":"\nIs there a green solution to the vinyl record backlog? - Mauritius<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The backlog in the vinyl industry since the pandemic began means that artists and some music fans are having to wait aro ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/all-news\/is-there-a-green-solution-to-the-vinyl-record-backlog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is there a green solution to the vinyl record backlog?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The backlog in the vinyl industry since the pandemic began means that artists and some music fans are having to wait aro ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/all-news\/is-there-a-green-solution-to-the-vinyl-record-backlog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mauritius\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-11-04T09:58:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-11-04T10:14:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/sites\/61\/2022\/11\/postQueueImg_23-6364e5f648e5c.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"976\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"549\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/all-news\/is-there-a-green-solution-to-the-vinyl-record-backlog#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/all-news\/is-there-a-green-solution-to-the-vinyl-record-backlog\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Is there a green solution to the vinyl record backlog?\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-11-04T09:58:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-11-04T10:14:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/all-news\/is-there-a-green-solution-to-the-vinyl-record-backlog\"},\"wordCount\":867,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/all-news\/is-there-a-green-solution-to-the-vinyl-record-backlog#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/sites\/61\/2022\/11\/postQueueImg_23-6364e5f648e5c.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Mauritius\",\"Mauritius\",\"Pandemic\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"miscellaneous\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/all-news\/is-there-a-green-solution-to-the-vinyl-record-backlog#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/all-news\/is-there-a-green-solution-to-the-vinyl-record-backlog\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/all-news\/is-there-a-green-solution-to-the-vinyl-record-backlog\",\"name\":\"Is there a green solution to the vinyl record backlog? 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