For most of Fika’s existence, we’ve been able to put together mastered audio and finished artwork, send them off for the production of vinyl, and receive them back 3-4 months later - sometimes quicker, occasionally a little slower. That’s fitted nicely into our timescales for working press - long lead (that’s monthly print magazines for example) run off a 3 month or so lead time as well, so everything’s been tied in nicely.
That’s all changed over the last 6-18 months. Early on in the Covid pandemic, with recording studios closed, tours cancelled and records pushed back, there was a small window of opportunity where records were coming back from factories at breakneck speed. We’re facing a very different set of circumstances now, where our records are facing ever increasing delays.
That’s partly still due to the Covid19 pandemic - vinyl pressing plants are still taking safeguarding measures to keep their staff safe. Social distancing measures naturally makes it more difficult to keep throughput high.
Vinyl demand has been on the up too. All those cancelled tours and postponed records are being rescheduled and put in for manufacture. The capacity for manufacturing vinyl in Europe has barely changed in years, but sales have been increasing a lot over the past few years. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by the majors (who, of course, dumped their pressing plants decades ago and their vinyl capacity, with the shift to CDs and then digital). Pressing 20,000 copies of yet another Fleetwood Mac re-issue is significantly less work (= higher margin) than manufacturing 40 different records in runs of 500 each. It’s hard to not feel small (tiny) indies are getting nudged ever further down the queue. Special coloured vinyl editions also require the presses to be cleaned down between each run, and it all takes time, reduces throughput, and pushes up costs for us all.
Global supply chains are a mess. From containerships queueing at ports from Felixstowe Shanghai to Los Angeles, shortages of warehouse space, and a lack of lorry and freight train capacity to move goods on, the pinch is being felt globally. Soaring energy and transport costs, global shortages of the PVC pellets used to make vinyl records (not to mention shortages of coloured PVC pellets in particular), and ever more expensive costs for paper and cardboard, means that even if all the component parts make it to where they’re needed when they’re needed, costs are going up rapidly.
And of course there’s Brexit, increasing red tape, costs, and time getting records into the UK.
We’ve tried using different pressing plants for some releases in the hope their estimates on turnaround are accurately quicker than we’re seeing elsewhere (which sadly, doesn’t look to have been a gamble that paid off this time). We’re sitting on records for months and months before starting press work and announcing anything, waiting for our place in the manufacturing queue. I’ve got records in the works now that won’t see the light of day until the autumn of 2022.
While we’re getting quotes upfront when placing an order, plants aren’t committing to prices until the record is about to be manufactured - they don’t know what their input costs are going to be month-to-month currently. While we could walk away at that point if prices have gone up too much, we’d give up our place in the queue and be left without any vinyl being pressed, at a point where we’ll already have kicked off press and promotion for the record, started booking tours and producing videos, etc. And for anything delayed, where we’ve already put up a pre-order, there’s every chance that record comes back costing us 10% or 20% more than anticipated.
As we stand, the Fortitude Valley vinyl, originally scheduled to be delivered in mid October, was recently pushed back to late December, and now we’ve been told not to expect it until early March.
Just Rain from Jessica’s Brother is still scheduled to arrive with us mid to late November, but there’s every chance that could slip back - the plant these are coming back from do seem to be fairly accurate with their delivery estimates, so we’re hoping it’ll come through on time.
We’ve got 3 more vinyl records in production currently, and hoping once we announce those release dates, we should have the vinyl in hand. They’re due from January through to June, so there’s every chance still there’ll be another spanner in the works by the time we get there.
So where do we go from here?
I love vinyl as a format, and will continue to try and find a way to make it work. Given the unpredictability of when they arrive, and what they’ll cost when they do, there’ll be some releases we may just announce, get out, and hope you’re still in love with it enough 6 months later to buy the record.
Pre-orders are going to be increasingly tricky. Manufacturers aren’t committing to prices until just before the record goes into manufacture, which will be 6-10 months after we’ve placed the order and got the quote.
We’ve tried to keep our prices as affordable as possible, but future releases are going to be more expensive, and there’s every chance that current vinyl pre-orders go up in price when they’re released (that’s your chance to save a few quid if you don’t mind a bit of wait).
What if you’ve already pre-ordered a vinyl record, and it’s been delayed?
It’s frustrating for us, as it is for you. We’re doing everything we can, talking to multiple vinyl brokers and manufacturing plants trying to keep on top of where the delays are, where there’s the most sensible lead times, all while ensuring we keep the quality up.
If you’ve pre-ordered a record and want a refund because it’s been delayed, do get in touch and we’ll sort it out for you. You’re welcome to swap your vinyl pre-order for a CD or a digital only pre-order and we’ll refund the difference. And if you’re happy to wait, we thank you for your patience!