t198

I wasn't thinking about it in terms of ratio, more of in a cost-plus way - I guess there's something to that. That said, buyers don't seem to agree.

It's true, inflation is the very topic. Yes, I know when you line it up prices are pretty similar. I'm not saying it's bad necessarily - just wondering if it's sustainable (since the situation has changed in other regards since 1970 - music is free or cheap, food is cheaper, but housing is a lot more, low wages much lower, wealth gap much greater) - wondering if sellers have cold feet, as buyers seem to. If buyers were snapping up $30-40 records like they were snapping up $23 records, I wouldn't be posting this. They aren't.

I don't think everyone is saying that, but I was, along with a question - please correct me if I'm wrong. But an increase from $1-2 to $3-4 does not immediately lead you to a $22 wholesale record, does it? When other labels are wholesaling for half that. Small runs like you cite being a bit of a different discussion IMO - being catered most likely to truly tiny artists with online followings (Bandcamp, Soundcloud). The prices I saw (I am trying to remember which plants I was looking at) were maybe $3 per piece for what I would consider to be small runs (500-1000). Anyway, I don't begrudge anyone charging what they want to charge - this post was not about that. It was more trying to solicit (somewhat unsuccessfully) thoughts from other sellers about their appetite for buying at these prices.

As I mentioned (and maybe someone can fact-check me on this), a cursory search of pressing costs seemed to show that prices are still pretty low to press vinyl - like under $5 per piece with jacket for standard pressing options. Someone should correct me if I am wrong. Course there are lot of other costs for labels and distributors not included in that. But manufacturing itself does not seem all that high. Saudi was about to agree to increase oil supply before conflict in ME broke out - if things go in that direction, perhaps raw material price will come down and knock pressing prices down a buck or so. But pressing prices - it doesn't seem like they are what have created near-100% price increases (for major label releases at least). Indies like Dischord (who have increased prices only a bit) are still able to wholesale for under $12 shipped. 95% of major label titles are priced over $20 now, wholesale.

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Yeah, I don't blame you. I am curious how other sellers are approaching it, as (as I already said, I guess) the prices seemed too inflated 1.5 years ago, and the surprising thing to me is that they have kept going up even since then. One classic title we used to buy wholesale for I think $12.85 two years ago is now over $21 from the distributor. Very interested to see how this shakes out and being very cautious in what we buy.

Yeah! I remember the late 90's/early 00's when CDs were getting up near $20 (USD, not sure what that would be in Euro but probably about similar) - I have seen a lot of threads like on Reddit of buyers griping, but was also curious to hear how any sellers are approaching the situation. Similar to you, I got into vinyl b/c it was cheap and was always pretty strategic about what I bought. Thanks for the reply.

Apologies if this has been covered - I searched around a bit and couldn't find a discussion, but may well have missed it. Just wondering about other record sellers' (stores, etc) take on skyrocketing wholesale prices, especially for UMG/major label/some big independent label releases. Around a year and a half ago we began to balk at buying many titles that were no-brainers as they went from ~$13 to $18 in 6 months. A lot of titles we just do not buy currently, but thought we might sit it out and wait to see if they returned to normal. Even with posts about pressing plants laying off staff, prices have continued upwards to prices I just cannot understand. Those major label catalog titles that were 13/15 then went to 18/19, are now 21/23, in spite of what seems like pretty signifiant weakening demand? I always wondered what was really in it for the majors in pressing vinyl in the first place. Do they really need the $50 or $100K they'll make off a pressing of The Cure's "Disintegration" or whatever, when they are thinking in hundreds of millions in other areas of their business. So I guess this is the natural evolution, but I don't think the demand is there for $30-40 records after markup? I used to have a small record label myself several decades ago and was curious what actual pressing costs are these days compared to then, expecting to find a huge increase in cost, especially with all the talk of overburdened plants, etc (now somewhat subsided, I gather). I may have misconstrued what I found in a cursory search, but prices seemed only a bit higher at the plants I found from prices of 20 years ago. Anyway, just wondering where other sellers are at with this, how they are processing they super-inflated prices. We are being very cautious and at the very least at buying titles at these prices. Do you think prices will come down? Can you justify buying at these levels?