FEATURE:
From the Ashes
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The Apollo Masters Corp. Fire and the Impact on Vinyl Production
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WHEN I checked Twitter yesterday…
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I heard news that a Californian record plant for Apollo Masters Corp. was devastated by a fire on Friday. One might assume that a single factory/facility cannot threaten vinyl production, but they would be wrong. Apollo Masters is one of two manufacturers in the world that produced lacquer discs needed for vinyl masters. This article from Billboard explains more:
“The California plant is one of only two in the world that manufactures lacquers, vital to the production of vinyl records.
The manufacturing and storage facility for Apollo Masters Corp. -- a Banning, Calif.-based manufacturing plant that supplies the lacquer used for making master discs, which are then used to create vinyl records -- has burned down in a massive fire, the company confirmed in a statement posted to its official website.
“To all of [our] wonderful customers. It is with great sadness we report the Apollo Masters manufacturing and storage facility had a devastating fire and suffered catastrophic damage,” the statement reads. “The best news is all of our employees are safe. We are uncertain of our future at this point and are evaluating options as we try to work through this difficult time. Thank you for all of the support over the years and the notes of encouragement and support we have received from you all.”
The fire, which was first reported around 8 a.m. PT Friday morning (Feb. 7), broke out while employees were inside the building, though all escaped safely, according to The Desert Sun, which first reported the blaze. But the loss of the plant -- which, along with MDC in Japan, is one of only two worldwide that produces the lacquers needed to create vinyl records -- comes as a difficult blow to the booming vinyl record industry. Billboard reported just last month that 26% of all physical albums sold in the U.S. in 2019 were vinyl.
ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: Lucy-Rae Naylor
As to how the sudden shortage might be remedied going forward, Tamazyan says that short of Apollo rebounding, it will take either a new company acquiring Apollo's intellectual property and creating a new plant or MDC expanding its operations -- though he notes that even prior to the Apollo fire, MDC was falling behind. "They were already having a hard time keeping up with the demand," wrote Tamazyan, who says that as an existing MDC customer, Capsule Labs is at least temporarily in the clear. Still, he continued, "a U.S.-based supplier is imperative."
Also weighing in on the fire via social media was Duplication, a Canadian company that offers vinyl pressing, among other services. In a tweet, the company wrote that the Apollo plant’s destruction is a “disaster” for the vinyl pressing industry, noting the lacquer shortage resulting from the fire could possibly result in “plants having to close or scale back operations”.
It is a tragedy for the employees and those who rely on the plant but, as vinyl sales are so healthy and so many of us are huge vinyl fans, there is a fear that sales and production will be affected massively. It seems strange that there are only two facilities that produce lacquer discs needed for vinyl masters. Many people rely on digital music, so cannot appreciate how a record comes together and, after this fire, there will be great uncertainty and delay. In the long run, things will recover and there will be a return to normal but, right now, it is a very scary situation.
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Maybe the effects will be felt hardest in the U.S., but there is surely going to be repercussions in the U.S. I am glad nobody was hurt in the fire, and I wonder how it started in the first place. Last year, we saw reports about the hugely distressing Universal Studios fire in Hollywood in 2008 that resulted in the loss of so much precious material and masters. I guess every building is vulnerable to fire, but when it hits the music industry like this, it has an impact on more than the people who work in these places – it spreads around the world and impacts consumers, artists, and record labels. This latest fire is not as devastating as the Universal blaze, but it makes me wonder whether new measures should be brought in to protect factories, facilities and buildings like Apollo Masters Corp. The fire occurred a couple of days ago, so there is no telling what financial and physical cost will result. I am seeing on social media a lot of questions from people who ask whether they can order vinyl; artists who are curious as to whether they will be able to put their upcoming records to vinyl – one can understand the anxiety being felt right across the industry at the moment.
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This Wall Street Journal article reacted to the news and asked what impact this horrific fire will have on the vinyl sector:
“This is going to create a mess,” says Len Horowitz, a vinyl expert who is one of a handful of people who know how to fix sensitive electronic components involved in record mastering. Mr. Horowitz thinks that production of new records will be significantly hampered.
“This is very bad, especially for independent vinyl manufacturers in the U.S.,” says Jessa Zapor-Gray, a music and audio marketing and vinyl-production consultant.
In recent years, the vinyl business had settled into a steady, healthy clip after a period of booming growth. Sales of vinyl LPs in the U.S. rose 14.5% last year to 18.8 million units, up from 16.5 million, according to Nielsen Music. Despite its growth, vinyl revenues in the U.S. amounted to $224 million in the first half of 2019, the latest data available, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
The lacquers are used to make the master discs behind individual vinyl albums. These master discs are, in turn, sent to vinyl-pressing plants, which use them to make “stampers,” from which thousands of copies are pressed.
Consumers won’t feel the effects of the fire for a few months, says Ms. Zapor-Gray. But “behind the scenes, the effect on the industry’s psyche has been immediate,” she says. The record-cutting professionals who rely on lacquers have existing stashes—but these aren’t likely big enough to last long.
IN THIS PHOTO: Jack White
Much of the industry’s infrastructure remains archaic and hard to replace. Many pressing plants rely on aging equipment.
There’s been significant investment into the business over the past few years—by rock star Jack White, for example—but the Apollo fire is a reminder of just how wobbly the supply-chain supporting the vinyl business is”.
It is simply awful hearing stories like this, considering there is this investment in the vinyl industry. So many fans and artists prefer vinyl over any other format but, at a time when it is so much less expensive and easy to stream and get music online, events like this in the U.S. will put strain on vinyl producers. We shall see how things pan out, but there is going to be this recovery and restoration process that will cost a lot of time and money. I hope the music industry will not suffer too much, and vinyl production is able to continue – although at a decreased capacity, I am sure. This horrible news will affect and shake all those who…
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LOVE their vinyl.