Demand for LPs goes through the roof: Haarlem vinyl presses are expanding exponentially

The interest in LPs is so great that even the largest vinyl press plant in the world, in Harlem, can hardly meet the demand. As a result, artists sometimes have to wait months to get their album. By purchasing modern and new vinyl presses, production will soon increase from 11 million records to 15 million records annually.

This number is nothing compared to the heyday of LPs in the 1980s, when 50 million records were pressed in Harlem annually.

The highlight was Michael Jackson’s album Thriller, 30,000 of which were pulled from the band daily. Since the advent of CD, no new vinyl presses have ever been made, so there are machines in Harlem that are decades old and require a lot of maintenance. With the arrival of new and modern presses, an additional 4 million plates can be pressed annually.

missed opportunity

Commercial Director Anouk Rijnders of Record Industry hopes that soon the artists will not have to wait months for their new album. “Many artists like to sell their wares when they’re on tour, because that’s income too. The tour is often associated with promoting your album, so if there isn’t, it’s really a missed opportunity,” according to Rijnders.

Due to the company’s expansion in Harlem, there is a great need for additional employees. Especially for Quality Controllers and Packaging Department.