“Devastating” Fire At A California Factory Leaves World’s Vinyl Industry In Peril

Vinyl

A fire at a California facility has created a potentially big problem for the world’s vinyl industry, with fears that some record-making plants will need to temporarily close or scale back production.

According to reports in Pitchfork, Apollo Masters, which supplies a special lacquer used in the process of making master discs, burned to the ground this week in a “devastating” fire.

It was one of only two companies in the world to supply this lacquer. The other, based in Japan, was reportedly struggling to keep up with demand before the destruction of the California facility.

In addition to this, Apollo was also the primary suppler of styli used in the vinyl pressing process. The fire means that anyone who makes records using lacquers is now facing a shortage.

Toronto-based company Duplication took to Twitter to explain the scope of the problem. “Disaster for the vinyl pressing industry,” they wrote.

“Apollo masers has burned to the ground. There will be a lacquer shortage and possibly plants having to close or scale back operations for a while.”

In a statement published to their website, Apollo Masters thanked loyal customers for their support, while admitting that their future currently looks “uncertain”.

A representative for Duplication told Pitchfork that the worldwide vinyl industry is “resilient”, and “talented professionals [are] teaming together to find a way out of this current problem.”

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