A pressing issue

Jack White might claim that "the issue is not big labels versus small labels, it's not independent versus mainstream", but the fact is that the current vinyl boom and consequent pressure on pressing plants is being fuelled by the major labels (who are incentivised by the existence of Record Store Day, among other things). Manufacturers are already running at capacity and new small-run indie releases are regularly bumped to make way for bulk orders of reissues by heritage artists.

With no sign of the boom ending, White has suggested a very sensible solution to the present problems: major-label investment in new pressing plants. As he says, improving the infrastructure rather than continuing to overload the system is surely "a no-brainer" - and he's led by example by setting up Third Man Pressing to produce his own label's records as well as those by others.

Whether the industry will respond to that perfectly reasonable call, though, remains to be seen. If Spotify can simultaneously swat away artists' pleas for a fairer model of remuneration for streaming and merrily shell out £235 million to sponsor a football club's stadium and shirts, then there's no guarantee that common sense and doing the decent thing will come into play.