Everybody seems to be blaming massive orders of Adele91裸聊视频檚 new album for a historic backlog at vinyl manufacturers, but Nashville singer Lindsay Ell says people should go easy on the pop superstar.

Last year, as the Calgary-born country artist planned the release of her own album 91裸聊视频淗eart Theory,91裸聊视频� she learned of supply chain delays that would make it impossible to premiere the vinyl version on the same day as digital platforms.

91裸聊视频淚n the middle of COVID, a lot of the factories making vinyl weren91裸聊视频檛 even in full operation,91裸聊视频� Ell said.

But she didn91裸聊视频檛 want to leave fans who pre-ordered vinyl packages hanging, so she turned to modern technology for a lifeline.

91裸聊视频淲hat I had to do was throw in a digital copy and say, 91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檒l send your vinyl when it91裸聊视频檚 finished,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� Ell said.

By all accounts, the vinyl pressures have only intensified in 2021 91裸聊视频� and there is little relief in sight.

Even as total album sales have fallen in Canada this year, vinyl sales are up 91裸聊视频� an astounding 53 per cent to 476,000 units in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period a year ago, according to a study by MRC Data and Billboard.

Around the world, vinyl pressing facilities are stretched to the limit with 24-hour, nearly seven-day-a-week production still not meeting demand.

Add to that smaller acts who are vying for factory bookings as major label artists dig into their back catalogues with huge pressing orders. Rihanna just issued her entire discography on vinyl while Taylor Swift released a four-vinyl re-recording of her 2012 album 91裸聊视频淩ed.91裸聊视频�

Making matters worse are shortages of key materials and concerns some retailers won91裸聊视频檛 be stocked on the hottest titles for the Christmas rush.

Adele drew attention to the overburdened vinyl industry in a recent interview when she revealed her album 91裸聊视频�3091裸聊视频� had to be turned in six months early to ensure enough copies were ready for release this Friday.

Variety later reported that her label pressed a whopping 500,000 vinyl copies, an order that may help the British singer smash first-week sales records but only further stressed the market.

Ed Sheeran told an Australian radio show he rushed to complete his new album for July because 91裸聊视频淎dele had basically booked out all the vinyl factories.91裸聊视频�

Neil Young griped on his website about how backed-up vinyl orders pushed the expected summer release of his album 91裸聊视频淏arn91裸聊视频� to December.

Those complaints are familiar to Shawn Johnson, president of Precision Record Pressing in Burlington, Ont., but he said it91裸聊视频檚 not fair to blame a single artist or album for capacity woes that have existed for years.

When vinyl saw a resurgence about a decade ago, manufacturers couldn91裸聊视频檛 have predicted how quickly the market would grow, he said. They also didn91裸聊视频檛 foresee a global pandemic that would temporarily shutter facilities and inspire locked-down music lovers to invest in turntables.

91裸聊视频淚n the market right now, every unit of capacity is taken because there91裸聊视频檚 excess demand,91裸聊视频� Johnson said.

Kinks in the supply chain made their way down to vinyl factories too. Soaring nickel prices increased the cost of making new vinyl pressing plates, while demand for plastics led to a scarcity of the PVC compound used in making records. Even cardboard album sleeves were affected by a historic lumber shortage earlier this year, Johnson said.

91裸聊视频淭he supply chain challenges are coming and going,91裸聊视频� he added. 91裸聊视频淪omething abates and something gets worse.91裸聊视频�

More uncertainty is likely next year as a deluge of new albums arrives from artists who91裸聊视频檝e been cooped up recording music for the past two years. Johnson said some labels are looking to head off the crush by booking vinyl production slots into late summer 2022. He isn91裸聊视频檛 confident that will ease capacity troubles.

91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 think it looks like there91裸聊视频檚 any chance the market will be balanced earlier than maybe the middle of 2023,91裸聊视频� he said.

91裸聊视频淎nd whether it gets balanced or not will depend on (if) demand continues to grow.91裸聊视频�

Those gloomy predictions worry some in the Canadian music industry who picture artists hitting the road again without having vinyl for sale at the merch table.

Ontario indie label True North Records experienced that first-hand when Colin James turned in his latest album 91裸聊视频淥pen Road91裸聊视频� last summer only to learn the pressings wouldn91裸聊视频檛 be ready for the November digital and CD release. He91裸聊视频檇 have to wait until February 2022, leaving the fall leg of his tour without fresh vinyl to sell.

91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e trying to speak with artists submitting their stuff now and say, 91裸聊视频楲ook, if you want to have vinyl, let91裸聊视频檚 extend the (release) maybe even into the second quarter of 2022,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� said Judy Smyth, distribution and supply chain manager at True North.

91裸聊视频淧roduction timelines right now are at least six months.91裸聊视频�

Smyth suggested one risk to issuing vinyl several months after the digital release is that some potential customers might91裸聊视频檝e moved on.

91裸聊视频淚f you91裸聊视频檙e setting up all this momentum for a huge album 91裸聊视频� you kind of lose all that,91裸聊视频� she said.

91裸聊视频淭hen it91裸聊视频檚 only people that are really into the vinyl that get it.91裸聊视频�

Fellow indie label Six Shooter Records started feeling the pinch earlier this year when its records started 91裸聊视频済etting bumped over and over again91裸聊视频� from the production schedule, said digital media manager Sarah Sleeth.

Faced with a longer window, the Toronto-based company started to consider unique vinyl designs that would strike the fancy of superfans and serious collectors.

91裸聊视频淲e decided to use these unexpected lead times and make them work for us instead of against us,91裸聊视频� Sleeth said.

Two separate albums released this year by Hamilton duo Whitehorse were among the test subjects.

91裸聊视频淪trike Me Down91裸聊视频� came in three different colour designs. The most elaborate version consists of two clear records moulded together. Between the layers, there91裸聊视频檚 pink liquid and a burst of gold glitter used in the music video for 91裸聊视频淎m I Just Gonna Stand Here (While You Take My Girl Away).91裸聊视频� The special edition retails for $169.

The other Whitehorse album, 91裸聊视频淢odern Love,91裸聊视频� features a vibrant 91裸聊视频渟platter91裸聊视频� design that matches the vinyl91裸聊视频檚 cover. But it91裸聊视频檚 set to debut on vinyl nearly 11 months after its release on other formats, and far later than Six Shooter had originally planned.

They91裸聊视频檙e marking its anticipated arrival in early 2022 with promotions linked to Valentine91裸聊视频檚 Day and the possibility that fans who purchased a digital copy might double-dip for the vinyl.

91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 always a bit of nervousness, like, will fans still pay attention?91裸聊视频� Sleeth said.

91裸聊视频淏ut luckily, we91裸聊视频檙e finding that they will wait 91裸聊视频� so it really works in our favour.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频擠avid Friend, The Canadian Press