End of the vinyl road

[kion]

Some dude briefly mentioned this in one of the other threads (sorry, can't remember who right now!), but as this music has been pretty much reliant on vinyl up to now (although more and more dubstep is available to download at places like karmadownload and bleep), what's gonna happen in three years?

Yeah I know that's a long time in music, but still it's not that far off, especially when that's only 3 planned release schedules for a lot of labels.

What am I talking about? The halt in production of certain chemicals, of which some of these are used in the production of vinyl. It seems the scenes are becoming more ready for this 'cut off', with downloads becoming a more apparent way of buying music, and of course there's always gonna be a market for 2nd hand vinyl - if anything it'll become more valuable, but are the independent labels ready for this? And what about cutting houses? Will they become redundent overnight? Or has there since been a reprieve, ie suitable 'eco-friendly' substitutes have been developed?

[subframe]

I was unaware of any necessary chemicals going off the market. Do you have any links to this?

[paulie]

What am I talking about? The halt in production of certain chemicals, of which some of these are used in the production of vinyl.

I've heard this before. Sounds like a tall tale to me.

[kion]

I must admit, it does sound a bit tall atm (unless I see proof otherwise!).

[andythetwig]

this is a net hoax, total bollocks.

[nirz]

I posted the comment originally in a thread about starting labels.
Im sorry to inform you all but its true, vinyl is a byproduct of a soon to be outlawed (as of jan 1st 2009) petrochemical process. Thats what i found out after reading an article about 2009 being the year of vinyls demise in July's issue of hip hop connection, in the article they spectualte that this isnt the death of vinyl (as the enviromental law is european and not world wide) so importing from pressing plants in asia or south america are the options, they also think that with the popularity of mp3's system like final scratch are the way forward.... I dont have a link but search for hip hop connection the countdown to vinyls demise its an article by yoda. The article in hhc actually states that the company who make the chemicals for vinyl are closing down in 2009 but I have since read that it is due to the toxicity of the chemicals and enviromental concerns.

I really hope its a hoax but hhc involved in a hoax(published in july) doesnt seem right to me

[seckle]

i have a friend that works for a large indie label in london. he's working the new strokes release. he mentioned that he put in a 300,000 10inch vinyl order for the new single off their new album. if anything, 7" and 10" vinyl rock music will keep the pressing plants busy because teens have made it "cool" again. go to any virgin mega store to the vinyl section and it's flooded with 45's of let's say the libertines and random hip hop, but the dance section is sparse. regardless of the environmental impact, vinyl will never die.

[nirz]

heres a link to a thread on dogs on acid about it

http://www.dogsonacid.com/showthread.ph ... +vinyl[url]


I still cant find the hhc article online, I have the magazine though[/url]

[protocolx]

yea ive heard bout these bans comin in..

its cos the chemicals are known carcinogens!

it wud be a fukin shame if it really happens

[ghettobot]

yeah... i am usually all for the halt of eco-hazardous items...i feel conflicted as mu love of music and the physicality of records brings me such joy. as in if it were to a vote, i would vote no! cars and tires- sure; records- no way, dogg!
perhaps there are other chemicals that could be used?
has this substance been used all along?

[autonomic]

I'm not a DOA member. Would someone be able to post the text here please?

[gena]

Fuck!! Let's hope this isn't true... Can't they find some other chemical to substitute for the other one then? Something more harmless?

[nirz]

Right... first off heres the original text fromDOA.... i'll post a possible solution to the vinyl problem which looks promising for the continuation of vinyl...

Vinyl, the medium that took over from Shellac, Bakelite and even earlier the wax pressing, has had its final play – well, almost. The year 2009, looks set to be the final turn in the long standing vinyl revolution.

A June 2003 press release from The Institute of Chemical Engineering, advised that key by- products of the current petroleum refining process would no longer be generated by 2009, due to deadlines agreed, in principle, with the chemical industry back in 1992. These deadlines were however, only finalised in 1999, in the face of increasing environmental concerns and lobbying.

The IoCE went on to advise that a voluntary co-funded research and development program to seek a green alternative, possibly a polycarbonate based compound had been proposed in the 1999 summary. However no members of the industry wide syndicate had been able to substantiate a sufficiently high market demand for a replacement for the petroleum by-product, which is the primary base for vinyl record albums.


MORE..............

Whilst concluding that the news marked “The end of an era for vinyl”, a spokesperson of music retailing giants Tower Records advised that with sales of collective vinyl products accounted for less than a third of a percent (0.28%) of their total music sales World-wide in the last accounting period. “Hardest hit will be the few remaining traditionalist vinyl Disc Jockeys” Tower Records confirmed.

Tower replied positively when asked if this early warning would mean a silence in the thousands of DJ booths and radio stations around the world. “For some, existing skills will need to be adapted for use with the rapidly advancing Compact Disc DJ equipment” continued Towers spokesperson., “it promises to be a very exciting transition as older techniques are retained and used alongside the plethora of new features that CD technology already offers todays forward thinking DJ’s and turntablists”. Towers spokesperson added “It is unlikely that we will continue to carry vinyl into 2009. We believe the needs of the DJ will be totally digital, in one medium or another, prior to the cessation date.”“

Radio stations and other areas of the broadcasting community are unlikely to be affected by this early warning of environmental issues validating the need for minor lifestyle changes either,. since almost a of the music played in a modern broadcast scenario is primarily CD, or from Digital archives owned under licence by the larger radio stations.

[nirz]

but as gena asks .... there are alternatives ....

Vinyl - Alternatives

Vinyl Plastics: An Environmental Profile

Vinyl comes from salt, an inexpensive, renewable natural resource.

Vinyl products often consume less energy, generate fewer environmentally damaging emissions and save more energy in use than competitive products.

Vinyl products save additional resources because of their long-lasting durability.


Vinyl Plastics: An Environmental Profile
Vinyl has become one of the most widely used materials in part because of its cost-efficiencies and economic use of natural resources. These efficiencies begin when vinyl is produced, and continue throughout its lifecycle, encompassing such elements as raw material usage, energy used in processing, energy used in distribution and transportation, durability (time before the product must be disposed of or replaced), maintenance requirements, and disposal costs.

Facts at a Glance


Vinyl is only partially derived from nonrenewable petroleum feedstocks. The balance (over 50 percent) comes from salt. Worldwide vinyl production represents less than 0.3 percent of all annual oil and gas consumption, and about 10 percent of annual salt consumption.1
Vinyl compares favorably to other packaging materials. In 1992, a lifecycle assessment comparison of specific packages made from glass, paperboard, paper and selected plastics concluded:2

Vinyl was the material with the lowest production energy and carbon dioxide emissions, and the lowest fossil fuel and raw material requirements of the plastics studied.

The vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) production process (the precursor step to vinyl production) is a classic case of in-process waste-minimization since virtually all material used to make it is recycled back into the process.

Vinyl compares favorably to other materials used in the transportation and construction industries. A 1991 study of the energy consumed by various materials used in these markets found:3

Vinyl is one of three plastic materials with the lowest energy requirements of twelve major plastics used, and saves more than 34 million BTUs per l,000 pounds manufactured compared to the highest enery-consuming plastic.

The use of vinyl in the transportation market saves an estimated 10 trillion BTUs per year -- the equivalent of 1.7 million barrels of oil, or ten billion cubic feet of natural gas.

The use of vinyl in eight major building and construction applications saves an estimated 260 trillion BTUs per year -- the equivalent of 44.2 million barrels of oil, or 260 billion cubic feet of natural gas.

Together, the use of vinyl in the transportation and construction markets alone saves 270 trillion BTUs per year -- enough to meet the annual energy requirements of nearly 2.7 million households.


Additional resources are saved because of the durability of vinyl. Some PVC pipe installations, for instance, have been in use for nearly 50 years and do not yet need to be replaced. By reducing the frequency with which a product must be replaced, vinyl further reduces raw material consumption, as well as demolition scrap destined for landfills."

References
1 PVC and the Environment, Norsk Hydro, 1992.
2 "Vinyl Products Lifecycle Assessment," Chem Systems, Inc., Tarrytown, New York, March 1992.
3 Comparative Energy Evaluation of Plastic Products and Their alternatives for The Building and Construction and Transportation Industries, Franklin Associates, March 1991. The Vinyl Institute
July, 1994



.... to be honest the more i read about this I wont be suprised either way....