Manufacturers struggle to keep pace with vinyl record demand

Demand for record albums continues to soar in the United States, and the manufacturing base is having to reinvent itself to meet demand.

The Recording Industry Association of America says record album sales grew a whopping 61% last year — and reached $1 billion for the first time since the 1980s. Dozens of record-pressing factories have been built to try to meet demand in North America — and it’s still not enough. Industry officials said they don’t know the ceiling for albums because of supply constraints.

There are now about 40 plants in the U.S. — most of them smaller operations — and backlogs of six to eight months remain.

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