Indie labels respond to vinyl warping issues due to US heatwaves

Heatwaves in the US are causing vinyl shipments to warp in transit, and a number of indie labels have since addressed the issue.

According to Pitchfork, heatwaves have become a big problem in America over the past few weeks, with the extreme weather causing damage to vinyl record shipments.

Ba Da Bing Records is one of several indie label which has revealed a number of its customers have received warped packages. in a bid to stop the risk of vinyl warping, the label has offered two options.

1. “We can delay your shipment. If you write us and let us know you’d like to have your shipment held until the heat wave definitely passes, just reply to this email. Then, when things are looking a bit cooler in your region, let us know you’re ready to receive and we’ll send your copy out.”

2. “We send our records via media mail, which can take up to two weeks to arrive. We do this since it’s so much less expensive to ship and we don’t have to charge that much back to you. However, we would be happy to upgrade your shipping from standard to priority mail. This would require you to send us a bit extra money to cover to postage increase—it could be up to $8 more depending upon where in the country you live. Let us know and we can tell you the cost.”

A vinyl pressing plant. CREDIT: James MacDonald/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Elsewhere, Sargent House Records is giving customers advance notice that the weather could impact their packages, also noting that the merchant store it works with – Hello Merch – has added a new statement to its terms of service.

“Please be aware we DO NOT issue refunds or replacements for damage due to extreme weather conditions, minor cosmetic damage, such as corner dings, bends, split inserts, and so on.” Hello Merch works with multiple indie labels and artists.

Joyful Noise Records said it’s not received much feedback with regards to warped records, however it’s now adding large labels for vinyl shipments that read: “PACKAGE CONTAINS VINYL RECORDS, DO NOT LEAVE IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT (f*ck climate change).”

Meanwhile, Amazon has launched a new subscription service that focuses on “the golden era of vinyl” from the 1960s and ’70s.

The new ‘Vinyl Of The Month’ club offers music fans “must-haves” delivered to their door for $24.99 (£18.58) per month, handpicked by the Amazon Music team.

You can view the original article HERE.