Why Vinyl Is So Expensive (And How to Fix It)

An inside look from Glitterer’s Ned Russin, who sells his records for $18.

Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash

Here’s a challenge: walk into your local record shop and try to leave with three new albums for under $100. Unless you’re raiding the used bins, you’ll likely fail. New LPs routinely cost $35 to $50; deluxe editions can run double or triple that. The vinyl revival is in full swing, yet the format has never felt more out of reach.

What broke? And how do we fix it without killing the fun that brought us back to wax in the first place?

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Sticker Shock, Explained

Vinyl was once a niche format. Now, it’s a billion-dollar business. As big-box retailers joined the party and demand exploded, the industry’s backend couldn’t keep up. Global pressing capacity is estimated at 160 to 200 million records a year, but demand sits somewhere between 300 and 400 million. That shortfall creates long queues for indie runs and inflated prices for anyone who wants their record out this year instead of next.

Then came real world curveballs. The Apollo Masters fire in 2020 wiped out the primary supplier of lacquer discs, a necessity for cutting records. Suddenly, the entire industry was leaning on one small supplier in Japan.

Meanwhile, pandemic-driven inflation hit every link in the chain. PVC, the raw plastic for vinyl, doubled in price. Nickel for metal stampers spiked over 250%. Cardboard for jackets went up as paper mills slowed and shipping costs soared. Skilled press operators became harder to find and more expensive to keep.

Even streaming culture added fuel to the fire. Artists started stretching albums to 20 or 30 tracks to game the algorithm. But vinyl has physics: 22 minutes per side is the sweet spot. Longer albums become double or triple LPs, requiring more discs, jackets, packaging, and freight.

Finally, we are experiencing a deluxe arms race. Tip-on jackets. Foil embossing. 180-gram wax. Color variants. OBI strips. Fun to hold, great for Instagram, but none of it improves the sound, and all of it jacks up the price.

All of these costs trickle down. By the time a new album hits shelves, it’s carrying the burden of a system stretched thin.

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The $18 Exception

Here is where the story gets good. Ned Russin, singer and bassist for Glitterer and Title Fight, runs his own label called Purple Circle Records.

When Glitterer announced their fourth album, erer, last month, the price on their website stopped me in my tracks: two color variants, just $18 each.

I had to ask Ned how he’s pulling this off in 2025.

“Our records being $18 is very much a deliberate choice,” Russin tells me. “We are by no means responsible for a focus on affordability, we are merely following the trajectory set by punk labels over 40 years ago.”

He’s talking about Dischord Records, the legendary Washington, D.C. label co-founded by Ian MacKaye. Since 1980, Dischord has kept prices low and priorities straight: make great music, keep it accessible, and don’t treat fans like ATMs.

“Growing up, I always believed affordability and accessibility to be two of the most important tenets of DIY culture. Dischord has been selling records at an affordable price for 40 years, that’s not really news. But I think the nice thing is you see them doing it and realize you can do it, too.”

So, what’s the secret? Russin distributes and ships the records himself. He stores inventory at his day job. The logistics help, but the engine is philosophy.

“More importantly, we are simply not motivated or incentivized by profit. This label isn’t my job nor do I want it to be. I am simply trying to get the records to people who would want them. Without the pressure to grow or succeed in traditional terms, we are able to keep the price of records low. Yes money’s obviously a factor, but it’s nice to be concerned with something else before it.”

Russin isn’t claiming to have the moral high ground, just a clear view of his values.

“This is not to say we are better or more ethical than other people selling records. It’s merely our perspective.”

And right now, it’s a perspective the wider industry could learn from.

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How to Fix the Vinyl Economy

The problems are systemic, but the solutions are within reach. Here are five ways to bring prices down without sacrificing the soul of the format.

1. Build More Pressing Plants.
When demand is double what plants can handle, prices will remain high. In 2022, Jack White called on major labels to build their own pressing facilities, as he did with Third Man Records. With a few notable exceptions — like Metallica acquiring Furnace Record Pressing in 2023 — most haven’t listened. If even a fraction of label profits went into infrastructure, queues would shrink and prices would follow.

2. Cut Out the Middlemen.
Every step between artist and buyer adds a markup: label, distributor, wholesaler, retailer. Selling directly via artist websites allows the artist to charge less while making the same, or more. Russin ships every release himself; while it’s not scalable for everyone, it proves the model works.

3. Dial Back the Deluxe.
Not every record needs to be a collectible. There’s a place for special editions, but fans should also have access to a standard version — black vinyl, simple jacket, fair price. Press both, give people the choice.

4. Shorter Albums, Smarter Vinyl
Stop pressing 30-track digital bloat onto three LPs. Trim the fat. Artists and labels should design vinyl versions that fit the format, not break it.

5. Major Labels: Stop Coasting.
The majors are making millions from vinyl again. Now it’s time to invest in its future: build pressing capacity, offer no-frills budget editions, and rethink pricing before younger fans walk away for good. Nearly one-third of Gen Z vinyl buyers have already cut back due to high prices. If the industry keeps bleeding them dry, it shouldn’t be surprised when they stop showing up.

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Vinyl came back because it feels good to hold music in your hands and drop the needle with purpose. That spirit fades when a record costs as much as dinner for two.

But this isn’t irreversible. The solutions are here: build more, cut waste, sell smart, price fairly. And most importantly, respect your audience.

As Ian MacKaye and Ned Russin show, you don’t have to overcharge to survive. You just have to care who’s on the other end of the needle.

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Hey, thanks for stopping by! If you’re into collecting records without burning through your paycheck, you’re in the right place. That’s partly why I launched this newsletter and my price drop tracker Vinyl on Sale, and I’ve got another project coming soon to stretch your dollar even further, so stay tuned.

Last but not least: go support Glitterer on tour in 2026 (I forgive them for not playing Florida), buy erer out November 21st, follow their Substack

The Glitterer Gazette

, and let them know how much you appreciate what they do!