We often hear artists talk about pressing their latest projects to vinyl. It’s no myth that pressing vinyl records is expensive, especially when compared to the (essentially) free digital distribution possibilities that the internet provides.
We decided to break down vinyl costs to get a better idea of when it makes sense from a business standpoint for an artist to press vinyl.
Note: There are a ton of factors that go into pressing an album (quantity, weight, colour, packaging, labels, etc.), and costs vary widely depending on individual orders. For the sake of analysis we took a few averages and made a few pricing generalizations.
How Much Does Vinyl Cost?
Lacquer Master
Rates usually depend on the length of the record per side. This can range from $150 – $230 per side ($300 – $460 per record) with the average being around $200 per side ($400 per record).
Vinyl Pressing
We looked around at a few different pressing plants to get a ballpark figure of what a vinyl run costs. A standard 500 pc. run of 12″ LP’s with colour jacket, seems to range around $2,300 – $2,600 depending on weight, shipping rates, etc.
A similar run of 100 pieces will float between $1,200 – $1,600.
With a lacquer master and the order pressing, the total cost might look something like:
500 pcs. = $2,600 – $3,000
100 pcs. = $1,500 – $2,000
What Does Vinyl Sell For?
An artist can of course charge whatever they want when selling their records, but the industry standard seems to be around $15 – $20 for a standard 12″ LP.
The 500 Piece Breakdown
Lets say a 500 pc. run costs $2,800. That works out to around $5.60/unit. At that price here’s what you would need to sell to break even.
At $15 = 187 units
At $18 = 155 units
At $20 = 140 units
In today’s physical music market, that’s a lot of sales just to break even. At $20 a piece, if you can sell 10 off the stage at every show, it would take 14 shows to break even. If it’s more realistic that you could sell 5 every show, you’re looking at 28 gigs to get your money back.
Of course, that doesn’t take into account online or record shop sales, but it does lend some perspective. If you aren’t confident you could sell a minimum of 5 LP’s every show, you might be looking at a long road to recouping your costs.
500 pieces is a LOT of vinyl to sell yourself, and unless you have a distribution deal in place, or a large and loyal fanbase, it likely doesn’t make sense to press that many. Let’s look at a smaller run:
The 100 Piece Breakdown
A smaller run of 100 pcs. costs $1,600. That works out to around $16.00/unit, as the per-unit cost gets pricier the fewer you press. To break even:
At $15 = 106 units
At $18 = 88 units
At $20 = 80 units
That’s an easier number to sell, but at $15 you wouldn’t even make your money back. After breaking even, here’s what your profits would look like on the remaining album sales:
At $18 = $216
At $20 = $400
At that point you need to ask yourself what your selling it for, and if it’s worth it.
To clarify: In no way am I anti-vinyl, nor am I trying to discourage anyone from getting vinyl pressed. There’s a lot to be said for having physical records, and there’s a long list of reasons -beyond money- why a band might want to sell vinyl.
What these numbers show however, is that before you spend a hefty sum pressing records, it’s important that you figure out an answer to the following questions:
1) WHY Do You Want To Press Vinyl?
2) Can You Sell It?
If It’s For The Sales…
Figure out how many you would need to sell to get a profit you’d be happy with. Going back to our 500 pc. example. At $20 an LP, once you’ve broken even at 140 units, you could net $7,200 off the remaining albums. Maybe that’s great? Maybe not enough?
Either way, if you’re thinking of going this route you might want to look into partnering with a label or distributor who can help sell the records or get them into retail outlets, as selling that many on your own might be difficult.
If you aren’t confident that you can sell a large quantity or if selling a full 100 pc. run only nets you $400 you might want to reconsider vinyl strictly as a source of revenue.
If It’s For The Fans or Band Image…
Can you at least break even? If so, great!
If you can’t sell it or break even, ask yourself this: “Will the value added to your band by having vinyl offset the financial loss?”
For example, if you press $2,500 worth of vinyl and only sell $1,500 worth, will the added value to your image make up at least $1,000 in some other way? Look at it as an investment. If your fans appreciate vinyl, and offering records builds fan loyalty -even if you can’t sell all of it- then maybe you’ll make up the $1,000 in growing ticket sales or other merch.
At the end of the day, it’s tough to grow a career if the budget isn’t balancing. If you can’t make up the costs directly from sales, be sure you’ll recoup it elsewhere, otherwise you’re taking an unnecessary financial hit.
via microphonemark on Flickr
If It’s For Yourself…
Cause you’ve just finished a record, you’re flying high, and it’s been your life dream to have it on vinyl (which is totally valid!), then like anything else you buy for yourself, just ask how much it’s worth to you.
If you don’t sell your full run, but it’s worth it anyways, then all power to you!
The Point?
Vinyl is awesome, but it’s expensive. If you’re confident that you can sell the amount you press, or that the value will make itself up in some other way, it’s a great item to have. Otherwise it may be difficult to make the numbers add up, and you might consider investing that money in area that will grow your fan-base or career more directly.
Know why you’re pressing vinyl. Be realistic about what what you can sell, and only press what you’re confident you can move.
We’d love to get some insight from artists who have had experience with vinyl. Is it a valuable tool? More hassle than it’s worth? Post your comments below!
If you’re looking at getting vinyl pressed, Mojito offers vinyl pre-mastering. We suggest checking out the following Canadian companies for vinyl pressing:
RIP-V – Montreal
Standard Vinyl – Ottawa
Duplication– Toronto/Montreal
Hi,
If a band was never ever somehow on vinyl – the band did not happen…
CDs -> OK; mp3 -> OK but its vinyl that’s matter!
Greetings
RTC
Thank you for this very useful overview! I am considering this for our next album and this is a great source of information.
Great info!
-The King’s Horses
awesome rundown, thanks 5 yrs ago :]] xo Leyla Daze
Very Helpful information!!
[…] my view) is that you only start thinking about doing that when your audience starts asking for it. Getting your music pressed to vinyl is expensive, and I still have boxes and boxes of unsold CDs in my cupboard, as most musicians do these […]
[…] as their main source of income. However, artists of low-intermediate level may face relatively high costs to print them out, but also the revenues go alongside (considering a middle-range price of 30 euros […]
Does this make any sense as so few people even have a player, or even want a LP player?
Seems to be a fad or a hobby for very few.
This info is just what I needed, thank you so much! Being on vinyl is cool but is it worth it? Something to chew on for sure.
This is utterly false. Quality Record Press Will Press 1,000 12′ LPs for $1.4 per LP that’s 1,400. Chicago Mastering Service Charges $450 per LP. 600-1000 To actually master the album before its made into a Lacquer Masters.
Also To Record An Album at Electric Audio For 2 weeks by a Staff Engineer would could run you $7,800.
That’s a sizable investment and will take a long time to recoup, but then again that’s indie rock
Great article – and all true. I pressed a vinyl record with my band in 2017. It was expensive, I will never get my money back and I am completely happy that I did it. As hobbies go, this was much more fun and way cheaper than owning a boat or a hot rod. Please go to clamsband.com and buy a copy.
I have a lot of music over a long period of time am
Nc can only agree with RTC!
If the band didn’t make it to vinyl! The band never happened!
Sorry to all the garage bands out there, with me included,
Very interesting.
Vinyl album can be a great investment in image for a band or an artist. Also it is subject to compulsive purchase more than the CD. My last album was printed in 2014 on vinyl, CD and a limited edition vinyl + CD – back then many more people enjoyed vinyl than those who own a good LP HIFI chain. My experience is that the limited edition LP+CD was sold out almost immediately, then the single sales went suddenly slow, but favoring the vinyl. This meant that many people loved owning a vinyl album (mine had a pretty catchy artwork) but only a few of them back then could actually play it, so owning the CD together would make them happier – a way to actually listen to the music while collecting a fashionable item. Nowadays many more audiophiles are around, and my friend who own a record store basically relies on vinyls, selling some great sealed CD’s for veeeery cheap prices instead – stuff that back in the 90’s I would have paid 7 times more, we are talking R.E.M., Nine Inch Nails, Bjork…This meaning that the market for the CD physical support is currently down, and if people decide to buy music, they are much more likely to buy a vinyl. Maybe this will revert in some years, we don’t know. This is just my own experience.
This is great information. I believe its totally worth it to press vinyl these days. I only buy a CD at a show when they don’t have a vinyl record. And then, only if I really love the music and get maybe an autograph. If I’m not too crazy about the band but they have cool artwork on the cover of a vinyl record I will pay good money for it. I either buy new or vintage records, or stream music, rarely listen to CD’s unless in the car. As a potential recording artist everything has to be looked at as an investment even if you don’t make any direct returns. Having limited amount of vinyl at a show and asking $25 is better than a CD at $10. Or CD + Vinyl for $30. Or $50 for a signed LP will net you a bigger profit without much effort. And only sign the vinyl, people will pay if you sign it in front of them and are personable, it doesn’t take much effort.