Stop buying blindly

You would not accept a brand new car with scratches from the factory, right? So why do we accept a brand new record with defects from the pressing plant? I did, for longer than I like to admit.

I'm not telling you to stop buying vinyl. I'm telling you to stop buying blindly. The industry is selling a premium product at a premium price with inconsistent quality, and it gets away with it because collectors keep paying.

So research before you buy. Read the dead wax, where the codes tell you which plant pressed the record and which engineer cut the lacquer. Discogs and the Steve Hoffman forums have the databases; use them before the money leaves your account. For some classic catalogues, a near-mint original from the '70s will beat the modern reissue.

And when a record is defective, return it. Not another wash, not another copy from the same run: return it. This is an industry that owes its entire revival to your loyalty and your money, and loyalty that never complains is just a subsidy.

Vote with your wallet. It is the only review a pressing plant reads.