RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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A recent vinyl record trend has collectors and fans frustrated and disappointed. More often than not, new physical records from artists like Charli xcx, Olivia Rodrigo, The Weeknd, and Beyoncé are arriving in stores with unfinished tracks, incomplete songs, or missing content. For folks paying $30 or more for a record, it's an annoying situation caused by the longer lead time needed to produce vinyl records.
As reported by The Guardian , Charli xcx's recently released new album Music, Fashion, Film contains the much-hyped track "No One Lasts Forever." This song was created as a collaboration between Charli and director David Cronenberg. However, for fans who pre-ordered the vinyl version, they discovered that the anticipated track was missing a spoken-word section recorded by Cronenberg himself that is found on the digital versions of the song and album. This bit of the song is considered by many fans and critics to be an important part of the album. Yet this part is not included on the $30+ vinyl editions of Music, Fashion, Film.
"It was at a point where we had to deliver the vinyl audio [and] we didn’t get David in time,” explained Charli on an episode of the Tape Notes podcast. “There’s actually a different version of the song on the vinyl, which we haven’t really spoken about yet.”
As pointed out by The Guardian , Charli xcx isn't the only artist angering fans and collectors with incomplete vinyl albums. Olivia Rodrigo's You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love has various different edits across all the included songs, with some tracks missing outros, bridges, and more.
Another example: Raye's second album doesn't contain the final mix either, and sounds different and not as complete as digital versions. "I really apologize," Raye said earlier this year. "The digital versions of some of these songs, some are quite different. And you just need to embrace that because I tried my best."
Other examples of recent vinyl records that have shipped incomplete or lacking final mixes include The Weeknd's Hurry Up Tomorrow album. The digital version includes 22 tracks, but the vinyl version only includes 11 and features different mixes and is missing guest contributions. A later "complete edition" containing two records was released for a higher price. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter album shipped on vinyl missing five songs. Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday 2 also features shorter versions of songs.
Some of these cuts and changes are likely made in an effort to avoid having to ship a pricier double or triple vinyl edition. But some of these differences are instead caused by artists not having an album locked down far enough ahead of launch to ensure a final version is sent out to vinyl manufacturers. Generally speaking, vinyl plants need to receive masters and art about six weeks before release. And that number increases as the album's packaging gets more complex and elaborate. Meanwhile, digital platforms like Spotify and YouTube can process masters and get songs online in just a matter of days.
So for some artists who like to tinker and produce music up until the last possible minute, it might be very tricky to make sure the physical vinyl editions are actually complete and final. Rodrigo even admitted during a podcast interview that she wrote the song "Cigarette Smoke" just a week before having to "turn in everything for vinyl."
While some fans are frustrated by this, many others just want artists to make it clear ahead of pre-orders that the vinyl version might not be the complete, final mix. As one fan explained on Reddit about the Charli xcx situation :
I think it's fair to assume when you're buying a record that it's the final recording. I don't think that needs to be explicitly stated on a product listing to assume that, and I think to argue that is incredibly insincere. I ride for Charli, I love her as an artist, but a bait-and-switch isn't cool. It's not cool when Charli does it, or Raye, or Olivia.
If the album isn't done, don't send it to be pressed. Put it on pre-order, and have physical copies of the final album ship three or four or however many months after it drops on digital.
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