Making Vinyl

10/02/2026

It’s a wrap! Making Vinyl Europe 2026 has officially come to an end..

Thank you to everyone who joined us over the past few days. We loved seeing so many familiar faces, welcoming new ones, and bringing together different generations and organizations from across the vinyl industry.

Creating those connections, sharing knowledge and bringing different parts of the industry together is what Making Vinyl is all about. A big thank you to all our partners, sponsors, speakers, attendees and crew who made this edition possible. We’ll be back!

For now, Haarlem Vinyl Festival has officially begun - enjoy the festival and have a great weekend in Haarlem.

Making Vinyl Team

10/02/2026

A look back at Day 2 of Making Vinyl Europe.

Another full day of panels, conversations, new ideas and connections across the physical music industry. Swipe through some highlights from yesterday and join us today for the final day of Making Vinyl Europe in Haarlem - find the full photo album via the link in our Stories.

Today brings another full programme of panels, presentations and workshops. For students and young professionals, Friday afternoon also offers selected Next Generation sessions and the Meet The Makers career fair, free to attend without a conference ticket.

See you at PHIL!

10/01/2026

A look back at Day 1 of Making Vinyl Europe 2026 📀

From our first programme sessions and the Packaging Olympics to conversations, new connections and last night’s Meet & Greet. A great start to this year’s conference.

Now, Day 2 is in full swing at PHIL!

Want to see all photos from Day 1? You can view and download them via the link in our Stories.

09/30/2026

Making Vinyl Europe 2026 starts today!

If you’re joining us for this afternoon’s programme, here’s everything you need to know about registration:

Registration and Check-In at PHIL Haarlem
Registration is open from 13:00 to 17:00. You can already check in and pick up your badge for this afternoon’s programme.

Meet & Greet: 19:00 at Brasserie van Beinum
We’re looking forward to welcoming you at the Meet & Greet at Brasserie van Beinum. You can also check in and collect your badge there.

Please note that your badge is required to receive drinks at the Meet & Greet, so make sure to collect it beforehand or check in upon arrival.

makingvinyl.com/making-vinyl-europe-26/

We look forward to seeing you this afternoon!
The Making Vinyl Team

Explore Making Vinyl Europe 2026 and discover how to build value beyond volume in the evolving vinyl record industry.

09/23/2026

🎓 Curious about turning your passion for music into a career?

Making Vinyl and the Abbey Road Institute are opening the doors of the vinyl industry to students, young professionals and anyone looking for a way in.

Behind every record is a world of career opportunities—from mastering, engineering and production to quality control, automation, logistics, packaging and sustainability.

HEY NEXT GENERATION, HEY YOU! brings industry professionals and future talent together for an afternoon of seminars, practical insight and face-to-face career conversations.

Hosted by:

🎙️ Dustin Blocker — Chief Creative Officer, Hand Drawn Pressing
🎙️ Frederic Stader — Mastering Engineer, Music Matters Mastering

PROGRAM:

🕑 2:00–2:30 PM
Mastering Matters: The Art of Modern Mastering

🕝 2:30–3:00 PM
Making the Groove: From Master to Pressed Record

🕒 3:00–3:15 PM
Closing Remarks

🤝 3:15–4:00 PM
Meet the Makers Career Fair
Boven Foyer at PHIL

📅 Friday, October 2
🕜 1:45–4:00 PM
📍 PHIL Haarlem

Meet companies working throughout the vinyl supply chain and explore opportunities for employment, internships, apprenticeships and mentorship.

Attendance is free for students, but advance registration is required.
https://NextGenHeyYouTickets.eventbrite.com

The vinyl industry needs its next generation. Could that be you?

09/23/2026

This was Making Vinyl Europe last year. And now we’re only one week away from the next one!

We’re looking forward to bringing everyone together again for Making Vinyl Europe 2026. Three days of industry insights, new ideas, meaningful connections, and the people driving vinyl forward.

September 30 – October 2, 2026 | Haarlem, Netherlands

🎟️ Register at MakingVinyl.com

09/22/2026

👀 Creating a great physical product is only half the challenge. People still need to discover it, experience it—and want to buy it.

From social media and digital campaigns to record-store experiences and listening events, the ways physical music is marketed have changed dramatically.

At Making Vinyl Europe, this panel will explore what works online, what works in-store and how the two can work together. How do social platforms drive discovery and sales? How important is the retail experience? And how can labels, retailers and pressing plants collaborate to give physical releases greater visibility?

MARKETING PHYSICAL: VISIBILITY, RETAIL AND EXPERIENCE

Moderator:
🎙️ Aseel Barghuthi — Founder & CEO, Makbas Records

Panelists:
🎙️ Michelle Boursiquot — Founder & CEO, FANDUM
🎙️ Tim Anderson — Founder, Good Neighbor
🎙️ Marlein Parlevliet — Crosley Record Players / For the Record / Record Store Day
🎙️ Benjamin Belaga — CEO, Objects Presswerk & Yoyaku
🎙️ Dan Bradley — Production Manager, Solutions, The Orchard

📅 Thursday, October 1
🕝 2:15–3:00 PM
📍 Kleine Zaal, PHIL Haarlem

Discover how stronger storytelling, smarter marketing and memorable experiences can turn physical products into meaningful connections—and sales.

🎟️ Register at MakingVinyl.com

09/22/2026

💿 What happens when physical music ownership becomes more connected, interactive and engaging?

At Making Vinyl Europe, Matt Drayton of Vinyl Group will explore how physical and digital music can work together to create more value for fans, artists and the wider industry.

Drawing on Vinyl Group’s work with Vinyl.com, its dedicated vinyl marketplace, and Serenade, its Smart Formats platform, Matt will examine how discovery, collecting, technology and fan engagement can extend the experience far beyond the initial purchase.

He will also share insights from experiments such as VinylShelf and what they are revealing about the future of physical music ownership.

VINYL.COM & SERENADE: BUILDING THE FUTURE OF PHYSICAL MUSIC

🎙️ Matt Drayton — Head of Strategic Partnerships, Vinyl Group

📅 Friday, October 2
🕚 11:15–11:30 AM
📍 Van Beinum Zaal, PHIL Haarlem

How can we bring the physical and digital worlds closer together for the next generation of music fans?

🎟️ Register at MakingVinyl.com

09/21/2026

📦 Between the pressing plant and the record store sits one of the industry’s most important filters: distribution.

It is where release plans meet actual demand—and where daily decisions are made about what gets ordered, promoted, held back or returned.

At Making Vinyl Europe, leaders from physical distribution and direct-to-consumer sales will examine how records move through today’s market. How reliable are pre-orders, retail signals and historical data? How can distributors support a wide range of releases without creating costly overstock? And how are label stores, artist campaigns and direct sales changing what enters—or bypasses—the traditional retail system?

WHAT ACTUALLY MOVES: INSIDE VINYL DISTRIBUTION TODAY

Moderator:
🎙️ Ruben Planting — Assistant Program Manager, Making Vinyl

Panelists:
🎙️ Steve Gardner — Edel Music & Entertainment
🎙️ Manuel Amian — Cargo Records
🎙️ Jim Sanders — Ochre
🎙️ Oliver Bernstein — Inch By Inch Distribution
🎙️ Lawrence Vandeputte — Rush Hour

📅 Friday, October 2
🕘 9:15–10:00 AM
📍 Kleine Zaal, PHIL Haarlem

A practical look inside the systems, signals and decisions that get records into the hands of listeners.

🎟️ Register at MakingVinyl.com

09/21/2026

🔬 Lacquer cutting or Direct Metal Mastering—which performs better when the two are compared under controlled conditions?

Mastering engineer Sidney Claire Meyer presents the results of a comparative study following both processes from the initial cut through to finished test pressings.

Using lacquer masters cut on a Neumann VMS80/SX74 and copper masters cut on a VMS82/SX82, the study examines noise floor, harmonic distortion and channel separation under matched production and playback conditions.

The results challenge several familiar assumptions—including the belief that DMM is inherently quieter—and reveal how groove geometry, materials and manufacturing workflows give each process distinct strengths and limitations.

LACQUER CUTTING AND DIRECT METAL MASTERING IN VINYL PRODUCTION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

🎥 Video presentation by Sidney Claire Meyer — Disc Cutting Engineer, EBS Productions / Emil Berliner Studios

🎙️ Followed by a live Q&A with Thorsten Megow — Quality Manager, Optimal Media, who helped process the masters and produce the study’s test pressings

📅 Thursday, October 1
🕦 11:25–11:50 AM
📍 Van Beinum Zaal, PHIL Haarlem

Move beyond preference and historical claims—and examine the comparative data.

🎟️ Register at MakingVinyl.com