“Building Value Beyond Volume” brings industry leaders, technical experts, and the next generation of vinyl professionals together in Haarlem, September 30–October 2
Orlando, FL, USA / Braunschweig, Germany – August 2026 – Making Vinyl Europe returns to PHIL Haarlem in the Netherlands from September 30 to October 2, bringing together the global vinyl record community to address a question increasingly facing the business: as the market matures, how does the industry create more value—not simply more volume? Under the theme “Building Value Beyond Volume,” Making Vinyl Europe 2026 will explore the technical, economic, creative and workforce issues shaping the next chapter of the vinyl industry. The newly released program features three days of panels, workshops, seminars, open discussions and business networking covering everything from mastering and manufacturing quality to materials, release logistics, retail strategy, careers and the future of record production.
Unlike traditional single-stage conferences, Making Vinyl is built around participation. Sessions are designed to encourage questions, debate and the exchange of real-world experiences between pressing plants, labels, suppliers, engineers, manufacturers, retailers and other professionals from across the vinyl ecosystem.
“The vinyl industry has spent much of the last decade talking about growth. Now the conversation needs to evolve,” says Bryan Ekus, President of Making Vinyl. “Building Value Beyond Volume is about strengthening the business behind vinyl—better quality, smarter manufacturing, stronger relationships and, importantly, developing the people who will take this industry forward. Haarlem is where we want those conversations to happen.”
The Next Generation Is in the Room
One of the most important new initiatives for 2026 is a collaboration between Making Vinyl and Abbey Road Institute Amsterdam, part of the international education network founded by Abbey Road Studios in London. “Hey Next Generation – Hey You!” brings students and emerging professionals directly into the conversation with leaders from manufacturing, mastering, cutting, packaging, logistics and the wider music ecosystem. The exchange is intended to work both ways, giving established industry professionals the opportunity to hear directly from a new generation about their perspectives, expectations and ideas for the future.
Hosted by Dustin Blocker, President of the Vinyl Record Manufacturers Association (VRMA), and Frederic Stader, mastering and vinyl cutting engineer and guest lecturer at Abbey Road Institute Amsterdam, the program explores what it actually takes to build a career in today’s vinyl industry—from engineering and production to quality control, automation, logistics and sustainability. The discussion will examine how companies are attracting and developing new talent through apprenticeships, in-house training and partnerships with schools, universities and technical institutions.
But the initiative is designed to go beyond conversation: Making Vinyl is inviting participating companies to meet these emerging professionals and explore mentorships, internships, apprenticeships, work placements and other opportunities that could provide a pathway into the industry. The objective is simple: bring the people leading today’s vinyl industry together with some of the people who could lead it tomorrow.
Building Value Beyond Volume
The confirmed program reflects the breadth of challenges and opportunities facing the industry. Among the featured sessions:
- Half-Speed Mastering: Hype, Heritage or Higher Fidelity?
Barry Grint (AIR Studios) and Miles Showell (Abbey Road Studios), two highly respected mastering engineers with decades of experience at the cutting lathe, will examine one of vinyl mastering’s most discussed techniques. The session will explore the principles behind half-speed mastering, its technical advantages and practical limitations, and the artistic decisions involved. When can half-speed mastering deliver exceptional results—and when might conventional lacquer cutting be the better choice? - Quality Beyond Volume: Do We Need a Common Language?
Led by Andreas Kohl of Making Vinyl Europe, this workshop asks whether a vinyl-specific Quality Management Framework could help manufacturers, suppliers and customers better align vocabulary and expectations across the supply chain. Rather than proposing another certification or standard, the session is intended to start an industry conversation about whether a shared reference for quality could be useful—and where its limits might lie. - The (Yet) Unsung Heroes of Vinyl: How Stabilizers Shape Every Record
Scott Blackwell of Reagens UK takes attendees inside an often-overlooked component of record manufacturing: PVC stabilizers. The session examines how these materials contribute to manufacturing consistency and performance, how stabilizer technology has evolved in response to European environmental and regulatory requirements, and what current developments mean for compounders and pressing plants.
These sessions and speakers represent only part of a much broader program examining release logistics, manufacturing economics, talent and careers, retail strategy, archiving, cutting and mastering, materials, quality and record production.
More Than a Conference
Making Vinyl Europe isn’t a single-stage event. The 2026 edition makes use of multiple spaces throughout PHIL Haarlem, with two main session rooms alongside exhibition and networking areas. Panels, workshops, seminars and open discussions take place across the three days, while breaks, exhibitions and social gatherings give attendees the opportunity to continue conversations outside the formal program.
Those connections are central to the Making Vinyl experience. The goal is not simply to hear what’s happening across the industry, but to meet the people behind it, exchange ideas and turn conversations into new relationships and business opportunities.
Registration & Program
The Making Vinyl Europe 2026 program is now available online. Registration is open, with several ticket categories available, including discounted rates for Young Professionals and students. Visit: makingvinyl.com/making-vinyl-europe-2026
(Program and speaker details are subject to change. The most current information is available on the event website. The conference is conducted entirely in English.)
From the Business of Vinyl to the Culture of Vinyl
The vinyl week in Haarlem continues immediately after Making Vinyl Europe with the Haarlem Vinyl Festival, extending the experience from the business behind vinyl into the music and culture that drive it. The festival features performances and events across multiple venues throughout Haarlem, giving international Making Vinyl attendees another reason to stay in the city and experience its growing vinyl culture.
About Making Vinyl
Making Vinyl is the world’s leading B2B conference series dedicated to the business of vinyl records and physical music.
Founded in 2017, Making Vinyl connects the entire vinyl value chain—including pressing plants, record labels, mastering and cutting engineers, equipment manufacturers, materials and packaging suppliers, distributors, retailers and other industry leaders—to exchange knowledge, develop business relationships and help shape the future of physical music.
Making Vinyl events are held annually in Europe and the United States.
Learn more: www.makingvinyl.com
Media Contact: Bryan Ekus | [email protected] | +1 407 733 1901
About Studio Krause
Studio Krause GmbH & Co. KG is the organizing partner for Making Vinyl Europe. Based in Germany, the agency specializes in sustainable communications and marketing strategy across industries. Since 2019, Studio Krause has partnered with Making Vinyl to bring the European editions to life – previously in Berlin, Offenbach, and Haarlem.
Learn more. www.studiokrause.eu
Contact: Andrej Krause, [email protected] | +49 172 833 2225
