Nationwide Vinyl Record Recycling Experiment Launches

Photo Credit: Immo Wegmann

After a successful study on the sound quality of recycled vinyl, WMG launches a vinyl record take-back pilot across record stores nationwide.

Warner Music Group and a collection of independent record stores across the United States have announced the launch of a vinyl take-back pilot. The initiative is designed to better understand how damaged or unwanted records can be collected, consolidated, and directed toward potential material recovery pathways. News of the program follows a successful study showing that recycled vinyl can maintain premium audio quality.

Throughout the program, participating record stores will serve as collection points where consumers can return damaged or unplayable vinyl records regardless of artist, label, or condition. Collected materials will be aggregated and evaluated through recovery partner, Virterras Materials. The pilot will assess factors including participation rates, material quality, transportation and processing requirements, and potential recovery outcomes.

While vinyl has experienced significant growth over the past decade, there has been limited industry-wide exploration of what happens to records when consumers no longer want them. By examining both the practical and economic realities of collection and recovery, the pilot aims to help stakeholders better understand what infrastructure, partnerships, and investment may be required to support future recovery pathways for physical music products.

“Independent record stores have long served as gathering places for music fans and stewards of music culture,” said Madeleine Smith, Senior Director, ESG, Warner Music Group. “The pilot brings together retailers, recovery partners, and music fans to explore an important question: what would it take to create practical pathways for recovering unplayable or damaged vinyl records? It’s a vital first step in understanding what’s possible.”

Participating stores span major music markets across the U.S., enabling the collection of insights from a diverse range of music fans, markets, and communities. The pilot will run from the end of June through September.

Participating stores include:

• Amoeba Hollywood (Los Angeles, CA)
• Antone’s Record Shop (Austin, TX)
• Country Line Records (Keller, TX)
• Criminal Records (Atlanta, GA)
• Easy Street Records (Seattle, WA)
• Home Rule Records (Washington, D.C.)
• Red Zeppelin Records (McKinney, TX)
• Rough Trade NYC (New York City, NY)
• Spin Me Round (Easton, PA)
• Reckless Records (Chicago, IL)
• Sweat Records (Miami, FL)

This initiative follows a landmark manufacturing study in May by WMG, GX Media, and Abbey Road Studios, which demonstrated that unsold, obsolete records can be successfully reprocessed into high-quality, commercial-grade new pressings while maintaining audio quality and a reduced carbon footprint. This pilot takes the next step by exploring how unplayable and damaged records from consumers can be collected and moved through the recovery process at scale.

“We are proud to partner with Warner Music and independent record stores across the country to launch a consumer vinyl collection program that gives unsellable and unplayable records a new purpose. Together, we are keeping valuable material out of landfill and creating a more sustainable future for the music industry,” said Jo-Anne Perkins, Virterras Materials.

This pilot is supported by the Vinyl Institute and the Viability grant program, which awarded funding to Virterras Materials to help advance ongoing innovation within the vinyl industry.