Last month Amazon announced that it would temporarily halt the shipment of CDs, vinyl, and other “non-essential” items in order to prioritize products for the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, dealing another blow to the already-gutted music industry. Now, The Wall Street Journal has reported that Amazon, one of the world’s largest vinyl retailers, will resume stocking non-essential items like music products.
Related: Why Are Streaming Numbers Down During Quarantine?
“Later this week, we will allow more products into our fulfillment centers. Products will be limited by quantity to enable us to continue prioritizing products and protecting employees, while also ensuring most selling partners can ship goods into our facilities,” an Amazon spokesperson told the WSJ.
This announcement comes along with reports that Amazon will hire an additional 75,000 employes this month after adding 100,000 in March. According to the spokesperson, this will allow Amazon to increase shipping speeds while also delivering essential goods along with the incrementally increasing amount of discretionary items.
The recording side of the industry can breathe a momentary sigh of relief as physical album sales have dwindled over the past few years but have not seen as significant a drop-off as it did when Amazon and other retailers either shut down or stopped selling non-essential goods. While many musicians adjusted to begin webcasting and releasing new music in different ways, it has not filled the gap left by stagnating album sales or the revenue lost by the indefinite postponement of virtually all live events. Though it is unclear how the industry will look after the crisis is over, the move by Amazon shines a light at the end of the proverbial quarantine tunnel.
[H/TÂ The Wall Street Journal]
