EU referendum: can't do without you?

On June 23 the UK votes on whether it should stay in the EU or not. Mixmag is here to tell you what leaving might mean for UK ravers.

1. Vinyl might cost more

You may not realise it, but most labels in the UK get their records pressed in Europe. There are a handful of small pressing plants in Britain, but nothing to compare to something like MPO in France, an industrial-scale vinyl factory that processes a huge amount of underground dance 12”s. International courier ParcelHero have estimated there will be an extra 30 per cent added on to any EU import in duty taxes and additional transportation costs. By their reckoning, a purchase of £1,000 – roughly the cost of running off 500 12”s – will come in at around £1,300 – an increase that may be reflected in the cost in the shops. With nowhere near enough capability in the UK to handle demand, it’s possible the upshot will be a hike in record prices.

2. On the flip side, US imports may be cheaper

Theoretically, leaving the EU will allow the UK to negotiate different trade deals with other countries. This means the cost of importing 12” bangers from Chicago, Detroit, New York or Shanghai (it could happen) may change as duty taxes are renegotiated. This won’t be much good for labels pressing records; the cost of shipping in hundreds of slabs of vinyl will almost certainly negate any saving on tax, but fans buying a 12” from a non-EU country may get a saving.