Amazon pauses CD and vinyl orders amid coronavirus outbreak

Amazon has temporarily paused sales of CDs, vinyl records and music merch in order to prioritize shipments of essential items amid the global coronavirus outbreak. The halt of shipments to the company's fulfilment centres will continue until April 5.

Household staples, medical supplies and other "high-demand products" will continue to be shipped to the centres in order to speed up the process of restocking and delivering the products in the time of need. Shipments created prior to today will still be received, but all other orders, such as those from record labels and distributors, will not be received until further notice.

In a statement to sellers, Amazon wrote: "We are seeing increased online shopping and as a result some products such as household staples and medical supplies are out of stock. With this in mind, we are temporarily prioritizing household staples, medical supplies and other high-demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so that we can more quickly receive, restock, and ship these products to customers."

The temporary halt of music-related products via the online seller is another blow to the music industry, which has already seen major setbacks due to the global pandemic. Music festivals, such as Glastonbury, Coachella and influential showcase SXSW, have been postponed or completely cancelled following global health advice to limit large gatherings.

Within Ireland, indoor mass gatherings of more than 100 people have been cancelled until at least March 29, forcing many artists to cancel or postpone their upcoming gigs. With the situation continually changing, it's impossible to say when we'll see a return to normalcy and whether the dates in April can continue. In an effort to adapt, artists have switched to a livestream format to play music for fans at home. Hot Press have joined the move, with the newly-announced Lockdown Sessions, kicking off tonight with performances from Zaska and Carly Coonagh at 7pm.

Record Store Day postponed its 2020 edition to a prospective date of June 20, another blow to labels focusing on their physical record sales. It's been a tough year for vinyl, as one of the world's two manufacturers of the lacquer needed to produce vinyl masters was devastated by a fire in February.

For those wishing to continue supporting artists during this time of uncertainty, many have set up donation funds along with their livestreams. Bandcamp will waive its share of revenue on music sales on Friday, March 20 in order to support struggling artists. And while music merchandise will no longer be available via Amazon at this time, buying music and merchandise directly from artists and labels is still a great way to continue to support the industry during this trying time.