Do you know why

Dear Jjrenman: ++++ " we don't know is how much that extra cost would cost the consumer. " +++++

IMHO we are paying more because that non-existent QC. How much we paid for cartridges, protractors, tonearms, TTs, electronics and the like and how much time we invest to fine tune our audio system trying to achieve the best quality performance level from it? only for when the stylus tip hit the LP and ride it through warps/off center holes all our investement falls showing not the real quality performance of the audio msystem neither what is in the recording and all those because the LP imperfections.
This works as computers: " if you give BS at the input you will have BS at the output ".

Why we take care on the cartridge/tonearm set up that is almost useless against those LP warps/off center holes because the whole cartridge/tonearm set up: overhang, VTA/SRA, VTF and the like changes by those LP imperfections.

++++ " Ultimately, if the labels are selling out quickly they will not feel any pressure to improve the situation. " +++++

that's the subject and almost no one is doing nothing to change that trend.

I think that one of the main responsabilities of the analog reviewers ( music/audio products. ) is to ask to demand the LP manufacturers/marketing sector to take serious actions to fix once and for ever those " criminal and critcal " LP problems.
I think that those reviewers and the audio magazynes after asked to those sources of the LP problems to take actions to fix it must stop to permit any kind of advertasing in the magazyne and LP music reviews.

We customers must stop to buy LPs to help the problems be fixed.

I think that we have to stop paying money for that kind of mediocrity till they fix the problems.

I think that each one of us must be a promoter to stop buying LPs till the industry fix those critical problems and if the audio magazynes does not take its responsability about then stop to buy magazynes too.

All the audio industry lives because our money and we have the right to ask and take actions to improve the audio products we invest for and the audio industry must take care about.

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.

"The record labels could reject poor pressings or pay extra for more quality control. "

YEs, they could pay extra and not raise the prices even further as a result.

Pardon me while I attempt to smother my laughter at the chances of this happening in this day and age........

A good ear cleaning to get wax and other crap out of the ears from time to time is pretty good tweak as well to go along with it.

I agree with Raul. Reviewers from Stereophile, et al, should make physical evaluation of the records they review, or listen to while reviewing equipment, part of the review. Pulling sponsor ads will never happen since money talks too loudly, but given the awful quality of new pressings all around, this is the least we should get.

I simply do not understand this phenomenon. Do you?

Yes. Lost knowledge.