Coming as something of a surprise today is the news that Shure will be discontinuing its line of Phono products, effective this summer. Included are both the M44-7 and Whitelabel DJ cartridges, which have become standards in the industry for their promise of ultra-high skip resistance and ultra-low record wear.
Though rumors have circulated about these product discontinuations at various times over the past few years, validity hadn't been brought to them before this morning, when Shure released its official statement. In part, the statement reads:
For more than 90 years, Shure has been committed to manufacturing and delivering products of the highest quality, reliability, and value. This commitment requires consistency in materials, processes, and testing, as well the capacity to react to fluctuations in demand.
In recent years, the ability to maintain our exacting standards in the Phonograph Cartridge product category has been challenged, resulting in cost and delivery impacts that are inconsistent with the Shure brand promise.
In light of these conditions, and after thorough evaluation, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue production of Shure Phono products effective Summer 2018.
The specifics behind why Shure is making this decision right now are not entirely clear, but it definitely marks the end of a major era in the DJing world. Still, with companies like Ortofon (celebrating its 100-year anniversary this year) designing and releasing new cartridges like the Nightclub MKII, M44-7 and Whitelabel loyalists will still have some solid options to turn to.