Record stores still love Record Store Day, despite criticism: Despite the criticism levelled at Record Store Day from independent labels, manufacturers and even some shops in recent years, the annual orgy of limited edition vinyl is still handsomely filling the depleted coffers of the stores it was originally intended to support. In preliminary figures released by Music Week, sales at this year’s Record Store Day event were up 14% on 2015, fired by a real appetite for LPs, which were up 35% on last year.
Groove Masters of the Vinyl Revival, How two guys in Salina, Kansas, helped make the vinyl record resurgence a long play: You don’t hear this very often anymore in Salina, Kan., but business is booming—for one company at least. Amid the blue-collar town’s shuttered factories and empty grain elevators sits the squat brick warehouse that’s home to Quality Record Pressings, which does exactly what its name says. QRP’s services are so much in demand, it had to stop taking orders temporarily last August; for much of last year, Chad Kassem, founder and chief executive officer, had to run the plant 24 hours a day to work through a backlog of some half a million albums overdue to be pressed.
KNON Helps Organize Massive Vinyl Sale to Save Dallas’ Oldest Record Store: At 57 years old, Top Ten Records in Oak Cliff is Dallas’ oldest record store. It’s also steeped in local history: It was at Top Ten, on November 22, 1963, that police officer J.D. Tippit was last seen before Lee Harvey Oswald murdered him. He left his car parked outside the store, and the phone Tippit used still hangs from the counter in the shop.
Cashing in on Prince’s Passing: See Just How Much the Star’s Vinyl LPs Are Going For: Dead celebrities making money is nothing new. According to a 2015 report by Forbes Magazine, the estates of Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and Bob Marley have all earned tens of millions of dollars. Now, Prince fans may have the opportunity to make a little money following the death of the iconic performer. Immediately after news broke about Prince’s passing, a broad selection of memorabilia, including Prince records (pressed on vinyl) featuring the late pop star began hitting online auction sites like eBay.
This NYC record store first inspired Beyoncé’s DJ: Even though I’m a DJ, I don’t go shopping for vinyl anymore. But I still go down to House of Oldies in the West Village, where I used to buy records when I was a kid in the ’90s. It’s tiny and the owner is this older, frantic guy called Bob. If there are more than two people there and his wife calls, he’ll say, “Honey, it’s really busy in here, I can’t talk!” He still follows my career and cuts out things about me in the press.
Final vinyl: The last day of Pegasus: Music fans and collectors thronged Pegasus Records all day on its last day, which coincided with the observance of Record Store Day. The day had a sad undertone for many. Pegasus opened 36 years ago and, though it has been in several locations in Florence, has been a constant for record collectors and fans of live performances. Among the bands that played there before becoming international stars were the Civil Wars and Alabama Shakes. It also was an oasis for a time to many local bands performing original material.
Biz Buzz: Vinyl has arrived (back) in Greeley: I’ve been getting into vinyl lately. Much like drive-in movie theaters and malt soda, vinyl records are a thing of the past. Listening to a record player makes me feel like I’m in grandma’s basement. Now, we can buy vinyl right in our own backyard. I am excited and proud to say Greeley’s own Mellow Yellow, 837 16th St., has started to sell a stellar record collection. Call me a hipster — call me whatever you want — but I can’t help but feel that holding a slightly beat-up vinyl record is like holding a piece of history.
