Death and the salesman: running a record shop with cancer, Willie Meighan of Rollercoaster Records on dealing with a terminal illness and the “happiest little record shop in the world.” Speaking to people about their passion and their time spent working in music is a pleasure, but all the talk of work evaporates in the face of life-changing news, which Willie Meighan, the proprietor of Rollercoaster Records in Kilkenny, shares in the first few minutes of our chat. Meighan has cancer and recently found out it’s terminal…Meighan is pragmatic about his prognosis and has continued to do bits and pieces for the shop that he so clearly enjoys running. He does orders from home, and his staff look after the day-to-day running. He was also booking gigs in Kilkenny but he has had to let others look after that end of things.
New Hamburg record store fulfills vinyl dreams: “It’s millennials, mostly,” he said, referring to the traffic coming through his store, Rick’s Record Shack & Wifey’s Closet, which opened three weeks ago, 10 minutes south of the city at 3348 Lakeshore Road in Hamburg. “I love that these younger people have so much passion for music, and deep knowledge about it, too. I mean, I had these kids in here freaking out about finding old Ella Fitzgerald vinyl in the store.” It should go without saying that the idea of opening a record store in 2017 would not seem to qualify as a genius business decision. Given the way retailers are imploding financiall, it might not be a wise decision to open any kind of store, but music sales in particular have been especially hurt by the rise of the digital and social media culture.
Company hopes to turn the tables on vinyl market: One firm is hoping to shake up the vinyl record market with its new state-of-the-art machinery. In August, Vinyl Presents began operations from its production facility in Victory Trading Estate. A 2016 report stated that, in 2016, market demand for vinyl in the UK was over 1,700,00 per month. As the majority of pressing plants are situated abroad, the team behind Vinyl Presents are hoping to bring the manufacturing back to the UK. Director & CEO Daren Fudge said: ‘Our plan is to bring record manufacture home to the UK, ‘A huge percentage of vinyl is currently pressed overseas which is a trend we want to reverse.
Vinyl art exhibition sure to spark some nostalgic music memories: Record sleeves were once such an iconic part of the music industry. Now people can enjoy some great nostalgia with a new exhibition celebrating that art and will also give people the chance to vote on what they like most. Best Art Vinyl is an international award celebrating the best in record cover design and comes to Barnsley as part of a new exhibition featuring a host of renowned names from the world of music, art, design and photography. Best Art Vinyl celebrates record cover art, compiling the global opinion on the best in art, photography and graphic design in modern music culture.
My business came from a love of vinyl: A music fan’s love of vinyl has inspired him to start a new business. Jay Reed, 47, the son of Bob Reed, owner of Leigh Music Exchange in London Road, Leigh, started his business, CutaDub due to his love of music. He said: “I suppose being brought up around a record shop was very much a big factor in me doing this. “I make music as well and with digital and CD. I was finding that my music was being pirated so that is why I originally started dub plate cutting. “My favourite genre is reggae and that is a type of music that is more commonly found on vinyl than anything else.”
New book to celebrate the artist behind iconic Pixies and Cocteau Twins record sleeves: Long-time 4AD collaborator Vaughan Oliver is collecting his archive. British graphic designer and artist Vaughan Oliver has launched a crowdfunding campaign to collect his vast physical archive in a new two-volume book. Over 30 years, Oliver worked closely with cult indie label 4AD, creating some of its most iconic album covers for Pixies, Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance and This Mortal Coil, while also collaborating with the likes of David Lynch and Scott Walker. Holding on to ephemera and his physical designs over the years, Oliver’s archive is currently housed at UCA Epsom, and features proofs, running sheets, record labels, original artwork for classic album covers, videotapes, books and teenage sketchbooks.
Hollow Knight’s OST gets vinyl release with super slick sleeve artwork: From the folks at Ghost Ramp—whose past game-to-record projects include Darkest Dungeon, Crypt of the Necrodancer and Nuclear Throne—Hollow Knight’s 2x LP Limited Edition vinyl is due next year. When it lands it’ll come with some uber-cool and suitably monochromatic sleeve art, unique picture discs and of course the game’s music composed by Christopher Larkin. In his review, Tom Marks describe the game’s score as “sullen but energetic” and “exceptional, pairing each area with an orchestral soundtrack that perfectly sets the mood.” Hollow Knight’s vinyl edition is due in “Q2 2018″—preorders cost $40 if that’s your cup of tea.
16 Horror Soundtracks With Stunning Vinyl Record Designs: We’ve talked about horror vinyl before, but the list I’ve put together for you today has me reeling with want. No plain run-of-the-mill vinyl record can compare with these beauties, and the artwork that accompanies them is simply stunning. What better way to combine the artistry of a film score with the movie’s overall aesthetic than a colorful and meticulously designed LP? Thankfully, this is a popular trend with a TON of titles available (trust me – it was really hard to keep this list down to a reasonable number), so if you’re smitten, there’s no better time to start your collection. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m just going to go sob into printouts of my bank statement.
