Family-owned Sioux Falls Music closes after more than 40 years: A family-owned business on West 41st Street is closing after more than 40 years of making life more musical for Sioux Falls residents. Sioux Falls Music announced the decision to close in a Facebook post Monday, which prompted more than 100 heartfelt comments from shoppers who lamented the loss of a music store or remembered their childhood shopping for instruments. “People are not playing guitars recreationally anymore like they used to, and people are willing to buy guitars on the internet,” said Don Saxton, who works at the store and is married to owner Barbara Saxton. The store is scheduled to close June 23. “We have enjoyed serving the Sioux Falls community, and appreciate each and every one of you,” the store’s owners said in the Facebook post.
Listen up, audiophiles: Going Underground Records is now in East Hollywood: In need of some vinyl records? Music fans, rejoice: A new business has you covered. The fresh addition to East Hollywood, called Going Underground Records, is located at 4355 Melrose Ave. Founded in 2001, this spot is central California’s largest and longest-running vinyl record store, according to its website, with a recent expansion to Los Angeles. LPs, 45s, reel-to-reels, stereo equipment, local concert promotional items and more are available to buy, sell or trade to your heart’s desire. Going Underground Records has just one review on Yelp, which gives it a solid five-star rating thus far…”Awesome records, plenty of parking and the cutest staff. I’m lost at how amazing the selection is. It’ll keep growing and I’ll have to move in eventually. Really helpful staff and seems to be fairly priced.”
Greensboro/Winston-Salem: New downtown Triad store combines vinyl sounds, wine and craft beer: The beat goes on with another social-gathering spot coming to a growing Triad downtown district. HiFi Records, a record store and mini-taproom selling vinyl records, wine and craft beer, is scheduled to open this fall on the left side of the Scott Building at 101 N. Main St., off Courthouse Square, in Graham. Owner Jon Guza named the store after his father’s dog, HiFi, who was named for his love of sitting in front of the HiFi turntable and listening to whatever was playing…“HiFi Records is bringing the vinyl experience to Graham with craft beer on tap, a selection of wine and a relaxed living room atmosphere, a place where music sets the mood and conversation is king,” Guza said. “At HiFi, folks can browse new and used vinyl, sip a drink, meet people and talk about music and life.”
Traffic Records jazzes up Atascadero, Vinyl record hub is the first of its kind in the North County: The sandwich board sign is not up on the curb yet at the record store in Atascadero. And yet the small but joyful subculture of record collectors know it’s located somewhere near the ARTery. Just look for the flowers and the red door. But a better way to find the newly-opened Traffic Records would be to follow that light jazz drifting down the sidewalk.The day our paper arrived to see downtown’s newest, hippest child of Atascadero’s downtown, Manuel Barba, co-owner of Traffic Records was playing the soul jazz of Hank Mobley. A soft white disco ball created movement on the walls decorated with classic music posters. A breezeway stacked with clean oak vinyl records lined the 400-square-foot store. The square rows of records in handmade light wood bins are organized but not alphabetized.
Holmes Music joins token scheme to cash in on vinyl revolution: Paul Holmes of legendary Swindon store Holmes Music is taking part in a nationwide scheme to get the next generation into vinyl. The Record Token scheme, to be launched on Monday, aims to help independent music stores sell vinyl for the tokens, working similar to a gift card. The Red House Records boss, said: “Now that the vinyl record is well and truly back, it`s a perfect time to bring back record tokens. Fathers day is coming up so that will be the first test to see if its popular. He started his business five years ago as an addition to the family-run Holmes music on Faringdon Road, which was started more than 50 years ago by his father John. “There still is a lot of nostalgia with people of a certain age who used to buy records on a regular basis,” he said.
Australia: Port Macquarie to host 2018 Record Fair in July: Now here’s an event that will have lovers of vinyl in a spin. Port Macquarie will be host to the region’s first Record Fair in July. RAWR Music, Dark Alley Collectibles and Hold Steady Records will present the event at The Duck on Clarence on Saturday, July 7. Vinyl vultures will not want to miss this. Music fans can sift through hundreds of LPs covering alternative, punk, metal, rockabilly, blues, jazz, country, reggae, club, hip hop and every other genre since the dawn of rock ‘n roll. Whatever way you spin it, the demand for vinyl is increasing in Australia. A whopping $18.1 million worth of records were sold across the country in 2017, according to the Australian Recording Industry Association.
‘Superfans’ buy more than two-thirds of all vinyl: A hardcore of ‘superfans’ buy more than two-thirds of all the vinyl records sold in the UK, according to new data. The Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) says these collectors fork out more than £400 every year, accounting for 72% of sales. With the average LP costing £20.31, superfans are each purchasing at least 19 albums. The figure illustrates how niche the “vinyl revival” is, despite record-breaking sales over the last few years. In total, 4.1m vinyl albums were sold in 2017, the highest number since the 1990s. But the format only accounts for 3% of the total music market, and in 2015 a BBC/ICM poll found that almost half (48%) of the vinyl records people buy never get played.
