Wilkes-Barre, PA | The Last Song Event for “Specialty Records”: Lackawanna County’s Mid-Valley ‘revolutionized’ the entertainment industry. A lot of that attributed to the Marquardt Family. “In 1916 Frank Marquardt had the idea to take a Scranton button, Frank had developed an idea, a concept of making a molding press and it turned into a record,” said Douglas Long, a 36 year employee. That one record would pave the way for Specialty Records. With a third generation, Marquardt in control, Specially Records on North Valley Avenue in Olpyhant took off. “I was the first one to listen to the Eagles albums because we used to get vinyl lacquer,” Said Mary Ann Novak.
Hong Kong | Hong Kong Records to close shops at Pacific Place and Harbour City, marking end of era in city’s music scene. An institution of Hong Kong’s music scene that counts former governor Chris Patten, ex-No 2 official Rafael Hui Si-yan and fashion magnate Dickson Poon as customers will close its doors for good next week because of heavy losses and a bleak outlook, its owner said on Wednesday. After 29 years in business, Hong Kong Records in Admiralty will close on June 27 while the firm’s other store at Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui is expected to follow soon after, Siu King-chin said. “Everything has an end,” Siu, 70, said. “We have lost money in the past three to four years, and the operating environment was particularly difficult in the past 10 months. There is no future in the industry.”
Toronto, ON | Long-time record store owner and music volunteer Taras Ostashewsky dies: Those of a certain vintage will remember Ostashewsky as manager of S.U. Records in HUB Mall for over a decade, ending in the early 1990s. For several decades he put much of his energy into volunteering for the Edmonton Jazz Society, and then as public relations officer for the Jazz City International Music Festival for some 25 years. He was also a long-running radio host on Wait Until Dark on CJSR-FM, a film reviewer on CBC Radio, a member and recent president of the Edmonton Film Society, and employed to stock jazz for The Gramophone. Through all these venues and in his many friendships Ostashewsky’s passion for jazz and other music, film and the arts generally was always at the forefront. It often seemed that he found his duty in promoting what he felt to be new, important or obscure names. Many lives were enriched from his efforts. He will be missed.
Detroit, MI | Third Man Records offers goodies for donations to immigrant services: …On Wednesday, the company announced that any fan who visits their Third Man stores in either Detroit or Nashville with proof of a $50 donation to any organization raising money to help children that have been separated from their families will receive a free limited exclusive record from the Third Man stash, while supplies last. Among the charities the company suggested are RAICES, the largest immigration legal services non-profit in Texas; the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, which provides legal aid to refugee families and the South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project, which provides pro bono legal services to asylum seekers detained in South Texas by the U.S. government. A list of other charities was tweeted out by Third Man on Wednesday.
Greensburg, IN | What’s In The Attic: Vintage vinyl. The fascination with mid-20th Century American culture continues to grow with today’s buying public, sending retailers of both reproduction and true vintage merchandise scurrying to keep the shelves stocked with the latest trends. Consumer spending for goods accounts for 70 percent of the U.S. economy. Say what you may about the state of that economy, statistics show that consumer spending has increased steadily over the past four years and continues to climb. So, why are so many of the nation’s top retailers constantly singing the blues about their sales? The answer is simple. In ever increasing numbers, people are buying second hand. Call it vintage, gently used, retro or re-purposed, we are experiencing a recycling craze that rivals “Depression era” mentality, and the most desirable of the lot are those things things from the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Landmark Japan Albums Set For Reissue In Half-Speed Mastered Vinyl Editions. Led by the influential David Sylvian, the band went on to become one of the most interesting and stylish protagonists of late 1970s/early 80s synth-pop. Mastered by Miles Showell at Abbey Road, each record was cut using a half-speed mastering technique; a specialist artisan process, which results in cuts that have a superior high frequency (treble) response and solid and stable stereo images. In short this produces a very high quality master, which in turn helps to create a very high quality record. Additionally, each album is album is being released as a double 45 RPM half-speed mastered edition, the ultimate high quality reproduction as the faster the replay speed of the record, the higher the potential quality. The shorter side times also allow the level recorded to the master lacquer discs to be increased, thereby improving the signal to noise ratio.
The ultimate guide to maintaining and caring for your vinyl record collection: They require a bit more care than a Spotify stream, but they sure look better on your shelf. Journalist and DJ Andy Welch tells us how to get the best from your vinyl The phrase ‘caring for your vinyl record collection’ comes with some terrible connotations. One mention of LP care and awful images of men – and it is usually men – of a certain age spring to mind; sitting at home, gazing longingly at the rare Frank Zappa record they’ve managed to track down, telling anyone who’ll listen about how it must never, under any circumstances, be played. For this kind of collector, records are to be stored away, not listened to. But it doesn’t have to be this way. You don’t have to keep your records in a vault. They’re designed to be played.
