Tokyo, JP | Vinyl shopping in Tokyo: Building a record collection in this day and age can often be a daunting and expensive experience. Aside from picking up new issues or reprints from your neighbourhood record store or via online vendors, one is often at the mercy of used record traders. Of course, one can always opt for buying used records off Discogs. My personal experience on the Discogs record trading platform has been a mixed bag. Some trades with above-board vendors have been most pleasant but I’ve also received records which were tagged as NM (Near Mint) with clear scratches from unscrupulous vendors. Thus, the appeal of record shopping in Japan. There is a proliferation of high quality, well-cared-for used records available there. On my first visit to Japan, I spent a fair bit of time exploring record stores in various parts of Tokyo. It was great fun but also tiring as the stores were geographically spread out and not easy to get to. So, if your permissible time for record store visits is limited, focus your attention on two areas within Greater Tokyo; namely Shinjuku and Shibuya.
Saint Paul, MN | The best vinyl record outlets in Saint Paul: Looking to score vinyl records? Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top vinyl record sources in Saint Paul, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of where to venture next time you’re in the market for vinyl records. Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions. 1. Caydence Records and Coffee: First on the list is Caydence Records and Coffee. Located at 900 Payne Ave. in Payne Phalen, the spot to score coffee and tea and vinyl records is the highest-rated vinyl record spot in Saint Paul, boasting 4.5 stars out of 36 reviews on Yelp.
Salina, KS | Main Street Kansas: From digital to original, Salina record company presses into the future: What was once a mass-market music medium is now making its comeback, topping its competition. The Recording Industry Association of America projects records will top CD sales for the first time, which one Salina business owner credits to the musical wonders that are vinyl records, not CDs. “In 1984 the CD came out and I started collecting records at the same time,” said Chad Kassem, owner of Quality Record Pressings. “The whole world was getting out of vinyl and everybody going towards CD, but I kept collecting vinyl and I went in the opposite direction than the rest of the world.” Kassem’s company has been going strong for more than three decades. He says despite the digital era, his company hasn’t seen any signs of business slowing down. “The younger people are rediscovering album covers and they are liking to collect, It’s kind of trendy and a cool thing,” said Kassem. “It’s like new to them, it’s like wow, this is cool, the records are cool.”
Glasgow, UK | Record store embraces censorship, bans Morrissey: Yet another woke record store has decided to ban British pop icon Morrissey from its shelves. This time, the Glasgow Evening Times reports that Glasgow’s “Monorail Music said it would continue to sell records by the Smiths but ‘like many of our colleagues’ would not be selling the singer’s 13th studio album, ‘I am not a dog on a chain.’” This follows last year’s indie music store ban on Morrissey’s last album, “California Son.” Cardiff’s Spillers, which calls itself “the oldest record shop in the world,” declined to carry the record in retaliation for Morrissey’s political views. These views include support for Brexit, saying that the word “racist” is meaningless because it’s used so liberally, and that crime in London cannot be properly dealt with if the perpetrators are viewed as victims…Fans know that Morrissey being able to speak his mind means that they are free to speak theirs, to hold opposing views, and to still listen to the new tracks Morrissey releases with consistent quality year after year.
These are the best album covers of 2019: Every January, ArtVinyl reveals the winners of its best album art poll – which this year has been won by covers for Klone, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Efterklang. 40 years ago, the album was vinyl. Since then we’ve been through the takeovers of tapes, CDs and now streaming – with vinyl making resurgence and now the happy coexistence of digital and vinyl for different audiences. But through the format wars the 12-inch vinyl album cover has remained the artistic canvas of choice – challenged perhaps by T-shirts and gig posters, but those don’t asked to contemplated while you listen intently to a series of songs in order. Vinyl albums also make perfect artworks, which is why Art Vinyl sells frames to display your favourites – and celebrating the best new covers every year is good marketing for their products too.
