In rotation: 2/3/20

One Company Now Owns The Only Record Store Chains Left In US, UK and Canada: One company is single handled trying to save chain record store retailing, and so far they seem to be succeeding. This week, Sunrise Records announced that it was buying FYE, America’s last remaining nationwide record and entertainment retail chain from Trans World. That means that with the exception of a few much smaller operations, a single company now owns the only major record stores chains left in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. FYE currently has 206 stores scattered across America and employs more than 2500. Sunrise already owns 114 HMV record stores in the UK and 85 namesake Sunrise stores in Canada bringing total record store owned 405. Sunrise chief Doug Putman said in a statement: “The addition of For Your Entertainment fits with what we are doing with HMV in the UK and Sunrise Records in Canada. There is a space for retail brands that can cater to a new audience of entertainment-hungry consumers.”

Manhattan, KS | Throwback: Local store feels the rise of vinyl sales: According to an article from Rolling Stone, vinyl sales have grown tremendously. The article claims that “CD sales were declining three times as fast as vinyl sales were growing.” Sisters of Sound, a local music store, has taken note of this trend. Sarah Cunnick, co-owner of Sisters of Sound, said they started their shop with 50 percent vinyl and 50 percent CDs. She said she noticed that vinyl sales began doubling around 2010. Although she agrees with Rolling Stone’s research, she believes the numbers may be more than they’re claiming. “The way they figure out how many sales happen, they’re only counting new vinyl,” Cunnick said. “There is hardly a way for them to track old vinyl. The reporting only takes place with the new vinyl.” Cunnick has been doing her own research throughout her store and noticed that for every one new vinyl purchased, nearly ten used vinyl records are purchased. These used vinyl records aren’t tracked when research is being done, which is why she believes the statistics are under representing.

New York, NY | With Vinyl Making A Comeback, A Treasure Trove Could Be On Your Shelf Or Packed Away Somewhere: On Sunday night, millions of people watched some of the best artists in the world honored on the Grammy Awards. Their records might even be worth a fortune someday. But music lovers might already have a treasure trove of valuable vinyl stashed on shelves or in boxes, CBS2’s Dick Brennan reported. Record stores are seeing a lot more action these days. Vinyl sales reached nearly a quarter billion dollars last year. But certain collectors have an eye out for the rarity, valuable albums re- discovered for resale, like a 1963 Bob Dylan, recorded with four unreleased tracks. “There’s only two known copies and I’m the proud owner of the first one. They insured it for $100,000. I’ve been offered as high as $80,000 for it, but I value it more than that,” said David Eckstrom, owner of the Forever Young Store. It’s an extreme example, but there’s more 12-inch treasure out there. But there’s a catch.

Canoga Park, CA | It’s A Shame, But Vinyl Manufacturer Rainbo Records Has Closed: Artists, record labels, and music trends come and go, but an unseen backbone of the music industry since 1939 has closed – vinyl manufacturer Rainbo Records. Rainbo has been the place to go for indies since there was such a thing. This was not only for artists trying to get their initial break like Husker Du, NWA, Kacey Musgraves, and Childish Gambino, but indie labels like punk stalwarts Epitaph and SST; rap imprints Death Row, Priority, and Sugar Hill; early dance labels Moonshine, Mushroom and Thump; and Concord Jazz, Rhino, and American as well. Along the way the company pressed records for the U.S. War Department for messages from home to servicemen overseas, to General Mills for records built into Wheaties boxes, to Disneyland to describe its attractions. That’s why it comes as a huge surprise that Rainbo has gone out of business. Even as vinyl has seen a healthy resurgence, that hasn’t been enough to offset the upcoming 40% rent increase that the company had to endure on its Canoga Park (a Los Angeles suburb) facility.

Sydney, AU | Tickets for HIFI2020 Sydney, Australia’s newest audio and AV show, are now on sale: Discover four floors of audio and AV demos, plus a vinyl record fair at HIFI2020 Sydney. Presented in conjunction with official media partners Sound+Image and Australian Hi-Fi magazines (What Hi-Fi?’s sister publications from Down Under) HIFI2020 Sydney is will open its doors at the downtown Novotel Sydney Central over three days, from Friday April 3 to Sunday April 5, 2020. So what exactly is a hi-fi show? “It’s like a car show unveiling the world’s best cars, but with hi-fi music systems, headphones and home cinema gear – a chance to see and hear the world’s best equipment all in one place,” says HIFI2020’s Jez Ford, who has been surrounded by hi-fi for 30 years as a journalist on publications including Sound+Image, which he currently edits. Unlike a car show, however, HIFI2020 lets attendees actually test drive all this luscious hi-fi, with individual rooms and suites across four floors of the hotel hosting everything from the latest in voice control and streaming systems up to the highest of high-end hi-fi.

High Fidelity: Everything We Know About the Zoë Kravitz Reboot: High Fidelity is set to reboot a classic romantic comedy into a TV show starring Zoë Kravitz. Let’s take a look at everything we know about it so far. In much the same manner as Hulu’s Four Weddings and a Funeral, 2020’s High Fidelity is set to reboot another classic romantic comedy into a TV show. The TV show has a lot to live up to, as the 2000 movie with the same name received critical acclaim and was named the 446th greatest movie of all time by Empire Magazine, as well as the 14th greatest romantic comedy of all time by Rotten Tomatoes. However, while some fans may be concerned about the reboot, the fact that Zoë Kravitz (future Catwoman) is on board can allow us all to rest easy. This article will list everything we know about the High Fidelity reboot.

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  • SUPPORTING YOUR LOCAL INDIE SHOPS SINCE 2007


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