Four Key Takeaways From the RIAA’s 2019 Year-End Report: …The U.S. recorded music business generated $11.1 billion in revenue in 2019, according to the RIAA’s annual year-end report, a 13% year-over-year increase from the $9.8 billion it reached in 2018. But within those numbers are a few hidden gems that can be highlighted as trends to keep an eye on. Here are four key takeaways: #VinylWatch: It’s our favorite thing to point out every single time these reports are released. For the first time since 2004 (when the RIAA started tracking download singles and albums), vinyl revenue has surpassed that of album downloads and digital track downloads, with its $504 million representing its largest revenue total since 1988 and its 14th straight year of growth. Not only that, its rate of growth is accelerating even as its baseline revenue increases, too — its 19% growth in 2019 is more than double the 8% it grew in 2018, an impressive feat.
Shawnee, KS | Review: Love Garden Sounds: O.K., I know that in my last review I pretty much roasted Josey Records for being too far away from where we live and now you’re probably seeing me write a review on a store that is in Lawrence thinking what is this dude doing? Yes, Love Garden is quite far away from the Mill Valley area, but this store does offer something that the others have talked about before do not and that is location. Location is everything when it comes to having a successful business and something that I think has definitely helped Love Garden become so successful is the fact that they are located on Massachusets Street. Mass St. offers countless stores and restaurants, with most being unique to the Lawrence area. If you are wanting to make a day out of going to the record store, Love Garden would definitely be one of my top suggestions. Parking may be a struggle at times, but once you step into Love Garden all of your frustrations will be forgotten.
Brooklyn, NY | Show Us Your Space: Leesta Vall’s Direct-to-Vinyl Recording Studio: …Welcome to Leesta Vall Sound Recordings. We’re a niche record label based in Brooklyn, New York, with an exclusive focus on vinyl releases. Though we have several unique and ongoing vinyl-related initiatives, the label was founded on the back of our Direct-to-Vinyl Live Sessions project, which are live performances at our studio cut directly to 7″ lathe cut vinyl records. No tracking or overdubs of any kind. Just a song played live, mixed, and mastered on the fly, and cut right to limited-edition lathe-cut vinyl records. Our mission is to provide an authentic, one-to-one experience between artist and listener. Our records are like audio polaroids; they capture music in its truest form, live, in real-time, one at a time, resulting in a unique musical artifact.
Hamburg, DE | A local’s guide to Hamburg: 10 top tips. With buzzy cafes, plenty of green space, music venues, fashion and football, there’s more to the Beatles’ favourite German city than the Reeperbahn. Michelle, ma belle: The vinyl record scene is booming in Hamburg, hardly surprising given the vibrant DJ clubbing scene. Each neighbourhood has its specialist stores but nothing beats the venerable Michelle, a big and beautiful record shop in a quiet side street just off the department stores lining Mönckebergstrasse, the city’s main shopping street. Musicians love Michelle because the staff are so friendly and knowledgeable. It stocks about 30,000 records, from hip-hop and indie to jazz, funk, electro and techno, but you have to come in and browse as it doesn’t sell on the internet. Check Michelle’s Facebook page for its monthly gig, with a band of the moment performing live in the shop window.
Melbourne, AU | Use No Hooks to host discussion of band history at farewell event for Polyester Records. The Melbourne disco punks will release ‘The Job – Lost Recordings 1979-83’ this Friday. Members of ‘80s Melbourne disco punks Use No Hooks will host a free discussion of the band’s history in Melbourne on Tuesday. Mick Earls and Stuart Grant will lead a talk about the band’s legacy at a farewell event for Polyester Records. The in-store event, organised by Chapter Music, will also feature former Use No Hooks and Primitive Calculators member Denise Hilton playing her first-ever solo set. Chapter Music co-owner, Guy Blackman, will play a set with former Minimum Chips bandmate Nicole Thibault. Use No Hooks will release ‘The Job – Lost Recordings 1979-83’ on Friday, March 6. Advance copies of the reissue will be available at Tuesday’s event…The event is part of Polyester Records’ farewell celebrations before the Melbourne record store closes its doors for good after nearly 40 years in operation.
Gosport, UK | Gosport record fair returns to support mental health charity in Southsea: Music-lovers went to Fallen Acorn Brewery, in Mumby Road, to browse the collections of eight different traders on Saturday. The fair is the brainchild of Kieron Howes, who quit his office job three years ago – and is now living his dream in Gosport supporting a cause close to his heart. Kieron, who founded the fair in 2018 and owns the Slice of Vinyl record store, in High Street, Gosport, said ‘the healing power of music’ helped turn his life around after he quit his job due to declining mental health. He said: ‘I used to be a manager in an office and I hated it – I quit my job because of my mental health. ‘Without music and my family I wouldn’t be where I am now. ‘I have definitely got better as I have run the shop – and I run it so anyone can come in and have a chat. ‘Mental health can be hard to talk about…’
Edinburgh, UK | The Slow Readers Club set for record store performance in Edinburgh: In support of their new album, The Slow Readers Club have announced a series of intimate UK in-store shows, with a date in Edinburgh next month. The Joy of the Return will be the band’s fourth studio album and has already been teased by the release of Jericho and All I Hear – the first singles. The band are said to explore a “vast swathe of sonic territory” on the album, with the dark power-pop that defined their previous releases still holding a strong influence. Las year The Slow Readers Club completed a 32-date European tour, including sold out shows in the UK, in support of their third album Build A Tower. This time they will embark on an extensive tour throughout the UK and EU in March, April and May, including a shows at the Liquid Room in Edinburgh on March 25. The band will also perform in-store at Assai Records, Grindlay Street, Edinburgh, at 1.30pm on the same day.
Matty Healy defends 1975 album delay: Matty Healy will “never” put out a record he’s “not happy with.” The 1975 frontman announced in January that the group’s fourth album ‘Notes on a Conditional Form’ had been delayed and won’t be released until April and he’s now defended criticism over the wait for the LP, admitting that although he understands fans’ “frustration”, he “doesn’t care” because he’d rather make the best music the group can…”I know everyone’s like ‘Oh f**k off with the whole ‘this album’, who cares by the point it comes out.’ I’m just saying, we’ve got to make the vinyl, and to be honest the record was gonna be finished when it was finished because I’m not gonna put out a s**t record, do you know what i mean? “It was gonna be finished when it was finished. It is now, it just took a minute because we’re doing a bunch of shows. But I tell you what, it’s a blooming good album.”
