UK | English record stores share plans for lockdown trading: Following the start of the UK’s national second lockdown, which came into force midnight last night (5th November), a number of record stores have outlined their plans to keep trading throughout the current closure of physical, non-essential shops. Record shops in London, like Soho’s Phonica Records and Rough Trade on Brick Lane, announced that they will not only offer online services, but also a socially distanced click and collect service direct from the flagship stores. Disc World, one of London’s more recent additions, will also open one day a week for collection. Elsewhere in the UK, Crash Records in Leeds will offer a shop and collect service, as will Piccadilly Records in Manchester, and Eastern Bloc. In September this year, online music marketplace Discogs reported a lift in sales, with physical orders through the website increasing by almost 27% compared with 2019. This reflects an ongoing trend, with UK vinyl sales hitting an all-time record high last year. Read our take on whether the resurgence of plastic records can fit with an environmentally conscious dance music scene.
Lockport, NY | Making the rounds at area record stores: Now’s the perfect time to focus on your vinyl collection. With major concert venues shuttered this summer, I had to find other ways to pass the time and nurture my love of music. I have been a collector of vinyl records for 40 years, and while many records have been lost, worn out or absconded by my kids, I still have a sizeable collection. This summer I made the rounds to my favorite record stores in the Niagara region, and even discovered a couple of new ones along the way. While it may be tempting to just go online and order an album, there is nothing quite like the experience of perusing through stacks of records to find a hidden gem from a band you saw in your youth. In recent weeks, I have purchased rare albums by Wilmer and the Dukes, Off Broadway USA and Cheater. I also bought newly released live albums from The Grateful Dead and The Allman Brothers on Record Store Day. If you are considering dusting off your record player and picking up some records, here are a few of my favorite record stores in the area in no particular order.
The Best Vintage Vinyl Stores (and Online Record Shops) in America: Pre-loved records, yours to claim. The word “used” is so passé. We prefer pre-loved when talking about vintage vinyl—it just feels more appropriate. Whatever generation-leaning jargon you’re using to describe vintage vinyl, one thing goes without saying: there is always more music to be discovered amid crates of records packed into the indie shops of America. And audiophiles scouring the best vintage websites and making pilgrimages to the most sought-after record stores never miss a chance to investigate a new vintage vinyl spot. So, for those looking to expand their record collection, these are the best vintage vinyl stores in the U.S.—you can even shop their offerings online.
Dundee, UK | Artist’s tribute to legendary Dundee record store Groucho’s to be auctioned for cancer charity: A tribute to Dundee’s famous record store Groucho’s is set to raise funds for a cancer charity when it is sold at fundraising auction. The piece by Alex Dewars, originally from Arbroath, shows the shop front at the Nethergate. The painting is part of this year’s Macmillan Art Show, which aims to raise thousands for the cancer charity. The exhibition is being displayed digitally in 2020 because of coronavirus. There was heartbreak in Dundee earlier this year when the legendary music shop officially closed after decades of trading in the city. Alex painted the store early last year and completed it just before hearing about the death of Groucho’s owner and founder Alastair ‘Breeks’ Brodie. Alex, who studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, was a regular visitor to the shop when he lived in Dundee from 1999 to 2003. He said: “I was in there at least weekly, sometimes daily. It was a great place.
Square Enix marks Final Fantasy III’s 30th anniversary with a vinyl release: On April 27th, 1990, Final Fantasy III hit the Nintendo Famicom across Japan. While it didn’t receive an official English release until well over a decade later via the Nintendo DS remake, it was a smash hit in its home region, and has had an impact on the franchise ever since. One of the ways the game has stuck around is through its music, because it contains more than a few iconic tunes that have cropped up since, especially in the MMO Final Fantasy XIV. Fittingly, Square Enix is using a handful of these tracks to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the game, bringing the Final Fantasy III -Four Souls- vinyl to North America and Europe later this month. Original tracks and some new arrangements are included, as well as download codes so you can listen to the tunes sans record player. Check out a few of the tracks in the teaser…
