Loveland, CO | After more than a decade, a Colorado vinyl shop is leaving for a new town: Like the old song goes, “The Beat Goes On,” just not at this address in Loveland. The store, which has had a couple of owners, sees a better future, elsewhere, in Colorado. Loveland’s only record store has had an (overall) good run in Downtown, but Downtown Loveland is just not the right fit any longer. With them leaving, perhaps another brave music lover will open a new vinyl shop. …It’s been a great little record/music store on the east end of Fourth Street since 2012. They had just what a place like that should: Records, CDs, 45s, sound equipment, instruments. Downtown Sound will join a long list of “businesses that used to be on Fourth Street,” when they finally close up and take the “music” out of Loveland, completely. The current owners took ownership of Downtown Sound in the spring of 2023, but things have been tough; towards the end of July of 2023, they posted an appeal: “To be blunt, we’re in a pickle.”
Ballarat, AU | Vinyl store to spin music lover’s dream: Whether you’re a dedicated collector or a casual appreciator of music, Ballarat now has a new location for everyone to flick through piles of vinyl. Kank Wolverang Records is set to open next Friday at 30 Main Road in Bakery Hill, founded and managed by local musicians and longtime friends Justin “Hap” Hayward and Dan Kalken.“I’d wanted to do this for a while,” Mr Hayward said.“I’d been mentioning this to Dan for a while, and I had a dream of owning a record shop and something popped up on his phone about a record store in Germany all on the same day.“It seemed like a spooky message to give it a crack, and then this place became available.“The name came from a creation of a good friend of ours. Kank is an example of a musician that’s so obscure, no one knows him. We thought it’d be a good mystery.”
Atascadero, CA | Neil Young releases new album and signs autographs at Atascadero record store: Traffic Records is a small, independent record store in Atascadero, so imagine the surprise of both the store owner and fans when music icon Neil Young asked if he could hold an event there for the release of his new album, “Before and After.”Store owner Manuel Barba announced the event a couple of days ago and word spread quickly with a line of people stretching around the block early Friday — about a thousand fans all trying to get their hands on 300 copies of the vinyl LP of Young’s new album. They were also trying to get a chance to meet him in person. Starting around noon, Young met fans and signed copies of the record but was at the store for only about an hour before the records were sold out. Then it was back on the bus and he headed out of town. So why Traffic Records?
Madison, WI | Owners of Strictly Discs to retire after 35 years: New owner shares three goals for iconic Madison record store. Just off the University of Wisconsin campus, a retro record store sits on the corner of Monroe and Harrison Street. The store is immediately striking from the outside because of its vibrant colors and brightly colored lights. The inside of the store is equally nostalgic. The walls are covered in old vinyls and CDs, with shelves and stand-up racks throughout the room. But the store doesn’t end on the main level. After exploring the vinyl selection upstairs, customers can walk down the store’s stairs, the walls of which are covered in old newspapers and retro art. In the basement, the space is tightly packed with rows and rows of more CDs, vinyls and even a few cassette tapes. On its 35th anniversary, Strictly Discs announced on Facebook that owners Ron and Angie Roloff had sold the store to new owner Rick Stoner in early November. Angie Roloff said they love the store, but they are excited about the transition.