Monthly Archives: September 2016

Lowenstein Complex helping to turn area into booming real estate market, Owner says the record shop isn’t going anywhere: Twist & Shout isn’t going anywhere and it isn’t expanding, Epstein said. The Lowenstein is the fabled record store’s third home in Denver. Epstein said he only plans to sell the real estate. “I’m tired of being a landlord,” he said, “I just wanted to be a retailer.”

Back into the groove: Resist the temptation to pack that dusty old turntable and send it off to The Salvation Army because it hasn’t been used for decades – this might be the time to hook it up again…Ironically, it is probably easier now to find Adele’s new album on wax than on CD, thanks to a new wave of vinyl record shops that have been opening – and expanding – over the last couple of years. Vinylicious Records kick-started the trend when it opened in Parklane Shopping Mall in early 2013.

Light sleepers need not apply! Music lovers can spend the night surrounded by records in New York’s Rough Trade store: Record lovers are in for a musical treat. Audio company Sonos and famous record store Rough Trade have teamed up to list a one-night stay at the iconic New York shop on Airbnb. The once-in-a-lifetime experience is the prize in a competition for two winners and their guests to retreat to their own private haven at Rough Trade’s new Listening Room.

The greatest record sleeves – as chosen by the designers: What’s the best-designed album sleeve? Richard Hamilton’s sleeve was really radical and ahead of its time and it still looks contemporary. By contrast to Peter Blake’s vivid artwork for the Beatles’ previous album, Sgt Pepper’s, it was a plain white sleeve with the band name just embossed, almost invisible. There was a stamped number, which made each one unique. My parents had it first, but I thought it looked boring until I studied art. Once you understand the context, it gets really interesting.

Plugging musical knowledge gaps with vinyl: …I wanted to buy a turntable and listen to vinyl again. I am slow to the party on this one. For some time, there has been a worldwide resurgence in the popularity of vinyl. And here, in lil ol Northland, the consequence is a shortage of second hand turntables. Searle Electronics in Whangarei specialises in selling good quality second hand audio gear, as well as new equipment. They have a waiting list of people who want to buy a decent second hand turntable.

Brooklyn Flea Record Fair Returns to Williamsburg Saturday, The Brooklyn Flea Record Fair brings together dozens of labels, collectors and DJs Saturday, Sept. 24, at the East River State Park: One of the year’s largest vinyl record fairs returns this weekend to Williamsburg next to Smorgasburg, in case you work up an appetite from all of the crate digging. The Brooklyn Flea Record Fair Is happening Saturday Sept. 24 from 11 a.m to 6 p.m. at the East River Sate Park. The fall 2016 edition of the record fair has over 50 vendors, labels and DJs, and vinyl collectors and sellers.

Joe’s Record Paradise Grand Reopening: We are having our Grand Reopening on Saturday the 24th and everyone is welcome. There will be Food from Anabel’s food truck at an almost free cost(subsidized by Joe’s) and 7 Locks Brewery from Rockville will have a table with some tasty treats and also some coffee from the local spot Bump n’ Grind. Along with that there will be several free raffles with prizes from the 9:30 Club, the Fillmore Silver Spring and from Joe’s itself (swag including pint glasses which are back, stickers, chip clips, CD books, gift certificates, etc).

Not So Fast. Vinyl Records May Not Be Going Down: In this writer’s opinion, I would only cautiously warn that we take a closer look at the full results of 2016. Vinyl sales do appear to have slowed down, but not enough to dismiss the format yet. I would actually be more inclined to believe that the CD may be wiped out before vinyl based not only on these numbers, but also financial reports from other countries. But I’ll leave you with DMN posters’ thoughts.

Does Anyone in the World Still Buy CDs? Granted, music shops are rarer than they used to be (RIP Virgin Megastore, Tower Records, Zavvi, and all the forgotten soldiers), but many of them still exist. The fact they are now even harder to find means there must be people who are leaving their houses and getting the bus to Fopp to drop actual tenners on CDs. What’s going on? What are these people buying? To find the answers to such questions, I spent the afternoon at select stores meeting CD buyers, so I could interrogate them about their frankly freaky life choices.

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Record Companies’ U.S. Revenue Up 8.1% in First Half of 2016, A huge jump in music streaming fuels strongest growth in the industry since the CD boom of the late 1990s: The streaming boom easily offset steep, continuing declines in sales of CDs and digital downloads. Revenue from CD sales fell more than 16%, while revenue from digital singles dropped nearly 22%. Vinyl sales fell 6.3% to $207 million on 8.4 million records, though in dollar terms that represented a sizable chunk—about one-third—of the total $632 million in physical music sales.

All Things Must Pass: New Vinyl Sales Sinking: The rebirth or rejuvenation of the vinyl disc has been a blessing for main street music stores, so if the latest figures hold true the push behind Record Store Day is in trouble, and the pay-day for owner-operated music shops is even more so. Which isn’t to say that the format is dead. US-based Discogs reports a whopping 23% increase in vinyl album sales in the first six months of 2016; however, the online retailer doesn’t break down how many of the records purchased are used–which is a big ticket for the Internet store that facilitates transactions between collectors and sellers.

Tunbridge Wells set for only exclusive vinyl shop in west Kent: A Tunbridge Wells music shop is looking to hit the right note and revolutionise the way we buy music. Vinyl Revolution is the brainchild of Simon Parker and Rachel Lowe who will imminently launch their new business pop up record store on Camden Road. The innovative duo spotted a gap in the market for an independent music store which is accessible for all music-lovers. Co-owner, musician and vinyl collector Simon Parker originally had the idea for the online shop and store while working in Oxford and wanted an unpretentious way of selling vinyl to the masses.

Keep on spinning: Caring for your vinyl collection: With the resurgence of vinyl in recent years, record sales are on the rise as music lovers across the world eagerly build their collections. As record lovers embrace vinyl, they also know that it takes more than keeping your record in its sleeve to ensure your growing collection stays in mint condition. Read on as we explore how you can keep your vinyl spinning for years to come.