VIA PRESS RELEASE | Today, Ghostly International, Numero Group and Secretly Group record labels Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar, and Secretly Canadian all join forces to announce Paved Paradise, a traveling expo bringing their music to parking lots this fall.
Over the course of September 9th–26th, a 24-foot Penske truck helmed by several of Secretly’s sonic specialists will visit 15 cities in the eastern United States. From the birthplaces of Secretly, Ghostly, and Numero in Bloomington, Detroit, and Chicago, to Third Man Records in Nashville, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, and a community of breweries, flea markets, and independent venues in between, Paved Paradise will take the record store experience outdoors, with special guests and local collaborations set for every stop. Find the full list of tour dates below.
Hitting the road with a fully loaded truck—whether it’s packed with vinyl treasures, gear, or merchandise—comes with its own set of challenges. Long drives, crowded city streets, and unpredictable weather can turn a smooth tour into a logistical puzzle. Ensuring that both the vehicle and its cargo are protected becomes crucial, especially when every item on board has value beyond its price tag.
This is where mc insurance steps in, offering coverage that safeguards the truck, the load, and even liability on the road. With the right plan, touring crews and movers can focus on the journey and the experience, confident that any bumps, spills, or mishaps won’t derail the adventure. It’s not just protection—it’s the peace of mind that lets the music (or business) keep rolling forward.
Equal parts pop-up shop, block party and roadside fruit stand, each day-long Paved Paradise event will pack two tents full of finely-curated LPs, 45s, cassettes, CDs and limited edition ephemera like colored vinyl variants, out-of-print items, vintage goods and miscellaneous merchandise spanning the catalogs of these five record companies operating at the top of their game.
In addition to DJ sets and surprise performances from Secretly artists, Secretly staffers like Numero Group Co-Founders Ken Shipley and Rob Sevier, plus Ghostly International Special Projects Director and Brooklyn Flea Record Fair Director Amanda Colbenson, will be on-site to talk shop, make recommendations and share stories behind the records with Secretly friends and family.
“It’s been invigorating to return to producing in person events,” says Amanda Colbenson. “Getting to work with so many inspiring and impactful businesses and organizations is what this tour is all about and we are grateful to them for opening their doors and parking lots to our ambitious experiment. We can’t wait to hit the road in the Penske and go see everyone.”
Wichita, KS | Former Teacher Explores Love Of Heavy Metal With Wichita Record Store The Gate: Russell Horning began his journey as an educator in Mexico. Then, after teaching high school and middle school in Wichita, he decided to make a career change. Wichitan Russell Horning opened The Gate record store in May 2021. Located at 115 S. Pattie, the shop serves as Wichita’s home for heavy metal records. It’s stocked with a vast array of classic metal albums — looking for Ozzy Osbourne’s long out-of-print Speak of the Devil? Horning has it — as well as new stock from around the globe. The Gate feels less like a retail space and more like a friend’s living room. There are classic metal books and magazines on sale as well as the types of rarities only a true fan would take the time to notice. Horning’s road to opening the shop is an unlikely one. After teaching English for nearly 20 years, he decided to follow his passion for heavy metal and create a space that is uniquely his own and which seems poised to become a destination for 
Bruce Dickinson recalls how the record store was his sanctuary: “Record stores, when I was a kid, before the Internet — you can go and listen to everything for free now on the Internet, but back then it was a bit more difficult. You would have to go into an actual record store and you would ask to listen to a record and you’d listen to probably most of the album and you wouldn’t buy it, ’cause you didn’t have any money. But you were in the store with all these people who loved music, and you’d talk about music and you’d hang out, and just being there was like being recharged when you were a kid. It was just, like, ‘Oh my God. I’ve got school. I’ve got this. I’ve got that. I wanna escape my parents.’ You get on a bus, you go to the record store, you hang out and meet all these people who think and talk music and think like you, and 
UK | HMV at 100: why the beleaguered record store is more vital than you think: It’s easy (and fun!) to take the piss out of the retailer, which may seem like a relic from yesteryear, but we’d miss its accessible approach to music. A couple of years ago, a comedy writer called Laura Crisp went viral with her thread of tweets about working in HMV as a teenager. Anecdotes included a man who came in every week and pretended to faint in order to receive mouth-to-mouth, a staff member who was nicking cash and storing it in a Keeping Up Appearances boxset and, hilariously, a bloke claiming he was Paul Weller and asking if he could have some Jam CDs as he’d “lost” his. The stories were brilliant, but I think the other reason it resonated with so many people was that fact that for many generations, HMV played a role in their adolescence. This week, the store celebrates its 100th birthday – or at least that of its flagship store in central London – so despite the fact this has probably just made you aware that HMV still exists, let’s give it up for them for 
San Antonio, TX | Illness forcing San Antonio-area record collector to find a new home for his 113,000 vinyl albums and singles: On the Facebook page for Stevie Ray Vinyl (@stevierayvinyl), record seller Steve Anderson refers to his collection of more than 113,000 albums and singles as an adoption agency for abandoned and unwanted vinyl. Now the 65-year-old Lakehills resident urgently needs to find a new home for the entire collection. Anderson recently announced on Facebook that he’s selling the Stevie Ray Vinyl inventory because he has been diagnosed with terminal liver disease. He and his wife Suzi run the business but can no longer continue to do so without him being able to work full time. Several callers have expressed interest in buying Anderson’s collection. But after several decades and so many more dollars spent on all those records, he would prefer a buyer whose own love for vinyl is as big as his asking price — about a dollar a disc. “I would like to see somebody take the business and the passion and continue my dream with it. 
Discovered by Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, Rozzi’s voice is full of depth, yearning, and character. Of course, we talk about the song, but there’s an album brewing as well. So, consider the song an appetizer for the album that is still a work in progress.
NH | New Hampshire’s Record Stores Make A Comeback: Here’s where to find an old favorite or a new passion: Used record stores have a smell. It’s a musty but comforting bouquet with subtle notes of nostalgia and your parents’ basement. They also have a soundtrack — a background score that stays the same whether you’re in Skele-Tone Records in Rochester, Pitchfork Records in Concord or Music Connection in Manchester. It’s a consistent, unchanging refrain that goes like this: “I had that. I had that. I had that.” “I hear people say that all the time,” says Todd Radict, the owner of Skele-Tone in Rochester. “It’s because when CDs came in, it sort of forced people to get rid of their records. I never fell for it.” Al Barr, lead singer, Dropkick Murphys – “The first record I purchased was ‘Burning Love’ by Elvis Presley. I purchased it from Rock Bottom Records — shout out to Kevin Guyer! “One of my most treasured records is ‘Three Hits From Hell’ by the Misfits. I wish I had never given away my OG copy of Social Distortion’s ‘Another State of Mind’ single.” Nostalgia has certainly played a role in getting people back into the stacks, but make no mistake — 
Simpang Bedok, SG | Record store owner grateful to make a living out of his hobby: It had always been his dream to run a shop selling hi-fi systems since he was in school. But it took Mr Gabriel Tan several years before he finally left a teaching career to pursue his love for music. Mr Tan, 64, told The New Paper: “I have not worked a single day since, because it has never felt like work.” Zenn Audio Electronics, named after his eldest son who is now 31, is a record store in Simpang Bedok that carries an extensive selection of vinyl records. “I was confident enough to tender my resignation as I made enough money from my part-time job to support my family,” said Mr Tan. He had worked part-time repairing various kinds of audio equipment while teaching and finally set up Zenn Audio Electronics in 1990. The shop initially focused on repairing and modifying audio equipment. It was a struggle for the business to take flight at first, he said. “The business grew quite slowly when it was first established. It improved as 
