Berlin, DE | Berlin’s Sound Metaphors reopens in new location: The beloved record store closed its longtime Kreuzberg location in June. Berlin record store Sound Metaphors has found a new home in the city after announcing plans to close earlier this year. The Sound Metaphors team shared the news today, July 14th, confirming that they’ve opened for business at a new location in Berlin’s Neukölln neighbourhood. The beloved shop was forced to close its longtime Kreuzberg storefront in June after the space’s landlords did not renew a rental contract. “After an intense last month of carpentry, metalworking, heavy lifting, and CAD designing, we’re very proud to announce our doors are finally open to resume selling love to the human ear…”
London, UK | Rough Trade to expand John Lewis vinyl partnership as Selfridges pop-up launches: Rough Trade has been expanding its retail presence with store launches in recent years. The indie retailer is now continuing that growth in partnership with other names on the High Street. For its Summer Of Sound initiative, Selfridges has enlisted Rough Trade in London to launch The Record Store pop-up today (July 14). The adjacent window situated on the corner of Oxford Street and Orchard Street will host weekly live performances, programmed by Studio Inside Out. “Selfridges’ Summer of Sound is a celebration of the culture of music fandom, the influence of music merch and the unmistakable sound of our cities, throughout July and August,” said Judd Crane, Selfridges executive director, Buying & Brand. “Selfridges stores become places for fans to come together for live performances, workshops and talks, and the best merch.
Greensburg, PA | Greensburg Salem students help decorate CD Warehouse’s vinyl section: Mike Casper always has some vinyl records lying around. “We get a lot of vinyl donated, and a lot of times people will bring things in they don’t have the (record) sleeves for anymore and we can’t do much with those,” said Casper, an employee at CD Warehouse in Hempfield. “So instead of just throwing them away, I’ve tried to find some ways to repurpose them.” One of them was a collaboration with more than 20 Greensburg Salem students, who each received a record to decorate as part of an art installation now on display at the store. Casper said Greensburg Salem visual arts teacher Darryl Audia initially approached him with the idea. “I had some vinyl I was able to give to him, and it turned out to be a great little project…”
Wollongong, AU | Spinning In The South: Jacob Zammit Brings Vinyl Vibes To Wollongong. If Jacob Zammit gets his way, the Harbourside Records store will be more than a retail space… By late July, Jacob Zammit will be hauling crates of vinyl up three flights of stairs on New South Wales’ South Coast. It’s not the easiest path to launching a business, but for Zammit, it’s a fitting metaphor. His journey from online vendor to market regular and now, record store owner, has been anything but conventional. On July 26, just days after his regular third-Sunday stint at the Kiama Seaside Markets, Zammit will open the doors to his first physical shop, Harbourside Records, tucked away on the third floor at 4 George Street, Warilla. One might argue that opening a bricks-and-mortar shopfront is a bold move, especially for a record store in an era when streaming dominates, the cost of living has been at an all-time high, and high rents plague small businesses. But for Zammit, it’s also a homecoming.
Cleveland, OH | Klutch Cannabis Opens Cleveland Dispensary at Historic Record Rendezvous Site: The Cleveland dispensary honors the city’s music legacy while offering a sleek, tech-driven space for medical patients and recreational cannabis shoppers. Step inside Klutch Cannabis on Prospect Avenue East, and you might think you’ve wandered into a record store lost in time. In the lobby, a massive mural pays tribute to Record Rendezvous, the legendary Cleveland shop that once stood in its place. Vintage-inspired wood details, black leather seating and a bold yellow “Cleveland” script across the front desk set the tone. Through the front window, red neon signage and curated vinyl displays and music pieces mirror the iconic storefront of Rendezvous Records so closely, passersby might do a double-take.
Derbyshire, UK | ‘Some people spend fortunes collecting fine art but no one collects dreadful LP covers.’ Hilariously bad record covers will be a big hit with visitors to a Derbyshire town’s arts festival. Buxton will host the first ever Worst Record Covers Trail of Travesties as part of the town’s fringe this month. A sample of Steve Goldman’s awful album sleeves collection will be displayed in six venues. Fans will giggle their way through Scriveners Bookshop, The Crescent Heritage Experience, Book Folk, The Pump Room, Beer and Bean Cafe and Coffee #1. Steve’s collection has featured on BBC’s Have I Got News For You, BBC Radio 4’s Front Row and BBC Breakfast. BBC Radio DJ Mark Radcliffe shared some of the covers on social media platform X after visiting the exhibition his post went viral, receiving more than 268,000 views.
Spring Hill, TN | Mid-Tennessee Record Fair set for July 27 in Spring Hill: Middle Tennessee’s music collectors and vinyl enthusiasts are expected to gather in Spring Hill on Sunday, July 27, for the 2nd Annual Mid-Tennessee Record Fair. Hosted by Rock-A-Rolla Records of Spring Hill, the fair takes place at the 14,000 square foot UAW Local 1853 Union Hall on 125 Stephen P. Yokich Pkwy, conveniently located right off Tennessee Route 396 in Spring Hill. Event organizers said last summer’s show exceeded expectations and they can’t wait to bring all the music junkies of middle Tennessee together again! …With 70 tables, visitors can expect to see vinyl records, CDs, DVDs, cassettes, 45s, music memorabilia, vintage clothing and t-shirts, stickers, pins and more.
Led Zeppelin is repressing its Mothership compilation on vinyl: Led Zeppelin has repressed its Mothership compilation album on vinyl, the first time the album has been reissued since 2015. Multiple record stores have listed a new repressing of Mothership as being released in either June or July. Release dates for the repressing of the box set include the likely incorrect date of June 15 at What Records, July 3 also at What Records, July 11 at Rough Trade and July 25 at The Sound Of Vinyl. Mothership was originally released on CD in 2007 before being released on vinyl in 2008. A remastered version of the album was released on vinyl in 2015 using the latest remasters of Led Zeppelin’s music, but there have been no repressings of the box set since then. The Mothership repressing hasn’t been officially announced by Led Zeppelin, either through its website or its social media channels which have remained silent since 2023.
Oasis Announce Complete Studio Album Box Set to Coincide with Reunion Tour: Days after launching their “Live ’25” reunion tour, Oasis have announced a limited edition box set containing all of their studio albums and the B-sides collection The Masterplan. Pre-orders are ongoing ahead of its release on August 22nd. Oasis: Complete Studio Album Collection is spread across either eight CDs or 14 vinyl records. In addition to standard CD and vinyl, it is available in Amazon-exclusive gold CD and vinyl variants. The box set includes Oasis’ breakthrough 1994 album Definitely Maybe, 1995’s (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, 1997’s Be Here Now, 2000’s Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, 2002’s Heathen Chemistry, 2005’s Don’t Believe the Truth, and 2008’s Dig Out Your Soul.
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