It’s Official: Taylor Swift Has Released More Than 30 Variants for ‘The Life of a Showgirl.’ As you’ve probably already heard, Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl has officially broken the record set by Adele’s 25 for the biggest first-week sales, hitting the 3.5 million mark just five days after its release. Of course, those first-week sales were fueled by 34 different versions of TLOAS—including 27 physical iterations (18 CDs, eight vinyl LPs and one cassette) and seven download variants (the latest being her Deluxe So Punk on the Internet Version). Naturally, fans have…thoughts, but just a quick reminder that this isn’t a new practice for Blondie. For The Tortured Poets Department, for instance, Taylor released a whopping 36 album variants—so while she hasn’t broken that record yet with Showgirl, she very while might!
Belfast, IE | Inside Belfast’s new vinyl shop with everything from Thin Lizzy to Taylor Swift: Records ‘aren’t making a comeback they already have come back.’ Hectic Records is Belfast’s newest record shop which opened this week and we spoke to the people running the new addition to the city. The store is located on Rosemary Street in Belfast City Centre which has become known for eclectic vintage and charity shops so a new record store is a seemingly great addition. This is one of the main reasons the owners chose to open here as it felt like a good fit for what they have on offer. The store is covered wall to wall in records from most genres and decades that you can think of. From Thin Lizzy to Taylor Swift you will see a bit of everything in this new store which clearly caters for all tastes. We spoke to William, one of the people running the new store, about vinyl records making a comeback and he added that they ‘aren’t making a comeback they already have come back.’
Waco, TX | Record Store Plays a Charitable Tune: Vintage Mío in Waco is a record store that gives back with every record sold. Armando Cardoso opened Vintage Mío after leaving the corporate world right before the COVID-19 pandemic. He found himself having to rely entirely on his online record store, which had previously just been supplemental income. “I did have some records I acquired. just like you know, garage sales or estate sales,” said Cardoso. “I started selling them online to just go ahead and supplement my income. Little did I know that I’d be gaining more followers throughout the weeks, the months, the years, and well, this is what I do now.” A unique facet of Vintage Mío is that charity is directly tied to the business. “I did set a goal to raise a quarter of a million by the time I’m done,” said Cardoso. “We’re about $43,000-$44,000 into it.”
Kyoto, JP | Pinks Vinyl opens in Kyoto with a homegrown approach record collecting: From digital roots to a physical location, the store aims to honour Japan’s vinyl heritage & keep collecting accessible. In the northern Kyoto neighborhood of Demachiyanagi, pinks vinyl opened its first physical store on September 20. The store follows years of online activity that established the brand as a notable presence among Kansai’s Gen Z hip hop and street culture enthusiasts. Founded by Takato Nishiuchi and Daiki Nakagawa, pinks vinyl began as what the duo describe as an “exchange diary,” where they shared and discussed new vinyl purchases and recommendations on their shared Instagram account, pinks vinyl. Their sharp curation later caught the attention of local DJ CH.0, who encouraged them to turn their hobby into an official online record store. Five years later, the trio has transformed pink’s vinyl into a brick-and-mortar shop that embodies their passion for vinyl culture while honouring their hip hop sensibility.
Dunfermline, UK | New independent vinyl and CD shop to open in Scottish city: A new independent music shop is set to open its doors in Dunfermline next week. The Music Box, opening at 37 Queen Anne Street, is the passion project of a local enthusiast who has turned his long-standing hobby into a full-time business. Speaking on the record, Gary Gibson, 57, said: “I’ve always been into music. “For years, I was buying and selling CDs and vinyl at car boot sales. After being made redundant two years ago, I was jumping from job to job and finally decided it was time to do something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.” With nearly 40 years’ experience in retail and area sales, the leap into running a shop of his own felt like a natural next step. The Lochgelly man continued: “I’d been contemplating it for five or six years. Then six months ago, I just decided to go for it.”
San Luis Obispo, CA | San Luis Obispo record swap returns after a seven-year hiatus: The San Luis Obispo Record Swap made a triumphant return this weekend after a seven-year hiatus. Held at the SLO Brew Rock Event Center, the event featured more than a dozen vendors from across California and two live DJ stations, creating a vibrant atmosphere for music lovers. Attendees had a chance to connect with fellow collectors, discover new gems, and celebrate the world of analog music. The day also included a special live courtyard performance from Gene Aguilera, a renowned record collector, historian, music producer, and author. Manuel Barba, the organizer for the event tells us why he enjoys vinyls. “But when you buy a record that’s a medium that you all you own that record forever. And a lot of people, they pass records on to their children, they become family heirlooms. there’s just something very special about music pressed on vinyl and, and the community that it fosters today.”
Southampton, UK | DJ Ridney in Guinness World Record bid to visit vinyl shops: A celebrated Southampton DJ and music producer with a lifelong love of vinyl is to attempt to break a Guinness World Record for the most vinyl retail stores visited in 24 hours. Paul Richards, known as Ridney, will set off on his epic quest to buy a record in more than 20 shops along the South Coast on Tuesday morning (October 14) at 11am. Travelling around Brighton, to Worthing, Chichester, Shoreham-by-Sea and back to Southampton via public transport, Paul will be joined along the way by colleagues from his independent electronic dance label Paharas Musica, supporters and independent witnesses to verify any claim to the world record. Paul, 46, who lives in Nursling with his wife Hayley and ten-year-old son Red, told the Daily Echo: “I thought it would be a fun challenge, ambitious yet hopefully achievable, so we’re going to go for it.
New Halloween compilation is homage to popular ’60s Disney record: Big Stir Records’ Chilling, Thrilling Hooks and Haunted Harmonies compilation is a tribute to the 1964 Disneyland Records’ Halloween album, Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House. With artwork as a tribute to the 1964 Disneyland Records’ Halloween album, Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House, Big Stir Records’ Chilling, Thrilling Hooks and Haunted Harmonies contains spooky originals from 21 of the California label’s artists with eerie narration between the songs, making for a 41 track CD, and a double green vinyl album, which will entertain audiences for many holidays to come.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show Celebrates 50th Anniversary with Deluxe Vinyl Release: Pressed on 180-gram red-in-gold vinyl. The Rocky Horror Picture Show’s 50th anniversary celebration has now brought a deluxe vinyl reissue to the party. Released today, October 10th, via Ode Records, the 50th anniversary vinyl edition of The Rocky Horror Picture Show is pressed on 180-gram red-in-gold vinyl and comes housed in a heavyweight gold-foil jacket with a newly designed inner sleeve. The album package features never-before-seen photos and production diary excerpts from producer Richard Hartley. It’s available for purchase on Amazon and through Record Store Day. The ongoing 50th anniversary celebration of the iconic camp classic includes a tour, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show Spectacular Tour,” which features appearances, meet and greets and more with original cast members Barry Bostwick, Patricia Quinn, and Nell Campbell.
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