Aotearoa, NZ | Gen Z is driving the resurgence of vinyl in Aotearoa New Zealand: In the past 20 years, vinyl sales in New Zealand have increased 100-fold, with more than half of all tracked vinyl sales occurring in the last four years. Gen Z is embracing the authenticity, collectability and the all-around experience vinyl offers. Auckland University of Technology (AUT) student and avid vinyl collector JD Kim says the main reason he collects vinyl is for the sound quality, as it beats digital streaming. “And a separate perk is the physical, permanent copy.” Flying Out Records on Auckland’s Pitt Street has seen an increase in Gen Z customers buying records, according to employee Hunter Keane. He says many of these customers are drawn to records for reasons that go beyond convenience.
Cincinnati, OH | From vinyl records to retro video games, the appeal of physical media: According to the Pew Research Center, 83 percent of American adults use streaming services to watch television and movies. And streaming services aren’t limited to those categories — you can listen to music, play video games, and read newspapers without ever touching a physical version. But there are those who say that collecting physical versions of your favorite forms of media is an important thing to do. On Cincinnati Edition, the physical media collecting craze.
UK | ‘Undertale’, ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ and ‘Pokémon’ soundtracks to get vinyl Record Store Day 2026 release: The 19th annual Record Store Day UK takes place April 18. Record Store Day takes place next month and gamers can expect vinyl releases of Undertale, Cyberpunk 2077 and Pokémon soundtracks. The 19th Record Store Day is set to take place on Saturday April 18, celebrating independent record shops and vinyl culture in the UK. More than 300 UK and Ireland record shops will be taking part alongside thousands of indie retailers worldwide, selling an array of exclusive physical releases.
Amersham, UK | Rob Brydon’s new BBC comedy filming at Amersham Record Shop: A new BBC comedy series starring Rob Brydon has started filming at a Bucks town record shop. Parking suspensions are in place in Amersham New Town, and The Record Shop has closed for the filming of Bill’s Included, featuring the Gavin and Stacey actor. The show is about a well-meaning but overenthusiastic divorcee who rents his spare rooms to students to stay afloat. Photos shared by Liberal Democrat councillor for Amersham and Chesham Bois, Mark Roberts, show film crews setting up outside the shop and production vans along Hill Avenue. Cllr Roberts stated: “You may have noticed that there is filming going on today in Top Amersham. This shoot is for a BBC Comedy—”Bill’s Included”—and they’ll be filming at the Record Store today and tomorrow.
Lansing, MI | The Morning Blend: Mi-Rural Records. Christopher Edmondson, owner, of Mi-Rural Records stops in to discuss the upcoming national Record Store Day event on April 18th from 9am to 6pm at 217 North Bridge Street, Grand Ledge, MI. Mi-Rural Records is also appearing at the Lansing Collectibles & Record show April 19th from 9am to 4pm at the Okemos Convention Center.
Düsseldorf, DE | The One Off Wins Best Stand at EuroShop 2026 for Record Store: The One Off has been awarded Best Stand at EuroShop 2026 by the Creative Retail Awards. Designed as a contemporary record store, the stand explored how physical retail can move beyond efficiency to create spaces centred around discovery, culture and interaction. Projects were presented as a series of NFC-enabled records, allowing visitors to browse and unlock content in a more intuitive and self-directed way. Rather than guiding visitors through a fixed journey, the space invited exploration, creating moments of curiosity and engagement throughout. The concept resonated strongly with brands and retailers across the week, with the recognition from the Creative Retail Awards reflecting both the strength of the idea and its execution.
Liverpool, UK | New partnership to transform lives through music: Jacaranda Records has announced an inspiring partnership with the leading social care charity, Community Integrated Care, to change the lives of local people who draw on care and support through music. Liverpool’s iconic bar, music venue and record store brand is launching JaCAREanda, a creative partnership to champion the charity, which supports thousands of people who have learning disabilities, autistic people, and people in mental health recovery. …Through this partnership, artists performing at Jacaranda venues will generously donate exclusive memorabilia from their concerts—including setlists, song lyrics and equipment. These unique items will be auctioned to fund important support, including music therapy, creative enablement workshops, and music-based reminiscence for older people.
SG | Vinyl fans can now borrow records through Swee Lee’s new library with a subscription: The library is accessible to members of the VMI Connect App, with prices starting from S$29 per month. Music retailer Swee Lee has launched a vinyl lending library in Singapore, which it says is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia. The Swee Lee Vinyl Library is now available to members of the VMI Connect app, with subscription fees starting from S$29 (US$22.60) a month. Through this library, members can borrow and bring home up to three records at a time. They can also listen to the vinyls in listening stations at the store’s Clarke Quay and Star Vista outlets either solo or in pairs. The launch coincides with the debut of the VMI Connect app by Swee Lee’s parent company, Vista Musical Instruments (VMI).
‘Hannah Montana’ Vinyl Returns to Charts Following Show’s 20th-Anniversary Special: Hannah Montana celebrated its 20th anniversary this week with a brand new special on Disney+ that reunited Miley Cyrus and company for a look back at the nostalgic Disney Channel series. While the special unveiled plenty of surprises (including a new song and celebrity cameos), the buzz over Hannah‘s anniversary has also led to a surge of new interest in the show’s popular soundtrack. Hannah Montana spawned five studio albums, including a soundtrack for Hannah Montana: The Movie. …Now, a number of the albums have returned to the bestsellers list, with four Hannah LPs currently sitting in the Top Ten of Amazon’s soundtracks chart. Here’s a look at the trending releases and how to buy them online.
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