AU | Double J Collector’s Edition: Take 5 instores, ticket giveaways, physical media on radio: For the next few weeks, Double J is celebrating music in its most physical form. The Double J Collector’s Edition is all about vinyl, CDs, magazines, posters — if you can hold it in your hands and a human (not an algorithm) made it, we’re shining a light on it. Here’s what’s in store: Take 5: live in record stores As part of it, we’re heading into record stores with some very special guests—and we want you to come along. Zan Rowe will visit four record stores in New South Wales and Victoria to record rare, intimate live episodes of the Take 5 podcast, which celebrates 20 years in 2026.
Denver, CO | Wax Trax Pushes Established Legacy As Vinyl Institution Across Colorado: Just like any thriving industry, vinyl has its institutions. Some point to Amoeba Records in Los Angeles or shops like Rough Trade and Newbury Comics, but in Colorado, a humble operation has opened its doors to new generations of collectors since the mid-seventies. Wax Trax Records has become a landmark, not only for vinyl fanatics, but the local community as well. The mom-and-pop operation now boasts four locations across the great state of Colorado while maintaining a quaint feel across its wax empire, making it one of the more recognizable and long-standing names in record collecting. Wax Trax shows no signs of slowing down.
Phoenix, AZ | No stage, no problem: DIY music venues across downtown Phoenix: From record shops to crepe cafes, the Valley’s DIY scene makes venues out of everyday spaces. …Central Records is a small record shop and venue that is a 10-minute walk from the Downtown Phoenix campus. On Oct. 14, Central Records is hosting Solace Bloom with support acts Stab and Featherframe. Solace Bloom is a contemporary shoegaze and dream pop band. They released their EP “FIRM ROOTS” on Oct. 31, 2025. Every first Saturday of the month, Central Records hosts a house party with guest DJs. Their upcoming party is on Saturday, and ticket sales will be donated to one·n·ten.
London, UK | Zuru’s Mini Brands brings vinyl pop-up to London: The one-day Listening Lounge welcomed crowds in London over the weekend with music, giveaways and refreshments Zuru’s Mini Brands turned up the volume on its Really Works Vinyl collection last weekend with a one-day Listening Lounge pop-up café in London, created by experiential agency Backlash. A pop-up retro record store, decked out in neon vinyl signage, crates of mini records, and a live DJ spinning mini-sized hits, welcomed crowds on 26 September. With real coffee and real crowds, guests moved through the Listening Lounge to spin the Really Works Vinyl collection on real-size and mini-size record players, all while sipping a free Mini Brands-themed coffee.
Hagerstown, MD | From Black Flag to blues legends, October fills Hub City Vinyl stage: Live at Hub City Vinyl will bring 16 nationally touring acts and special events to downtown Hagerstown throughout October, featuring genres that range from hardcore punk and bluegrass to jazz, blues, country and tribute performances. The monthlong lineup includes concerts, tribute shows and a community vendor event, according to a community announcement. Performances begin Oct. 1 with Black Flag and conclude Oct. 31 with a Halloween-themed show by Better Off Dead. Among the earliest shows is Black Flag on Oct. 1, featuring founding guitarist Greg Ginn alongside bassist David Rodriguez, drummer Bryce Weston and vocalist London Downey.
AU | Revisiting ‘High Fidelity.’ What one last flick through the bargain bin at Championship Vinyl reveals. The hero’s journey of High Fidelity (2000) is a modest one: it simply describes one man’s passage from being a total arsehole to mere arsehole. Middle-aged record store owner Rob Gordon (John Cusack) is inert and chronically self-absorbed. His verbal dexterity does not extend to personal insight, and so his extravagant self-pity is never relieved by his awareness that he suffers from a wretched case of arrested development. Based Nick Hornby’s 1995 novel of the same name—a pop-cultural phenomenon much like his 1992 memoir Fever Pitch, another book about male obsessiveness and emotional repression—the film didn’t suffer from its being transplanted to Chicago from London. Rob Gordon was universal.
Bloomington, IN | Bloomington Music Expo returns Saturday with 60 tables of records and memorabilia: The Bloomington Music Expo will return Saturday with 28 vendors offering records, CDs, cassettes, posters, clothing and other music memorabilia at Switchyard Park Pavilion. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 3 at the pavilion, 1601 S. Rogers St. Admission is $2 at the door. Children 12 and younger will be admitted free. Organized by For The Record Vinyl, the fall expo will feature dealers from Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan. Thousands of new and used items will be available, including vinyl records, 45s, CDs, cassettes, record supplies and collectibles.
Tampa, FL | WMNF’s Annual Record & CD Sale Is Back! Saturday, November 7. Calling all vinyl lovers, CD collectors and music hunters! WMNF’s Annual Record & CD Sale returns Saturday, November 7, and this year’s selection is shaping up to be one of our best yet. Over the past several months, WMNF listeners and volunteers have donated an incredible collection of CDs, albums and 45s—and now it’s time to give all that music a new home. Dig through what may be one of the best CD selections in town, plus an equally impressive collection of 45s and albums. Every item has been inspected, cleaned, and researched before hitting the sale. Whether you’re searching for a favorite album, filling a hole in your collection or just love the thrill of discovering something unexpected, come dig through the crates with WMNF.
Sonopress Expands EcoRecord Production: Ten additional machines planned for 2027 to 2029 as the format gains strong market momentum. Sonopress plans to expand the global EcoRecord production capacity to a total of 15 machines by 2029. The announcement was made by the leading manufacturer of physical music products ahead of this year’s Making Vinyl Europe industry conference, taking place in Haarlem, the Netherlands, from 30 September to 2 October. Sonopress Managing Director Sven Deutschmann said: “EcoRecord has successfully established itself in the market. In response to continuously growing demand, we plan to commission ten additional state-of-the-art injection-molding machines by 2029 to produce this resource-efficient LP format.”
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