The Best Remaining Record Stores in America: Gentlemen, we are in the midst of a vinyl revolution. You’ve heard that phrase over and over again, but it really is true. People all over the world—young and old—are discovering and rediscovering the warmth and tonality of high fidelity vinyl sound and experiential listening one record sleeve and liner note at a time. But where does one procure such archaic wares? (Ugh. —Ed.)
A Hit-Predicting Algorithm Is Keeping This Record Store Afloat, Bull Moose a Maine-based chain, licenses its data analytics software to other small retailers: A visitor to any one of Bull Moose’s 12 stores in Maine and New Hampshire would be hard-pressed to see the future of brick-and-mortar retailing there. The uniform display racks and fluorescent lighting are utilitarian, offering up a warehouse-size selection of new and used CDs and LPs, movies (including straight-to-VHS horror flicks), video games, and books that evokes the golden era of the 1990s. What sets Bull Moose apart from other independent media store chains is the software behind it.
Toronto’s Microforum Signs with Viryl Technologies to Build State-of-the-art Record Pressing Plant: Microforum signs an agreement for the purchase and installation of Viryl’s “WarmTone” vinyl pressing lines at its Toronto, Ontario manufacturing facility. Viryl Technologies’ presses are the most advanced vinyl record presses in the world. “These presses are modern, fully-automatic and in a class of their own. We studied the options and the WarmTone press was the clear winner”, says Microforum President Frank Stipo.
The world’s best record shops #034: Discos Paradiso, Barcelona: Co-owner Gerad Condemines used to work at local store La Ruta Natural whilst fellow native Catalan Arnau Farrés would sell flea market finds on Discogs. Their joint obsession with rarities sent them hunting for vinyl all over Europe. Eventually they decided to channel their efforts into a brick-and-mortar, opening Discos Paradiso in the Raval neighbourhood. Since its inception in the Raval neighbourhood in April 2010, the store has become a focus point for Barcelona’s dance and experimental scene.
Now that anyone can be a DJ, is the art form dead?: In the 1990s, DJs who rose to the top had generally paid their dues. Alan Banks, onesuch, says he started on school radio and graduated to local bars before promoting his own nights in big London clubs such as Heaven. Mr Banks would spend hours preparing for a set, learning the break-points of records, counting bars and arranging the tunes in his box by their musical keys. The tables, though, were about to turn.
