Wilmington, NC | Yellow Dog Discs celebrates 20th year of business on Record Store Day: Saturday was Record Store Day, featuring dozens of new releases at record stores across the country. But for one local record store, the day was even more significant. Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of Yellow Dog Discs in Wilmington. The business had to close its doors for a couple months due to the pandemic but reopened in early May. Despite the challenges, store owner Tim Freeman says records are making a major comeback, and so is the store. “Today [Saturday] is record store day drop two,” Freeman said. “We have a lot of exclusive titles in store, just because of the customer base we have that really enjoys records. They come out today and they’re really helping support us. We’ve been busy all day.” Freeman says the store has become so popular they may have to move to a bigger building in the future.
Merthyr Tydfil, UK | Heavy metal vinyl store becomes Merthyr Tydfil’s newest record shop: A Merthyr Tydfil heavy metal fan is capitalising on a current revival of interest in the genre and in vinyl records by opening the first new vinyl store in the town in years. Heavy Metal Merthyr has opened in the upstairs indoor market at St Tydfil Shopping Centre, Merthyr Tydfil with support from the Council’s ‘Meanwhile’ scheme. Owner Paul Bezant, 46, is passionate about vinyl, heavy metal music. A self-taught guitarist, when he was growing up, Paul was a frequent visitor to a town centre music shop that inspired him for the sort of store he wanted to create. The shop will also sell electric guitars by big name brands such as Fender and Jackson (US) and the Japanese Ibanez, Blackstar amplifiers, clothing and other accessories, while Paul is also aiming to eventually become a ticket distributor with promotional events involving local bands. Paul said: “After many years of heavy drinking, I had a liver transplant, which turned my life around. I started volunteering with Drink Wise Age Well, helping others who were in a similar situation. “This inspired me to go ahead and start my own business – and prove what’s possible if you put your mind to it.”
eBay Kicks Off ‘Vinyl Week’ with Ultimate Selection of Records Curated by Independent Record Stores: Music enthusiasts can support small businesses and build their collections by shopping curated staff picks and best-of-the-best finds sourced from shops across the country. eBay, one of the world’s largest and most dynamic marketplaces, kicks off its week-long “vinyl obsession” event with an amazing breadth of rare and trending vinyl curated directly from Record Store Day-pledged stores, available at eBay.com/vinylweek. Now through October 4, shop curated staff picks, collectible titles and a dedicated selection of top albums in a sale benefitting MusiCares. This event celebrates records, music culture and the shops that make it all possible, and there is something for everyone to enjoy. eBay’s Vinyl Week takes record shopping digital with an experience that nods to beloved in-store offerings. From perusing the pre-loved vinyl bin and uncovering a coveted LP to getting recommendations from the experts behind the counter, shoppers can find exactly what they’re looking for from a cohort of small businesses dedicated to bringing record collections to life.
Starkville, MS | Scooter’s Records still rockin’ and rollin’ amid pandemic uncertainty: Scott “Scooter” Thomas sits behind the register and basks in the vocals of Texas-based bluegrass group The Gourds. The tune, “Lower 48,” is part of Thomas’ recent kick on Longhorn State bands, though he explains he tries to flip the music playing over the speakers in his store based on the clientele walking in and out. “If Grandma and her kids are coming in, whenever I see him out the door, I’m probably not going to be playing any heavy metal,” he quipped. With wrists coated in bracelets, beads and metal clasps, Thomas’ denim jacket and long graying hair offer him the befitting look of a man who’s record store boasts a collection of vinyl that numbers more than 10,000. The store itself, aptly named Scooter’s Records, is a passion project of sorts for the Louisville native and Starkville transplant. In his youth, Thomas’ aunt worked at a record store in Hattiesburg — a shop he’d spend countless hours wandering aisles and navigating boxes among greats like Bowie and Springsteen, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. He said the first record he ever received was Elton John’s “Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy,” while the first album he ever purchased was The Kinks’ “Greatest Hits!” He bought the latter at a garage sale for a nickel.
Duff McKagan announces new Guns N’ Roses vinyl but it seems like fans are not happy about it: The legendary multi-instrumentalist and the bassist of the rock band Guns N’ Roses, Duff McKagan, posted a new photo on his official Instagram account and announced that GN’R has released a new vinyl. As Duff uses her lovely wife and beautiful star Susan Holmes McKagan as a model for the announcement of new vinyl of Guns N’ Roses, he also stated that he’s kind of a nerd for records these days. Guns N’ Roses’ Greatest Hits was released as a 2 LP format and now available on Amazon for $38.98. However, most of the fans did not like the breaking news of Duff McKagan. Lots of followers of Duff went to the comment section and stated that GN’R should release new music as a band. The fans want to push Duff and other members to record something new instead of re-releasing their old stuff. Besides the fans are not happy about not having any news about the new album of the band, over 40K people did not hesitate to push the like button on the post.
