Farmington, MI | Dearborn Music to open new record store in downtown Farmington this week: It was earlier this summer when we first broke the news that Dearborn Music would be opening a new location in downtown Farmington. It’s a banner year for the Dearborn-based record store, a cultural touchstone for music fans throughout the region and beyond. Sales and specials have helped celebrate the store’s 65th year in business all summer long. Now owners Rick and Kevin LeAnnais have something else to celebrate. The brothers, who bought the business from their father in 2001, will open the doors to the new Farmington location this Thursday, Sept. 2, at 10 a.m. The store will operate under its normal business hours through a “soft opening,” with the official grand opening celebration being planned for later in September.
Chicago, IL | Love of arts leads couple to open store: Chantala Kommanivanh and Mallory McClaire both have a love for the arts. Kommanivanh is an artist whose work has been featured locally, and McClaire has a background in cultural affairs and event programming. Together, the local couple has now opened a new record store in East Beverly. Beverly Phono Mart, 1808 W. 103rd St., hosted its grand opening on Aug. 28-29. Besides selling records, the shop will also feature art exhibits and host live music. “We both love music,” McClaire said. “It’s a shared passion of ours. And to be able to build a business in our community is really important. It’s about the records themselves, but also the community aspect of it and getting to meet new neighbors who also love music.” McClaire, a Beverly native, and Kommanivanh, an Albany Park native, said they grew tired of having to drive north to visit record stores, though they have shopped at Beverly Records. But even worse on those long trips north, sometimes, shops were closed.
Fond du Lac, WI | Mad Hatteur on the move 48 years after opening little record shop that still vibes like the 70s: One of the state’s oldest record stores is still going strong in Northeast Wisconsin, after half a century of selling vinyl and an eclectic assortment of potpourri reminiscent of the 1960s and ’70s. Mad Hatteur Music in Fond du Lac recently moved down the street to a corner lot at 459 S. Main St., the former location of F1 Computer Systems. Owner Mike Bigsby has been with the throw-back vinyl shop for 48 years, after former owner Chuck Rhodes hired him for what was his first part-time job. Bigsby purchased the business six years ago from Rhodes, who died July 13. Mad Hatteur began back in the heyday of rock ‘n roll. After a short stay at a Forest Avenue location near Main Street, Rhodes opened at 231 N. Main St. in 1973, with $2,500 worth of stock and business partner John Stitt.
BMG Reports Record Half-Year Earnings As Vinyl Overtakes CDs for the First Time: During 2021’s opening half, BMG generated a record €296 million (approximately $349.34 million at the present exchange rate), with a streaming-driven recorded-earnings uptick having offset a plateau in publishing income, according to a newly released financial analysis from the label and publisher’s Bertelsmann parent company. Berlin-headquartered BMG’s operations across Q1 and Q2 2021 accounted for roughly $350 million of Bertelsmann’s $10.27 billion (€8.7 billion) in total revenue – up from about $332.84 million (€282 million) during the same stretch in 2020. Moreover, BMG’s H1 2021 earnings, as was also the case for those reported in H1 2020, represent the 13-year-old music company’s “best first-half performance yet.” Predictably, streaming – which has helped each of the Big Three labels enjoy double-digit year-over-year revenue growth in 2021 – played a key role in BMG’s performance in all of 2020 as well as H1 2021.
Europe Vinyl Records Market Report 2021-2025 with Focus on UK, Germany, Netherlands: The vinyl records market in Europe is poised to grow by $96.68 mn during 2021-2025, progressing at a CAGR of about 6%. The market is driven by the increasing demand for vinyl records of old music and songs and increasing number of promotional events. The report on vinyl records market in Europe provides a holistic analysis, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis covering around 25 vendors. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current Europe market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The vinyl records market in Europe analysis include product segment, distribution channel segment, and geographic landscape. This study identifies the aesthetic appeal of vinyl records as one of the prime reasons driving the vinyl records market in Europe growth during the next few years.
