Black Friday & Holiday Shopping Send Vinyl Album Sales Soaring, Led by Adele’s ’30’: Weekly U.S. vinyl album sales jump to their second-largest week since MRC Data began tracking sales in 1991. 2021 Black Friday sales and general holiday shopping promotions helped yield an eye-popping week for vinyl album sales in the U.S. In the week ending Dec. 2, vinyl album sales totaled 1.46 million (up 39%) – marking the second-biggest week for the format since MRC Data began tracking sales in 1991. The only larger week in the MRC Data era for vinyl album sales was registered in the week ending Dec. 24, 2020, when 1.84 million albums were sold. Overall, in the week ending Dec. 2, vinyl LP sales accounted for 46% of all albums sold in the U.S. (1.46 million of 3.17 million). Further, of just physical album sales (vinyl LP, CDs, cassettes, etc.), vinyl LP sales represented 54% of all albums sold for the week (1.46 million of 2.7 million). Vinyl’s influence can be seen in the latest top 10 of Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Dec. 11), where most of the titles in the region benefit greatly from vinyl sales.
Las Vegas, NV | As vinyl demand soars, Las Vegas record stores struggle to keep up: Along the red shelves at Zia Records are a bounty of CDs, DVDs and, of course, records, sheathed in plastic and tagged with price stickers. The store, which has two locations in Las Vegas, sells the music industry’s most popular physical format, purchases of which have boomed during the pandemic. The process of pressing vinyl—with approximately 23 minutes of music per 12-inch record—remains the same as it was decades ago. What has changed dramatically in recent months, however, is the time it takes stores like Zia to receive new records, or fresh copies of old ones, and get them out where customers can buy them. “It’s more difficult to expect to have everything available all the time,” says Mike Durham, media buyer for Zia. “It never really was [easy], but there’s been more issues with that [lately].” A shortage of vinyl pressing plants and key materials, along with recent supply chain and labor issues, have dragged the process down at a time when demand has skyrocketed.
Miami, FL | Best Record Stores In Miami: There’s nothing like a bit of nostalgia to calm the mind after a busy day. Whether it’s putting on a classic film, enjoying a childhood snack or listening to throwback tunes, all of these activities can provide a sense of comfort. For music lovers, arguably the most nostalgic form of listening to music is through record players. Something about the hum and slight imperfections of records gives the listener a more authentic experience compared to blasting Spotify through your headphones. We have rounded up the best record stores in Miami if you’re craving a slice of nostalgia.
Hamburg, DE | New record store opens in Hamburg: Remoto-Rec occupies the site formerly home to Smallville Records. A new record store called Remoto-Rec has opened in Hamburg. After Smallville Records’ long-running shop closed last month, the team behind Remoto-Rec took over the space in Neuer Kamp. The new store will stock fresh electronic releases, as well as second-hand vinyl, tapes, merch and DJ equipment. The space also plans to host workshops, in-stores and intimate shows, with the aim of becoming a “meeting point for the exchange of musical ideas in the field of electronic music and beyond,” cofounder Lars Witte told Resident Advisor. Additionally, in partnership with local shop 70s Stereo, Remoto-Rec will stock a selection of vintage hi-fi systems and turntables, and run a repair service in-store.
San Luis Obispo, CA | Local record stores dish out used music, movies, memorabilia, and other giftable merchandise: Sometimes the best thing about walking into a record shop isn’t browsing through the store’s music selection, it’s stumbling upon the wacky pop culture artifacts you’re likely to find. Some of this stuff goes even beyond that designation, into the realm of vintage Happy Meal toys and other niche commodities outside the collective zeitgeist. What makes the purveyors of such items so great for holiday shopping is you come in to find a gift for the music aficionado in your family, and end up multitasking in the process—picking out an extra present or two for your Hamburglar-loving uncle. You can find a plethora of these kinds of shops all along the Central Coast, but here’s a small handful of local gems to consider if you can’t decide where to start. Happy hunting!
Liverpool, UK | Another rare Yoko Ono vinyl ‘worth thousands’ turns up in Liverpool city centre. The record is one of only 50 limited edition copies in existence and could be yours for £10: Another limited edition vinyl ‘worth thousands’ has arrived in a Liverpool city centre and could be yours for just £10. The Jacaranda Club is one of 50 lucky recipients of a signed limited edition vinyl copy of ‘Merry Xmas (War Is Over) by Yoko Ono and Beatles legend John Lennon. Yoko and her son Sean have donated the copies to charities and record stores in Merseyside in what has been described as a ‘beautiful gesture’ to the city. Located in Liverpool city centre, The Jacaranda has been firmly cemented in music history since it opened in 1958. The founder of the club Allan Williams was known for being the Fab Four’s first manager. The artist, musician and philanthropist has bowled staff at The Brain Charity over by sending them an extremely rare and collectable limited edition vinyl acetate of her single Happy Xmas (War is Over), that she released with her late husband, Beatles legend John Lennon.
Tacoma, WA | Tacoma has a new bookstore. In age of Amazon, its owners believe the gamble will pay off: Meredith and Brian Kenney are no strangers to people questioning their business decisions. They’ve heard it all before, and — so far, at least — have always managed to prove the naysayers wrong. Roughly 17 years ago, the married couple opened Hi-Voltage Records in Tacoma, a new and used record store originally located about a block from the corner of Sixth Avenue and South Anderson Street, where it now resides. Brian was a rock guitarist known regionally for his ‘90s band Lazy Susan. Meredith had a background in bookkeeping. Together, they decided to combine their passions and talents into a business that has succeeded where plenty of others have failed. Now they’re at it again, this time with a bookstore. In the year 2021. No, really.
Nashville, TN | Coping With Bottlenecks in the Vinyl Supply Chain: Talking with Centripetal Force’s Mike Mannix and Vinyl Tap’s Todd Hedrick about the pivots indie labels and stores are making. Demand for vinyl records has been climbing for more than a decade and has truly exploded in the past few years. But many independent artists and labels are facing major delays in pressing and distributing vinyl, forcing them to push back vinyl releases by months. The situation has also made the challenge of operating an independent record store even tougher. The increased interest in the format over the past 15 years isn’t all bad news. In the first half of 2021 alone, revenue from vinyl records grew to $467 million according to the Recording Industry Association of America. …“I think a lot of that demand is wrapped up in large independent record labels and major record labels,” says Mike Mannix, owner of Centripetal Force, a Nashville independent label that leans toward psychedelia. “If anything, it makes it harder for me to sell my records, because there’s so much vinyl in the marketplace now.”
