In rotation: 8/3/22

Nashville, TN | Ernest Tubb Record Shop Sold to Group That Includes Tubb’s Grandson: The empty building on Lower Broadway in Nashville that was the site of the historic Ernest Tubb Record Shop until it closed in May has been sold, and now it’s co-owned by a relative of the shop’s namesake. The Nashville Scene reported on Friday (July 29) that the three-story building at 417 Broadway has been sold for $18.3 million. Dale Tubb, a grandson of Ernest Tubb, now owns it along with real estate investor Brad Bars and Russian-born, Nashville-based bluegrass picker and session musician Ilya Toshinskiy. The Scene adds that the investors purchased the rights to the record store assets for an undisclosed sum, which creates hope that a shop that operated in downtown Nashville for 75 years may return soon thanks to the Tubb family.

Los Angeles, CA | Vinyl Record Sales are Booming, Study Says: Needle scratch—could it be true? Vinyl record sales have been booming since the start of the pandemic in 2019, with the biggest consumers being Gen Z, according to a new study. Fifteen years ago, vinyl records were all but obsolete, but thanks to the pandemic, sales have skyrocketed, according to a new study. Vinyl has seen a resurgence in the music industry, the study from the Luminate Midyear Music Report finds. Current vinyl album sales are up 27.4% compared to this time last year. Luminate produces foundational entertainment data and consumer studies for over 30 years. Luminate, formerly known as P-MRC Data, answers the unasked questions that direct entertainment’s most crucial decisions. With the return of popular demand of vinyl records, companies have started to repress their catalogs, including records like Nirvana’s iconic “Nevermind” and The Beatles’ “Abbey Road.”

Elizabeth City, NC | Just Shut Up and Listen: Record store opens in EC’s downtown: Kevin Blade grew up listening to his favorite music on vinyl records, which have seen a resurgence in popularity the last 10 years. “First off, vinyl is a growing industry again,” he said. The retired Navy master chief still prefers the crackle and hiss of the needle as it digs into the grooves of the record. “It just sounds better,” Blade said, comparing the warm analogue sound of vinyl records to digital compact discs, which basically replaced records in the early 1990s. So, Blade decided to open his own record store, Shut Up & Listen Records, located at 610 E. Fearing Street. The store officially opened on Saturday, but the Elizabeth City Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting and business after hours event at the new shop Friday evening.

Wichita, KS | Love and Vinyl: At Spektrum Muzik, a new marriage but also an anniversary: A high school student from Mulvane walked into a Wichita record store seven years ago not expecting to find anything aside from some records that she could buy for her vinyl collection. She ended up finding not only some new records, but also her husband, business-partner-to-be and future workplace. Kirsten Phillips is now the full-time manager Spektrum Muzik, which she runs alongside her husband, Adam Phillips, the store’s owner and founder. The couple got married this past January and are also getting ready to celebrate another important milestone in their lives in August — the 10-year anniversary of the store on 905 W. Douglas. “We’re getting ready to have a party and celebration,” Kirsten said, sitting next to Adam. “To him [Adam], it’s so shocking that it’s 10 years. It feels like from when you started, not that you didn’t think it would do well, but he would have never guessed that this is where we would be, especially married.”

Austin, TX | Mohawk, Breakaway Records owners to open high fidelity vinyl bar on Austin’s Music Lane: Inspired by the jazz kissas of Japan, the owners of popular Red River Cultural District club the Mohawk and vinyl outpost Breakaway Records are opening a high fidelity listening room in the basement of Hotel Magdelena on Music Lane in Austin’s South Congress entertainment district. Hospitality management organization Bunkhouse is also involved in the project. According to the BBC, from the 1950s through the 1970s, the high price of audio equipment and imported records kept the innovative music that was redefining American sounds out of reach of average Japanese fans. Hundreds of music aficionados around cities like Tokyo and Kyoto opened tiny hideaway clubs to share their vinyl collections with a rapidly growing base of jazz enthusiasts. Breakaway owner Josh LaRue was “floored by” Japanese jazz kissas he encountered while on tour with his band HiM in the early 2000s. He was impressed with the way the clubs honored the music, “not only records but the experience of listening to them,” he said.

Brisbane, AU | Vinyl Village: Rocking Horse Records is heading across the river to host a vinyl market and listening party at South Bank Piazza. Every Brisbanite with a vinyl collection has bought something from Rocking Horse Records — and over the years, with the store dating back to the 70s, we’ve all bought more than that, too. CDs, DVDs, band merchandise: they’re just some of the reasons that stopping by the city spot has long proven a must. Back in the days before the internet, it was a go-to for gig tickets as well. Fancy trawling through the Brissie icon’s wares, but in the huge surroundings of South Bank Piazza? That’s about to become a reality for one day only. From 12pm on Friday, August 12, Vinyl Village will take over the South Brisbane venue — and bring Rocking Horse across the river. Browsing for and buying all the records you can dream of — thousands of them, in fact — is only part of the fun, however. The record market will run until 8pm, but there’ll be DJ sets from 4.30pm, as hosted by fellow Brisbane legends Ben Ely (from Regurgitator) and Patience Hodgson (from The Grates).

Killer Klowns from Outer Space: Waxwork Records has released the score on vinyl! Next year will mark the thirty-fifth anniversary of the release of Stephen, Charles, and Edward Chiodo’s horror comedy classic Killer Klowns from Outer Space—but Waxwork Records isn’t waiting to get the celebration started. They have just released the film’s complete score by John Massari on vinyl. Killer Klowns from Outer Space has the following synopsis: When teenagers Mike and Debbie see a comet crash outside their sleepy small town, they investigate and discover a pack of murderous aliens who look very much like circus clowns. They try to warn the local authorities, but everyone assumes their story is a prank. Meanwhile, the clowns set about harvesting and eating as many people as they can. It’s not until they kidnap Debbie that Mike decides it’s up to him to stop the clowns’ bloody rampage.

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