‘The vinyl business is only going to grow. At the moment it’s where Mp3 players were in the ’90s.’ Vinyl records are one of the music industry’s biggest comeback stories. Once on the verge of being relegated to history’s list of obsolete technology, sales of the format are now thriving in the streaming age and growing in major markets. In the US, for example, according to the RIAA, mid-year revenues (on a retail basis) from vinyl albums grew 22% to $570 million, while vinyl’s share of the physical market increased from 68% to 73%. In the UK, as of September 2022, year-to-date, vinyl albums generated retail revenues of £80.9 million, up 12.2% YoY, according to stats published by the Entertainment Retailers Association. Indeed, vinyl has become so popular with music consumers that manufacturers are coming under increased pressure to keep up with growing demand. One company that believes it has the solution to long lead times in the vinyl manufacturing space is UK-based elasticStage.
Lincoln, RI | In an age of streaming, Kangaroo CDs & Tapes still giving customers something to hold onto: It’s a June night in 1997 and the Wu-Tang Clan just released their new album, “Wu-Tang Forever.” Two-hundred eager customers line up at Kangaroo CDs & Tapes on Mineral Spring Avenue for the store’s midnight release of the album. There’s just one problem – the town of North Providence does not allow midnight sales. Store owner Linda Bowen recalls the police arriving on the scene that night to shut it down. As she remembers it, she didn’t realize the late-night release would be an issue, but the police “were nice enough to let all the kids in line pick up their CDs and tapes.” In today’s world of Spotify and various other music streaming services, Bowen doesn’t encounter situations quite like that one anymore. But she’s still making sales and serving customers at the storefront that’s been a well-known part of the local community since it opened in 1989.
Phnom Penh, KH | Musician archives classic vinyl records: Keo Sinan, a former musician, has kept 401 vinyl records which date from the 1940’s to 1975 safe for more than 50 years. Recently, the 78-year-old told The Post about his last wish. For more than 20 years, he has dreamt of opening a small museum in his hometown in Baray district in Kampong Thom province, to display the music of the Kingdom’s “Golden era” for the next generation. Sinan was born in 1944 in Svay village of Baray commune and district, Kampong Thom province. He currently lives in Boeung Samreth village of the same commune. In his long life, he has been blessed with six children and 20 grandchildren. He spoke to The Post at a November 30 launch party for Khmer edition of the graphic novel The Golden Voice Queen, which tells the tale of famed singer Ros Serey Sothea. “Today I have 401 records of songs from the 60s and 70s, with about 900 songs. Most of the songs are by Sin Sisamuth, Ros Serey Sothea, Pen Ron, Keo Sokha (Keo Montha’s young sister), Nov Narin and a few other singers,” he said.
Duluth, MN | Globe News, landmark store in Superior, changing ownership: A landmark Superior collectible store—along with its iconic sign—has been sold to new owners who plan to maintain all its nostalgic charm. Globe News owner Tom Unterberger announced last week that he has sold the historic building at Tower Avenue and Belknap Street along with all its contents to a partnership group headed by a longtime customer. Unterberger and his wife, Jill, purchased the building with the help of his parents in 1982 and slowly converted its corner newsstand into a retail store filled with books, music, trading cards and a wide variety of vintage gifts. The store will officially change hands Jan. 1. …Globe News includes a used record store called the Vinyl Cave and a backroom filled with comic books, sports memorabilia, compact discs and trading cards. A front section features new and used magazines, DVDS, books, greeting cards and gifts among other things.
Mount Pleasant, SC | Best gift for record-player enthusiasts: What to get the vinyl record lover in your life: For the past few decades, record players have been making a comeback. In stark contrast to the currently popular online streaming model of music, record-player enthusiasts own the music they listen to and listen to it analog-style. Whether they’re collectors who like the physicality of vinyl or audiophiles who prefer the warmer sound of records, people of all stripes are getting into record collecting. For anyone who’s into vinyl records, a gift that will amp up their listening experience can be the best thing to receive. If you’re looking for a useful gift for the record player enthusiast in your life, here are some suggestions for useful, not-too-kitschy gifts.
Being the Ricardos Vinyl Edition Soundtrack Coming in January: Lakeshore Records is releasing a vinyl edition of the Being the Ricardos – Amazon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on January 6. It is now available to pre-order from the Lakeshore Records shop. Composed by Daniel Pemberton (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Enola Holmes), the limited Classic Black Vinyl pressing features the delectable score and artwork from the acclaimed film. “Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) are threatened by shocking personal accusations, a political smear, and cultural taboos in Academy Award-winning writer and director Aaron Sorkin’s behind-the-scenes drama Being the Ricardos,” says the synopsis for the film. “A revealing glimpse of the couple’s complex romantic and professional relationship, the film takes audiences into the writers’ room, onto the soundstage, and behind closed doors with Ball and Arnaz during one critical production week of their groundbreaking sitcom I Love Lucy.”
Stax teams up with Craft Recordings to deliver on anniversary of Wattstax Benefit Concert: Stax Records and Craft Recordings celebrate the 50th anniversary of Wattstax Benefit Concert with a full suite of new releases. Stax Records and Craft Recordings are proud to announce the release of multiple new titles paying homage to the iconic Wattstax Benefit Concert which took place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on August 20, 1972. Soul’d Out: The Complete Wattstax Collection, Wattstax: The Complete Concert, and The Best of Wattstax, plus 2-LP reissues of the original soundtrack albums Wattstax: The Living Word and The Living Word: Wattstax 2 will all be released on February 24. In celebration of the 1973 Columbia Pictures music documentary, Sony Pictures will re-release Wattstax at participating Alamo Drafthouse locations throughout the U.S. from February 24. Created in conjunction with the annual Watts Summer Festival to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Watts uprising in Los Angeles, the Wattstax benefit concert was attended by more than 100,000 people. It featured performances from Stax Records’ most popular artists of the time, including, but not limited to, Isaac Hayes, The Staple Singers, Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas and The Bar-Kays.
