Miami, FL | New record store opens in Miami: Named after the owner’s PhD project, fruit fly records will specialise in vinyl in mint or near-mint condition. Miami’s newest record store is hosting a launch party tonight, January 27th. fruit fly records is the brainchild of biologist and university lecturer Giovanni Hanna, who was inspired to open the shop while studying for a PhD on fruit flies. “I made the decision while losing my mind during the PhD and because I needed to do something else that produced results,” he told Resident Advisor. The store will specialise in vinyl in mint or near-mint condition. He sourced his collection from distributors and more than a thousand other sources globally over the last ten years. “If you’re as neurotic or more neurotic than I am about vinyl quality, then we’re connected by our appreciation of what great quality music entails and in our preservation of that history on vinyl,” he said.
Record Store Day announces Amanda Shires and Jason Isbell as 2023 Ambassadors: …Alongside several titles on past Record Store Day release lists, both musicians make sure that the planning for both their many solo albums and those of their bands (Jason’s The 400 Unit) and supergroups (Amanda’s The Highwomen, with fellow RSD Ambassador Brandi Carlile!) places not only physical formats front and center, but record stores as well, with special vinyl variants and/or early release dates for stores. It only makes sense that together they have a title on the list of releases made to celebrate Record Store Day 2023, and The Sound Emporium EP is that title. The exclusive EP, which contains new songs from both Jason (“Hired Gun”) and Amanda (“Old Habits”), a Richard Thompson cover, and a reimagined track from the Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit album Here We Rest, comes to participating indie record stores on April 22.
Kyiv, UA | Closer have announced that they will be shortly shuttering their record store: In a poignant and very spiritual posting on their Instagram channel and in full via their Telegram channel Ukraine’s Closer crew have announced that they will be sadly closing down their record store. With the obvious stresses and ongoing travesties of the war with Russia it is understandable that operations have become stretched. In true Closer ethos, the team have gotten back to as much as resembles normality as possible. This has resulted in a program of events taking place at the club which included massive events on both NYE and NYD. Moving on to the news about their record store and their rather emotional but upbeat announcement confirming that they will shortly be closing down their record store. Rather than being glum the Closer family were surprisingly resolute about the closure decision. Their spiritual mind-set meant that the hard-fought situation was not so much a sad end but as the completion of a worthy experience and it has been visually created as the above colourful mandala.
Rutland, VT | Vinyl still spins its magic in Rutland: …Mountain Music, in business for a decade, sells used and new vinyl. “Old stuff is being re-pressed,” Tourigny continued. “You can get everything on vinyl now.” The store has also has a good selection of vintage audio equipment, in addition to jewelry (made by Tourigny), clothing, and CDs. “We’re really happy when new people are getting into the hobby and are happy to help them get started with equipment and records,” Tourigny said. “We have dollar bins full of records and audiophile pressings for $150—there’s something for everybody.” Record Store Day, a national event celebrating independent record stores, will be coming up in April and again on Black Friday after Thanksgiving. New records, limited editions, represses are released that day, according to Tourigny. Whether you’re new to vinyl and like the novelty or you’re a seasoned owner, the trend continues.
Voyage Vinyl: I’ve sailed on every major cruise line but the entertainment on adults-only Virgin Voyages blew me away, from drag disco to a sex therapy show: …I was surprised to find an onboard record shop called Voyage Vinyl, where a resident DJ played some of the shop’s collection. With another nod to Virgin’s music-loving mission, Scarlet Lady had a vinyl record shop onboard my sailing. I thought the space was really cool and noticed it had an occasional DJ spinning selections from disco to rock and country hits. While the shop didn’t seem that large compared to land-based music stores, I thought the record selection was eclectic with albums from artists like Billy Joel, Stevie Nicks, Willie Nelson, Lizzo, and Depeche Mode. The lighting inside the shop was also neat, adding a nightclub vibe with deep blue and purple hues at all hours of the day. …In all my years sailing, I have never seen a record shop on a cruise ship, so I thought this was a feature that really made Virgin Voyages stand out from the others.
Melbourne, AU | Iconic record store waves goodbye to its CBD location after nearly three decades: The CBD’s most beloved record store, Basement Discs has announced it will be closing its doors after trading for nearly 30 years, devastating music lovers and the wider community. Like many CBD-based businesses, Basement Discs, has not been immune to the effects of COVID lockdowns and the financial challenges it still presents today. “It’s very sad to leave what we regarded as our home,” the store’s co-owner Suzanne Bennett told CBD News after confirming she and her husband Rod Jacobs would be closing their store at the Block Arcade (Block Place) on January 31 after 29 years. But she added, “I want to make clear that this was not our choice and that our landlord would not negotiate.” “We’re devastated; we’ve put so much love and passion and money into building this business and renovating this space. Everything has been a labour of love.”
Osaka, JP | Panasonic to End Production of Blu-Ray Discs for Recording: Japanese electronics giant Panasonic Corp. has said it will terminate the production of Blu-ray Discs for recording in February. All of such products sold on the open market will be subject to the production halt. No successor products will be released. Panasonic said it found difficulty in continuing to secure profits amid falling demand for Blu-ray Discs. The company started selling Blu-ray Discs for recording in 2006. Demand for the products has diminished, however, as hard disk drive capacity improved. The spread of a lifestyle in which people watch videos anytime and anywhere using devices such as smartphones was also behind the slumping sales of Blu-ray Discs. Still, Panasonic said it will continue the production of Blu-ray recorders.
Do box sets matter in the Spotify era? Musicians and studios put loads of time and money into special edition commemorative releases, most of which will never be experienced by listeners. From The Velvet Underground to Joni Mitchell, it seems everyone is rolling out a special edition box set these days. Just look at the last few months: In early November (just in time for the holidays), Paul McCartney announced The 7” Singles Box, a limited collection of 80 7” vinyl records chronicling his career alongside a 148-page book full of recording notes and essays from music journalist Rob Sheffield and McCartney himself—all stuffed into a strap-sealed redwood pine crate. Meanwhile, Wilco released in September a 20-year anniversary edition of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot containing 82 previously unreleased tracks, a hardcover book, previously unpublished photos of the band taken during the time of recording, and eight new front album covers. But there’s a problem: Most listeners will never see the brand-new covers.
