UK | Independent record store Rough Trade relaunches music subscription service: Independent music retailer Rough Trade has expanded its music subscription service, Rough Trade Club, to broaden its appeal in-store, online and for events. The music subscription service, which was formally available to customers for £30 a month for LPs or £15 a month for CDs, has had a complete makeover, with a whole new selection of offers split into three tiers and a design overhaul. The new model now consists of three tiers – Tier 1 (basic tier), Tier 2.1 and Tier 2.2 – all available at different price points to make the Club more accessible and appealing. …Designed for loyal customers who regularly come to the shop, to events and buy online, Tier 1 subscribers will get free shipping on all orders all received in our iconic packaging, 10% off food and drinks at the bar, exclusive access to events, early access to online sales and 10% off Rough Trade Vintage in-store.
Opelika, AL | Alabama record shop feels the wrath of ‘Swifties’ after ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ release: Russell Baggett, who owns 10,000 Hz—a small, locally owned vinyl record store in Opelika—felt the wrath of “Swifties” late Thursday night as the contingent of Taylor Swift fans anxiously awaited the pop star’s release of “1989 (Taylor’s Version)”. “Nobody was messaging us saying, ‘I’m going to come to your house and literally kill you’,” Baggett said. “But there were some people who were not very nice about some things. There were some kinda veiled threats.” The backlash started after Baggett teased a Swift-related surprise on the shop’s Instagram page. Thursday afternoon’s Instagram post featured pictures of cardboard squares with “Taylor Swift 1989 ‘Taylor’s Version’” and “Super Secret Taylor Swift 1989 ‘Taylor’s Version’” scrawled across them in black permanent marker. The post’s caption read: “Midnight tonight… also a good time to buy Taylor Swift records, just FYI.”
Orlando, FL | Park Ave CDs announces retail store expansion for their 39th anniversary: Park Ave CDs is expanding into the former diner next door. One of Orlando’s most redoubtable independent record stores is turning 39 and giving itself a large birthday gift in the form of more leg-room. Park Ave CDs this week announced the expansion of their store, located in Audubon Park. The record shop is set to expand into the somewhat ill-starred former diner space next door. “You will certainly find newly expanded sections for vinyl along with some other creative ideas we can’t share with you just yet,” said Park Ave CDs staff in a post on their Facebook. Established in 1984, and having long moved on from their former namesake location on Park Avenue near Rollins College, the store is celebrating 39 years slinging vinyl (and, yes, CDs) in Orlando.
Stamford, UK | Rock On Records, in Stamford, to launch sale of 5p and 10p stock after flood hits owner’s Ketton home in Rutland: Thousands of vinyl records are to be sold for 10 pence or less after unprecedented flooding hit the home of a record shop owner. Rock On Records was opened in Stamford last year by former Thin Lizzy manager Ted Carroll as a means to clear out his huge archive of vinyl, with all profits going to charities. But when last Friday’s torrential rain flooded the cellar of his Ketton home, as the River Chater burst its banks, thousands of record sleeves were ruined, including around 800 albums and 12 inches. …“Water does not damage vinyl, however record sleeves after being submerged in water are history and have to be thrown away,” said Ted. “About 2,500 seven-inch singles have been damaged so we will sell them off cheap for 5p or 10p, and albums will be a pound or whatever we can get for them.”
Duluth, MN | River City Records & Books opening in Lincoln Park: River City Records & Books will be opening in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Duluth on Saturday October 28. Dury Nelson, the store manager said they will offer an eclectic assortment of vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, books, comics, VHSs, DVDs, and Blu-rays. “We try to keep it different; exciting,” explained Nelson. “We try not to have too much of the same thing or something that you can kind of find anywhere.” River City Records & Books is located at 1814 W. Superior St. in Duluth.
Washington, DC | The unusual gifts the Bidens gave Anthony Albanese and Jodie Haydon at private dinner meeting—and what the Aussie couple gave in return as they huddle at the White House: The White House showed it had done its homework on Australia’s music-loving prime minister with a gift specially tailored to suit Anthony Albanese’s amateur DJing skills. US President Joe Biden, his wife Jill exchanged gifts with Anthony Albanese and his partner Jodie Haydon in Washington on Wednesday, as they met for a private dinner ahead of an elaborate state affair on Thursday. Mr Albanese was given a custom signature turntable from a family-owned American audio manufacturer – a present ideal for the noted vinyl record enthusiast to spin some of his favourite tracks. He also received an antique writing desk designed in 1886 while Ms Haydon was given by Dr Biden a green enamel and diamond necklace by an American jeweller.
Gone Home celebrates tenth anniversary with vinyl soundtrack reissue: To celebrate the tenth anniversary of iconic queer indie game Gone Home, Fullbright is partnering with iam8bit to release a limited reissue of the game’s soundtrack on vinyl. Pre-orders are currently open to secure one of the 1000 pressings, which are expected to ship starting in Q1 of 2024. The record itself is a 180g black vinyl, and also includes a digital copy of Chris Remo’s soundtrack. …In Gone Home, we play as a young woman who has just returned to her childhood home in the summer of 1995 after spending a year abroad. Instead of finding her parents and younger sister waiting to greet her, however, she comes home to an empty house. To figure out what happened, you explore the house in first person, discovering things about your family you didn’t know and getting reacquainted with them during your search.
The Mars Volta’s Omar Rodríguez-López releasing 20 years of solo material as 57-LP box set: Omar Rodríguez-López (The Mars Volta, At The Drive In) will release all of his solo material from 2004 until the present in a 57-LP box set, Amor de Frances. Of the 57 albums, two are previously unreleased, and 31 are being pressed to vinyl for the first time. They’re housed in four boxes, with cover art that’s been “lovingly recreated to preserve the essence of the original releases.” Pre-orders for the limited-to-500 set begin on October 30 via Clouds Hill Music, with pre-orders for the 57 individual LPs to follow on December 1. Omar is also the subject of a new documentary, Omar and Cedric: If This Ever Gets Weird, which premieres on 10/28 at independent UK film festival Raindance. It’s largely made up of hundreds of hours of footage filmed by Omar over the last 40 years.
London, ON | Ongoing History Daily: The most durable recording medium is… Here’s a question: what is the best and most reliable way to store music for the ages? I’m talking decades and centuries. What’s the best recording medium as far as longevity goes? Could it be the vinyl record? Studies by IBM in Germany suggest that this is the way to go. They found that CD-Rs–you know, the ones you burn on your computer–can start to degrade after as little as two years. By year five, they’re definitely starting to lose their ability to store information. Pre-recorded CDs last substantially longer–if they don’t warp and become corrupted with moisture between layers. Magnetic tape (like cassettes) can reliably last for up to a century. But vinyl? Well, vinyl is plastic and plastic is forever. As long as you have a working turntable, you should be able to play your favourite vinyl records a thousand years from now–which is more than you can say for any other media.
