Luminate Expands How It Counts Indie Retail Sales for Billboard Charts Via New Partnership: The data firm will now collect indie physical music sales data from StreetPulse as Billboard’s Tastemakers Albums chart is rebranded Indie Store Album Sales. Luminate, which provides data to the Billboard charts, has signed a new partnership that will enable it to report more direct U.S. independent music retail data than ever before, the company announced Wednesday (April 24). Under the partnership — which took effect Friday (April 19) and was jointly reached by the Coalition of Independent Music Stores, Alliance of Independent Media Stores and Department of Record Stores (who work together as Record Store Day) along with the Music Business Association — Luminate will collect independent physical music sales from StreetPulse, a music industry data provider that receives daily sales metrics directly from retailers. The data, which encompasses sales of CDs, vinyl and cassettes, will be incorporated into the physical sales data Luminate already collects directly from other stores.
Pembrokeshire, UK | New Dead Sea Records vinyl store opens in St Davids: Situated in the heart of St Davids, Dead Sea Records adds a new dimension to the city’s lively music scene. This cosy vinyl haven might be the second smallest record shop in Wales, but it is making big waves with its well-chosen collection of vinyl records that span a variety of genres. The shop assures that there always will be something new for customers, thanks to a focus on maintaining quality and rotating stock regularly. Dead Sea Records’ owner, Christian Senior, spoke of the uniqueness of owning a small store, stating: “We believe that being small has its advantages. “Our compact space allows us to maintain a diverse selection of vinyl records while also providing a cosy and intimate atmosphere for our customers to explore and enjoy.” Mr Senior also emphasised the store’s role as a community hub where music lovers can gather, exchange their interests, and find new favourites: “We’re more than just a record shop; we’re a community hub for music lovers to come together, share their passion, and discover new favourites.
Bradenton, FL | Jerk Dog Records Celebrates 10 Years In Bradenton: The record shop, which focuses on punk and garage rock, opened in Bradenton’s Village of the Arts a decade ago. It’s “surreal” for owner Douglas Holland as Bradenton’s Jerk Dog Records celebrates a decade in business. “‘Surreal’ is the right word because it doesn’t seem like it’s been that long,” he told Patch. “It takes me a while to realize it sometimes. ‘When did I start this? Has it really been 10 years?’” To honor his 10 years of selling vinyl records with a focus on music outside the mainstream — garage rock, punk, metal, jazz, country and indie — in the Village of the Arts, he’ll host a party and concert Saturday evening, starting at 6 p.m., at the nearby Birdrock Taco Shack. The event will feature local acts, including the Burke Brothers from Have Gun Will Travel, Tiger 54, Teen Cobra, Sir Sympathy and Holland’s own band, Las Nadas. The show will serve as a benefit for ALSO Youth, which supports and empowers LGBTQ+ youth ages 10 to 24 in Florida.
Burlington, VT | Soundbites: Burlington Record Plant On the Move. Justin Crowther comes across as a humble man. Speaking about the decade-long history of the business he helped launch in the Queen City’s South End, the owner and founder of Burlington Record Plant claimed little credit for his venture’s accomplishments. “I don’t like to talk about legacy or things like that,” Crowther said about starting a boutique pressing plant in Burlington in 2014, as vinyl began staging its grand 21st-century comeback. “But if there’s one thing I’m proud of, it’s coming up with the idea to make the first record ever in Vermont.” Crowther concocted that dream while touring with his former band, Waylon Speed. According to him, he knew “jack shit” about the resurgence of vinyl; he just wanted to start something cool and make records for his home music scene.
Madrid, SP | 7 record and vinyl stores in Madrid for beginner music lovers: The thrill of finding your favorite song among a box of used records endures and gains fans. These are the stores where you can buy and sell CDs and vinyl. Nostalgic music lovers in the capital survive the times like the record and vinyl stores of Madrid, despite trends and technology. Although buying Olivia Rodrigo’s latest album on vinyl may be anachronistic, the most common thing in most stores is the sale of second-hand records from bygone eras. And as in any store of things with a previous life, the exciting thing is to find a hidden gem among the pile, which in English is called crate digging and is enjoyed in a different way in times of TikTok.
San Luis Obispo, CA | Def Leppard guitarist performs at Boo Boo Records in San Luis Obispo: English rock musician, Phil Collen, performed at Boo Boo Records in San Luis Obispo Monday, celebrating two milestones. Collen is best known as the guitarist for the rock band Def Leppard. He joined the band in 1982 during the recording of the Pyromania album. The records store was packed with a line out the door as fans attended the free performance and record signing. Mike White, Boo Boo Records store owner, tells KSBY it has been a long time since the store has brought in such a big artist. The performance by Collen was to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Def Leppard’s album Pyromania. Collen’s appearance also is part of Boo Boo Records’ 50th anniversary concert series.
Nairobi, KE | James Rugami: 39 Years On, Vinyl Lives Through Nairobi’s King Of Records: In the busy Kenyatta market, vinyl records hanging from the roof lead you to Stall B5, what I would call an antique store. The shop is sandwiched between butcheries, all the butchers know this store as ‘Kwa Jimmy wa records’. James Rugami has been selling vinyl records and record players since 1985 at this exact shop. The store is like a blast from the past with thousands of records of different sizes and genres, antique telephones, televisions and radios. “This is a very expensive hobby. The shop itself is very priceless. There are some records I bought in the 80s and are still here. The kind of money that is lying here, I cannot quantify,” Jimmy says. He travels far and wide to source his vinyl. He has been to countries like Namibia, Tanzania and travelled as far as Moyale in Kenya in search of these treasures.
Brooklyn, NY | Dogfish Head Brewery Details Record Fair at New York’s Brooklyn Bowl: On Saturday, April 27, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery will host a record fair at New York’s Brooklyn Bowl. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. E.T. and expands upon last week’s Record Store Day celebration with an offering of exclusive and remaining releases. Apart from sipping and scoping, the gathering offers an on-site raffle, giveaways, music spun by DJ Uncle Mike, and more. The impending second annual record fair will draw in beer and music legends, including Sam Calagione, Brewer and founder Of Dogfish Head, Creem Magazine, Slipped Disc Records, Needle + Groove Records, Academy Records, Obscurology, and Monte A. Melnick, touring manager and author of On The Road with the Ramones. The Brooklyn Bowl event represents the final chapter of this year’s Dogfish Head Record Store Day rollout, and it’s Sippin’ & Flippin’ offer, a nationwide giveaway aimed at providing music lovers the chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip for two to a show of their choosing.
Do Remastered Records Actually Sound Better? Here Is What Vinyl Experts Have to Say. Mastering plays an important role in the way music sounds. So why would a record label do it twice? You’re about to buy an album on iTunes when you see that there’s a remastered version just below it. Surely something that’s “remastered” must be better, right? To adequately answer that question, you have to understand a far more basic query: what is mastering? There are many tracks that comprise a song. The drums occupy several tracks, as do the vocals, along with the various other instruments. A recording engineer artfully mixes all those recorded tracks together to create the song. It’s all mixed down into two channels, left and right, which gives you a final stereo recording. “Think of each track like a color of sand going into a jar,” says Greg Milner, a journalist who writes about music and sound and author of Perfecting Sound Forever. “It’ll have layers of red, blue and green, but you can’t separate or remove any of the individual colors. You’d have to start the filling process over. That rainbow-colored jar is the final mix.”
