IE | Vinyl sales jump 20% in ‘exceptional year’ for Irish acts, music industry group says: Taylor Swift tops the charts as Irish Recorded Music Association says sales rose in all segments—streaming, CD, vinyl and music cassette. Vinyl record sales jumped 20 per cent last year with Irish acts featuring more strongly than the previous year, according to the Irish Recorded Music Association (Irma). Almost 480,000 physical records were sold in the State as the vinyl revival continues to be a significant feature of the music market. Taylor Swift’s latest album The Life of a Showgirl topped the charts for overall and vinyl album sales, repeating the table-topping success of her Tortured Poet’s Department release in 2024.
San Fernando, CA | The Midnight Hour is Much More Than a Record Store: Despite its popularity, this year will be its last in the City of San Fernando. On a crisp December evening, like moths to a flame, punks, goths and “outcasts” of all ages float toward the glowing sign of The Midnight Hour Records in the City of San Fernando. Located on the corner of San Fernando Road and Maclay Avenue, the shop is one of the only places open at night on the mall, well after the quinceñera and bridal shops close their doors for the day. It makes its presence known in the “quaint” valley town, lining its windows with Pride, Transgender, Palestine, United Farmworkers and anti-ICE flags—a bold statement of “you are welcome here” to all those who may feel like outsiders. Owner Sergio Amalfitano abides by an ethos of “community over commodities,” which has made the shop a cultural hub for the Northeast Valley and a destination for Angelenos at large.
Loudonville, OH | Operation Fandom/Blackbird Records opens new Loudonville location: May the merch be with you at the new Operation Fandom and Black Bird Records opening in Loudonville. Owner Josh Lehman had plans to expand his brand since earlier this year, looking at Mount Vernon and Bellville. But as fate would have it, a downtown Loudonville building, located at 149 West Main St., seemed to be the perfect fit. …Lehman landed on Loudonville because it was the right place at the right time for the right price; although the original plan was to open the new store in 2026. …The store will feature three sections: collectibles and fandom items in the front, records in the back and, by spring, the back room will become the newly established Blackbird Books, Curiosities and Apothecary.
Doral, FL | New Record Store Opens in Doral With Diverse Vinyl Selection: Crazy Vinyl Record offers new and used vinyl with a focus on soul, funk, jazz, Latin, and more. High-Fidelity lovers in the west side of town now have a new local haven to fulfill their sonic fantasies. After years of pop-ups, crate-digging events, and online sales, Crazy Vinyl Record has opened its first brick-and-mortar location, and it’s planted its flag in Doral. Founded by Marcos Mirabal, Crazy Vinyl Record joins the ranks of Miami vinyl staples like Sweat Records, Technique Records, and Lucky Records. But rather than setting up in the usual neighborhoods, Crazy Vinyl is carving out new ground in a less-traveled part of town. The store marks a new chapter for a business that grew organically out of Miami’s vinyl-loving community. “Music is a fascinating journey. We don’t separate records by genre here—it’s very normal to love Michael Jackson, Metallica, and Miles Davis at the same time, and all of that lives under the letter ‘M’,” Mirabal tells New Times, laughing.
Squirrel Hill, PA | Coffee and music collide at new Squirrel Hill spot: Lattes streamed and tunes spun on vinyl at Squirrel Hill’s new music themed coffee shop this week. Pre Amp Coffee Studio opened on Nov. 11—just before Thanksgiving. Since then, co-owner Danny Ryan said the space has been busy. “Squirrel Hill, particularly, you get a lot of people that order just straight espresso cortados or flat whites. And for me, that’s people that really want (to) taste really good coffee, because they’re getting a drink that is really highlighting espresso,” Ryan, 39, of Bloomfield, said. On Tuesday, Ryan and his team buzzed around what had once been a long-vacant space located on Forbes Avenue, previously occupied by Coffee Tree Roasters.
Manchester, UK | Greater Manchester record shop SK1 Records relocates to larger home: The shop has moved to a “much bigger unit” on the same Stockport street, founder Synkro revealed. SK1 Records is relocating to a new, larger space. In a post shared to Instagram yesterday, January 7th, founder Synkro revealed that the shop is moving to a “much bigger unit” on the same Stockport street. “It’s become one of the best record shops in the North West if not the UK,” the post read. “I know it’s a bold statement but we couldn’t have done it without the love and support from everyone that’s come through the doors or to one of our many now legendary street parties.” Launched in 2018, SK1 Records is a small, independent record shop roughly ten miles south of Manchester City Centre. The team regularly hold in-store events and street parties with artists such as Chunky, Luke Una and Ruf Dug.
Gladstone, MI | Mancave Dave offers vintage and new records, toys, and collectibles in Gladstone. In Gladstone, a new business dealing in collectibles, vintage finds, and nostalgia has opened its doors. “I grew up in the 80s, and I love things like G.I. Joe, He-Man, Ninja Turtles, Star Wars, and Nintendo,” said David Laur, better known to many as ‘Mancave Dave.’ “My fond memories would be hanging out with my friends or siblings playing those things. Then, life got busy with college, work, getting married, all that good stuff. Then we found out that we were going to start a family of our own. I was like, ‘You know, I want to get some of those things I wanted to get as a kid but couldn’t have or couldn’t afford to share with my boys.’” Laur has been buying, selling, and adding to his collection for more than a decade.
Why I Quit Streaming And Got Back Into Cassettes: In the age of Spotify and AI slop, tapes remind us what we’re missing when we stop taking risks. …I searched through racks of tapes stacked on top of an old piano in a back-alley store on the edge of Shimokitazawa, a neighborhood known for thrifted fashion and oddball record shops. On recommendation from a friend-of-a-friend, I checked out a specialist shop on a sleepy street in Nakameguro, where cassettes easily outnumbered vinyl records 10-to-1. Almost always, I steered myself toward local artists whose names I didn’t recognize. Sometimes, I bought tapes based on the cover art or description alone. Most second-hand music stores in Tokyo keep everything sealed in plastic, so you either have to bother the shopkeep, or just trust your gut and take a chance. This kind of music discovery delights people when I describe it.
This vinyl deck is also a CD player—with a cunning, hidden transport inside: This is what you get when the CD resurgence clashes with the vinyl revolution. The Mixx Analog Plus is a vinyl deck with a difference – it sports a CD player ensconced in the middle of the turntable. The ultimate expression of convergence, this Mixx Audio player will spin all your retro discs for musical delight. There’s actually lots of sense in combining a record player and a CD player, especially for those who want to keep listening to classic formats, but don’t want to fill their house with players for each type. Record players are large by necessity—the 12-inch vinyl records have to be accommodated somewhere—but having a separate CD player would just be messy, so there’s definitely a market for this type of device.
Follow The Vinyl District on Facebook HERE, Instagram HERE, Threads HERE, Bluesky HERE, and X/Twitter HERE.
