Alexandria, VA | Del Ray record store considers relocation after shutting down amid ‘catastrophic flooding.’ Following significant flooding after a water leak this past weekend, a vinyl record store in Del Ray has closed for the foreseeable future and is considering a move. Crooked Beat Records owner Bill Daly told ALXnow today (Monday) that a pipe on the roof of the building burst, flooding the basement record shop at 2417 Mount Vernon Avenue with several inches of water and ruining merchandise. “It hit a lot of our rare records,” Daly said. “There might be $25,000 to $30,000 worth of damage in here.” …Fixtures in the basement space are wood, and he is worried about mold setting in. “I’m kind of nervous about bringing in stock here, because nothing’s getting repaired and addressed. We want to stay in the neighborhood. We love this location, but we can’t get hit like this again.”
Hamilton, BM | The Music Box takes a bow after decades of service: Two sisters who spent their working lives at a Hamilton music store will close the iconic business by the end of the month. The Music Box announced it would shut its doors after about 70 years in business. Helena Escolastica, who ran the store for 13 years with her sister, Geneveve, said the closure had been a long time coming, with music streaming playing a role. She added: “I’ve had a lot of people come in here almost crying, saying that they grew up knowing this place. “So did I—I started here when I was 15 and I’m now 65. I’ve been here pretty much my entire life. “I’ve seen people who used to come here when they were children — now they’re married and they’ve had their own kids. “A lot of people have told us that we’re going to be missed.”
San Diego, CA | Folk Arts Rare Records brings Lou Curtiss’ music collection to the people: In the bustling Folk Arts Rare Records shop in City Heights, owner Brendan Boyle is flipping through a cardboard box of records. “There’s really important blues recordings … Tampa Red … Son House … early Portuguese string music,” Boyle rattled off. When asked if we could listen to “Portuguese String Music 1908-1931,” Boyle said he had never heard the record before—an experience he says never gets old. “Music’s a whole universe. It’s intimidating, but just let it intimidate you—and listen to it,” Boyle said. “It’s a collection of music from 1908 to 1931. Came out 1989. And I’m sure Lou knew the person at this record label.” At Folk Arts, it seems like everything leads back to its founder—the late folk music legend Lou Curtiss.
AU | Record Store Day Returns in 2026 as Vinyl Culture Continues Its Comeback: Record Store Day is officially spinning back around in 2026, once again shining a spotlight on Australia’s independent record stores and the communities that keep… Record Store Day is officially spinning back around in 2026, once again shining a spotlight on Australia’s independent record stores and the communities that keep physical music culture alive. Returning on Saturday, April 18th 2026, Record Store Day will champion the store owners and staff, artists, labels, and music lovers alike. Since its beginnings in 2008, it has grown into a global celebration of independent music retail. The day continues to support music communities, labels, emerging and established artists, while supporting our local indie record stores, highlighting their unique role as cultural hubs and community spaces.
Chicago, IL | Pinwheel Records holds a sale to help with its imminent move: On Sunday, December 28, Pinwheel Records co-owners Scott Schaaf and Kim Foreit entered their Pilsen record store to find the floor partially flooded. Ever since they opened Pinwheel at 1722 W. 18th Street in 2015, Schaaf and Foreit have had to deal with a small leak that occasionally sprung from the ceiling above the cassette display. The problem didn’t become unmanageable till now. “The spot that used to be a small, isolated leak had suddenly spread to about three or four different locations throughout the store, including behind our counter,” Foreit says. “So it was pretty obvious to us that the space was no longer occupiable.” “We didn’t lose much inventory,” Schaaf says. “We lost some fixtures. A few personal effects were lost, but nothing that can’t be replaced. Nothing critical, thankfully.”
SG | Save these 9 vinyl cafes & bars in Singapore where analogue beats meet eats: On the search for vinyl cafes or bars in Singapore? We’re not surprised. In a world of constant pinging, buzzing, and notifications that demand your immediate attention, the desire to move back to analogue—in the form of film cameras, cassette tapes, and vinyl records — makes sense. If you ever find yourself needing to slow down, we think that vinyl cafes in Singapore are just the spot. There’s just something deeply satisfying about the tactile weight of a record, the deliberate act of placing needle to groove, and the crackle before the music starts. As fans of such spaces ourselves, we’ve curated a list of vinyl cafes (and some bars, too!) in Singapore that pair slower, more intentional rhythm with thoughtfully crafted food and drinks; sanctuaries for you to linger.
Shanachie Records’ New Vinyl-Reissue Series: “The term ‘sales’ is an anachronism. Today, it’s about streaming and ancillary income.” Randall Grass, general manager at Shanachie Entertainment, has seen many changes since joining Shanachie Records in 1980. After uttering the statement above, he’s happy to admit that while streaming and merch sales predominate in the music business today, there is one very powerful and profitable new surprise: vinyl. It’s why Shanachie, an independent label based in Newton, New Jersey, has just launched a vinyl reissue series. Shanachie’s catalog is extremely diverse, covering a wide range of genres from Celtic traditional and reggae to world music, and more recently, smooth jazz.
The Best Thing: The Style Council’s Debut Gets Box Set Expansion. More than 40 years after Paul Weller introduced a new phase of his musical work as part of the genre-hopping Style Council, a forthcoming box set will dive deep into their first few years of work, complete with a trove of unreleased material. UMR will expand the group’s full-length debut Café Bleu as a 6CD collection on January 30. Extras include an expansion of 1983’s debut EP Introducing The Style Council (available as a European import in the U.K.), a host of non-LP single and B-side material, and a whopping 55 unreleased tracks: demos, studio outtakes and five live-in-studio or concert appearances recorded by the BBC. A triple-vinyl edition will include a pared-down expansion of Introducing…, the remastered Café Bleu and 10 tracks from the B-sides and studio outtakes.
Alliance Entertainment Launches Alliance Authentic™, Introducing The Ultimate Vinyl Collectible™ and a New Marketplace for Authenticated, Numbered Vinyl Collectibles: …Alliance Authentic allows fans and collectors to own and preserve a protected piece of music history because the music matters, the moment matters, and preserving it still matters. Designed for the growing global market for collectibles, Alliance Authentic introduces The Ultimate Vinyl Collectible™—uncirculated vinyl records that are authenticated at the source, released as limited collectible editions, permanently encapsulated, digitally verified, and individually numbered. Each collectible allows fans and collectors to Own a Piece of Vinyl History™, preserved exactly as it existed at the moment of release.
(Hard pass. —Ed.)
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