US | Puscifer Announce ‘Normal Isn’t: Puscifer Live at the Pacific Stock Exchange’ Record Store Screenings. Puscifer will be screening their new live concert film ‘Normal Isn’t: Puscifer Live at the Pacific Stock Exchange‘ at select independent record stores from February 06th to 08th. Those screenings will coincide with the upcoming February 06th release date of the band’s fifth studio album, “Normal Isn’t“. Puscifer vocalist Maynard James Keenan, himself a record store owner, commented: “Brick and mortar vinyl shops are the lifeblood of independent bands. There is a symbiotic relationship that was almost obliterated by the age of digital downloads and streaming. Thankfully we survived by working together.”
Liverpool, UK | Legendary Liverpool record shop discovers links to Brian Epstein and ‘the secret Beatle.’ Legendary Liverpool record shop The Musical Box has discovered a connection to two pivotal figures in The Beatles career. The shop on West Derby Road already has confirmed history linking it to John Lennon and original drummer Pete Best who regularly went in there in the early 60s to look for new releases. Now, thanks to a customer, they’ve been able to add another two names to their famous customer list: manager Brian Epstein and Joe Flannery, who was the band’s booking manager in the early days. The Musical Box, which was recognised last year as the oldest independent record store in England, has been in the same family for four generations.
UK | Behind the Counter Returns to UK Record Shops for a Seventh Season 23 Jan 2026: Premiere of new 12-part video series celebrating the people behind the UK’s thriving vinyl culture. Behind the Counter returns for a seventh season with a brand-new 12-part video series, presented by Record Store Day and Classic Album Sundays in collaboration with Bowers & Wilkins, spotlighting inspirational independent record shops and the communities that sustain them across the UK. Following a previous season that reached over 5.6 million viewers, Behind the Counter enters its latest series as one of the largest-reaching and longest-running projects dedicated to UK record shop culture. Each episode offers an intimate look inside an independent store, exploring how shop owners, staff, and customers continue to shape local music scenes and keep physical formats thriving.
Adelaide, AU | Hi-fi record store, natural wine bar & specialty cafe, Jewels of Thought spins into Adelaide’s East End: A new kind of record store is preparing to open on Ebenezer Place, and it’s designed to be about far more than flipping through crates (although we love that too). Jewels of Thought Recordings is the latest venture from husband-and-wife team Anthony Wendt and Linh Tieu, bringing together high fidelity audio, pour over coffee and unique teas, natural wine, and Adelaide’s vibrant music scene. After all, Adelaide is Australia’s only UNESCO City of Music. Jewels of Thought Recordings is set to open its doors at 15 Ebenezer Place, likely in early February, just in time for Fringe. There’s another layer to this record store though, and depending on the time of day, you can expect an atmosphere as varied as the vinyl stocked inside.
Albany, NY | Albany Record Riot postpones due to storm: The Record Riot that was scheduled for Sunday January 25th has been moved to January 31st. Same time and same location. Vinyl records have made a big comeback in recent years. I think that a lot of it has to do with the fact that everything is so easy to get your hands on digitally having a copy of your favorite album on vinyl is the most amazing feeling. It is especially amazing when the album you love was first recorded on vinyl. The perfect place to either continue or start your vinyl journey is a Record Riot. Albany’s Polish Community Center will be filled with record dealers on January 25th selling not only vinyl, but also cassette tapes and CDs. If you want physical media in the Capital Region this is the spot to be at on Sunday.
Berlin, DE | RA and Refuge Worldwide to host Dig Deep event in Berlin next month: All proceeds from the pop-up charity record shop will go towards supporting War Child. Dig Deep is returning to Berlin on February 20th and 21st. The fundraising initiative, a collaboration between Resident Advisor and Refuge Worldwide, is part of the station’s fifth birthday celebrations. The event will feature a pop-up record fair, and confirmed label donors include OYE Records, BBE, Field Records, !K7, Four Tet, Juno Records, Melodies International, Kynant Records, Clone Records, Rubadub and over 150 more that will be announced in the coming weeks. …All proceeds will go towards War Child, a charity helping to support children, particularly those who’ve been displaced by conflict.
Paris, FR | Paris Vinyl Sale 2026: The giant vinyl record clearance at the Bastille Design Center with records under €10. Attention music lovers in the capital! The Paris Vinyl Sale is making a comeback at the Bastille Design Center on Sunday, February 1, 2026, offering nearly 50,000 records across all genres at unbeatable prices. For this 11th edition, the Paris Vinyl Sale is making a return to the Bastille Design Center, spanning two floors, on Sunday, February 1, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This massive record fair is the perfect chance to uncover incredible hidden gems across all genres, eras, and formats! Nearly 50,000 vinyl records are on offer from around 50 record shops, labels and collectors. Accessible to all budgets, vinyls sell for between 2 and 10 euros, and no more!
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON | Diggin’ through the crates: U.S. tariffs push Niagara vinyl lovers to NOTL pop-up record show: A record show at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 124 last Saturday gave vinyl fans a reason to browse and buy close to home as cross-border tariffs and shipping costs squeeze online sellers. The pop-up show was organized by Legion board member Chrystal Haverstock to raise money through door donations and connect local “vinyl junkies,” as she calls them, with a small group of vendors. For Simon Vaughn, a vendor and DJ who lives three blocks from the Legion, the event reflected a hard shift in how he makes sales, directly affected by the ongoing U.S.–Canada trade war. “With the tariffs being a minimum of 30 per cent on what we sell, there’s not really much room for profit,” said Vaughn. Vaughn said he and his partner are “retired online resellers” after pulling their shop, Chasing Nostalgia, because the numbers stopped working.
Washington, DC | Meet the Local Label Bringing Cassettes Back to D.C.: As artists ditch Spotify and nostalgia reigns supreme, Punch Tab Tapes offers an easy and affordable entrance to physical media. As we close out the first quarter of the 21st century, cassette tapes haven’t managed to command the same respect as vinyl records. Some showgoers today don’t even recognize them—something Rob Cline learned while working the merch table for their band Pinky Lemon during a gig at Comet Ping Pong. “We have our tapes out, and a girl walks up. I watch her look at the tape, and her eyes get wide,” Cline tells City Paper. “She picks it up, and for a second starts to look bewildered. Then she puts it down and goes, ‘Oh, it’s music.’” Cline relays this anecdote from a couch in the Columbia Heights row house where they operate Punch Tab Tapes, an independent, not-for-profit cassette label founded in the spring of 2025.
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