Regina, CA | ‘A luxury’: X-Ray Records set to close its doors after 38 years in Regina: Just minutes after opening, the front door barely closes as customers continuously shuffle into X-Ray Records. Old rock music fills the space while customers browse their favourite vinyls searching for their next find. But that won’t be the reality much longer as the team announced they would be closing on Feb. 28. “There’s not enough foot traffic downtown,” Noah Biegler, the owner of X-Ray Records said. “The costs of keeping the doors open are higher than ever. The cost of records has gone up—some companies by 60 to 75 percent.” X-Ray Records was established in 1987 (initially as a franchise of the Ontario-based Records on Wheels chain) by Manitoba-born music enthusiast and record collector David Kuzenko. In Regina, the store was first located in the Scarth Street Mall, but in 1998 the store went independent and was re-named X-Ray Records.
Springfield, OH | Game Cycle in Springfield turns 10: The arcade and store is popular among collectors. With a vast collection of retro games, films and records alongside a classic arcade, Game Cycle in Springfield is one of the most popular shops for collectors in the Southwest Ohio region. I visited this store recently to see if it lived up to its reputation. After walking past the gaming icons decorating the store’s exterior, I entered the shop and saw the place was filled with interesting items. Personally, I was most excited by a kiosk located near the front desk where guests could play GameCube games. This machine, while worn by decades of usage, bears a striking resemblance to kiosks found in various McDonald’s locations in the late ’90s and early ’00s. While I could not play the Spyro the Dragon game I distinctly remember trying at my local McDonald’s, I could play Super Smash Brothers Melee, which would probably be seen as an improvement to everyone aside from my inner child.
Rhinelander, WI | Crate Diggers brings vinyl nostalgia to the Northwoods: In the era of streaming services, one old musical medium is still attracting the attention of young people. Over the last several years, vinyl records have made a resurgence back into everywhere from big box stores to antique shops. Part of that resurgence can be found at “Crate Diggers Music & More” in Rhinelander. “The whole point of this place was to be a record store kind of like me and my record nerd buddies used to hangout in back in the nineties,” owner Tony Rio said. Rio isn’t just looking to bring the resurgence of vinyl records to the Northwoods. It’s about more, he said, and reflected on his favorite record store as a kid and how he wants Crate Diggers to be the same way. “It was a place where everybody’s always welcome and you can come in and look at stuff and just hangout if you want or buy or, you know…just a nice place to be,” Rio said.
Salisbury, UK | Cross Keys record shop transformed by Boiler Room Records: Boiler Room Records has transformed its Salisbury store, located in the Cross Keys Shopping Centre on the Market Place, introducing an additional 3,500 pre-owned collectible LPs to create a premium destination for vinyl collectors. The store now boasts an unparalleled selection, catering to diverse musical tastes and collectors of all levels. Open seven days a week, the shop welcomes visitors with knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly staff, and both Cross Keys and the shop are fully accessible. …The improvements don’t stop here! Over the next two weeks, additional upgrades to the store layout and branding will further enhance the customer experience. Boiler Room Records remains committed to its core mission: offering an inclusive environment and an incredible array of new LPs alongside our collectible selection.
Chappaqua, NY | The Renaissance of Vinyl Records: Why Teens are Turning to Retro: …Before 2019, users could purchase individual songs and albums through the Apple Music app. However, due to declining sales, Apple transitioned Apple Music to a subscription-based service and moved all song purchases to iTunes, where they remain today. Given all of this, why do vinyl records still exist—and why is there a revival in its popularity? Although invented in the late 19th century, vinyl records weren’t widespread until the 1950s and 1960s, when they became the standard way people listened to music. It wasn’t until the early 1980s that long-play, extended-play, and vinyl singles began to decline, giving way to the rise of cassettes and eventually CDs. Vinyl records never disappeared, however, thanks to audiophiles who praise their superior sound quality—some even spend hundreds of dollars to acquire them. The top vinyl player recommended by The New York Times costs $600, proving that this hobby is far from cheap.
Frederick, MD | 10,000 LPs for sale! The Frederick Record Riot! at the Frederick Fairgrounds: A vinyl flea market lands in Frederick! Over 10,000 LPs in one room. CDs too. Classic rock, metal, punk, classic rock too. Don’t miss it! Frederick Fairgrounds—Home of The Great Frederick Fair, 797 East Patrick Street Building #13 (look for signs to show), Frederick, MD 21701 Don’t miss the BIG vinyl dig in Frederick! Vendors will be trucking in from all over the DC/Baltimore area & beyond. Over 35 tables of LPs, CDs, 45s and more. Plenty of free parking and easy access from major highways. Vinyl from the rarest 60s releases to budget titles too. Great music, vinyl community and family fun too. $5.00 regular admission. Early admission $15. Hope to meet you in the dollar bins!
Sacramento, CA | Hangout Gigs goes hi-fi and vinyl as Solving Sac hosts live DJ event, zine release, on Feb. 18. Latest music and live podcast recording will happen at Legend Has It. The Solving Sacramento journalism collaborative recently explored what it means for the city to get its first hi-fi listening bar, a sonic hub folks are gravitating to called Legend Has It. Reporter Katerina Graziosi wrote a feature on how this development plays into the city’s cultural life, which was published in the digital pages of SN&R and will soon land in print via the “Sac Art Pulse” zine. Now, Solving Sacramento is hosting its third Hangout Gigs event at the same venue, bringing the public into the hi-fi fold while recording a live podcast. The evening will also serve as a release for the new issue of “Sac Art Pulse.”
‘Lover: Live From Paris’ Vinyl Breaks a Bombastic Record as Taylor Swift Continues Her High Run Into 2025: At this point, it has become almost impossible to talk about a record break in the music industry and not have it involve Taylor Swift. The songstress has set records that were out of the picture while also breaking those that were set by legends. The cherry on top, however, remains that the singer is not actively dropping music at the moment following the gazillion variants of ‘The Tortured Poets Department’, and yet a gem from the past has cemented just how evergreen her music remains. Despite having wrapped up with work both in terms of Eras Tour and her album release earlier last year, Taylor Swift has continued a record-breaking streak into this year with a shocking chart entry; ‘Lover: Live From Paris’ vinyl version.
De La Soul announce ‘The Grind Date’ 20th anniversary vinyl featuring MF DOOM, J Dilla, more. The updated release includes never-heard-before tracks from the original studio sessions for the album. De La Soul are reissuing their seventh studio album, ‘The Grind Date’, to mark its 20th anniversary. Set for release on 21st March, the updated release will include the full album and six bonus tracks. Among those bonus cuts are two never-heard-before songs from the original studio sessions for the album, while there are also a number of instrumental versions of tracks from the album featured. The reissue will be released across vinyl, CD and digital formats. …”With the 20th Anniversary of ‘The Grind Date’, we just feel blessed in knowing that we put together this album that, right now, with its re-release feels fresh; it doesn’t feel outdated, the lyrics feel relevant,” said De La Soul’s Posdnous in a statement.
Follow The Vinyl District on Facebook HERE, Instagram HERE, Threads HERE, Bluesky HERE, and X/Twitter HERE.
