Taylor Swift Shatters The All-Time Vinyl Sales Record In A Matter Of Hours: Taylor Swift has once again redefined what’s possible when it comes to modern era album sales—this time on vinyl. Swift has always been a force when it comes to the format, which was once considered to be all but dead. Every album she releases seems to break her own record for sales on wax, and this time, she’s truly outdone herself. The Life of a Showgirl has sold 1.2 million copies on vinyl, setting a new all-time record for the format—not just within Swift’s discography, but for any artist in history. It’s the first project to sell more than one million vinyl copies in a single week in the United States. The Life of a Showgirl easily surpasses the previous record of 859,000 vinyl copies, set by Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department in 2024.
Mercer Island, WA | Rocking out at MI’s new Volver Records: At first, the task seemed simple. But then it got tougher as John Packer literally spun the vinyl in his mind while attempting to reveal his top-three desert island albums. That’s the way of the ardent record collector, and while accessing a dual role of newly-minted shop owner, in Packer’s case. After glancing around his new Mercer Island store, Volver Records, Packer nailed down his trio of favorites (which may change at any instant): Tatsuro Yamashita’s “Ride on Time,” U2’s “Achtung Baby” and Mötley Crüe’s “Shout at the Devil.” Packer gushed that side A of Yamashita’s album is especially stellar, the U2 record is his all-time fave and the Crüe’s metal ripper forever changed his life upon first spin at age 12. …Music is Packer’s passion and his eyes lit up when discussing opening his first record store: “This is something that I always knew that I was going to do. And I listen to people. I listen to what people want. But at the same time, I do what I know.”
East Sussex, UK | New bookshop and record store will be ‘antidote to digital age’, owner says: A soon-to-open bookshop and record store will offer an “antidote to the digital age”, its owner says. Day’s Books and Records is set to open in Forest Row village, East Sussex, on Saturday, October 11. The shop will occupy the former butcher’s shop in Lower Square. It will offer a “carefully curated” selection of new and used books and vinyl records. Owner Fergus Day, who worked at Dorling Kindersley publishers for more than a decade, said the shop is the “realisation of a long-held ambition.” He left the company to work on digital content development, project management, and academic editing, travelling through Sri Lanka, Costa Rica, and Italy as a digital nomad. After returning to the UK, he realised he wanted to reconnect with his passion for analogue media, literature, and music.
Cornelius, NC | Business Today: Crate diggers have new home for vinyl quests. Wax heads and vinyl junkies can stop hunting beyond town limits in search of records. Old Town Vinyl, a new record shop near town hall in Cornelius, has opened its doors to music lovers. The cozy shop, tucked next to the Old Town Cornelius Visitor and Information Center and just across the street from Old Town Public House, is a family affair. Owner Chris Sewell runs the store with his wife, Allison Rowett, and his daughter, Luna Sewell—a Hough High grad now in college. Old Town Vinyl opened its doors Oct. 1, offering hundreds of records across every major genre. The bins in the 900-square-foot store are lined with classics and curiosities alike, from collectors’ pressings of the Beatles and Chuck Berry to a prized first edition of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Prices range from $20 to $40 for new releases and $6 to $22 for used LPs, with a dollar bin ready for those who love the thrill of a dig. Early response has been overwhelmingly positive.
London, UK | Felix the Cat Returns with Soho Record Store Brand Event: This event signals the beginning of a fresh wave of brand activations and licensing opportunities. Universal Products & Experiences (UP&E) has celebrated the next chapter of Felix the Cat with an exclusive brand event in Soho, London. Hosted at Phonica Records, the event brought together brands, fashion insiders and cultural tastemakers to spotlight Felix’s status as a bold, style-driven icon. The night marked a dynamic new era for Felix, blending the animation character’s classic charm with contemporary edge and creative partnerships that look firmly towards the future. The launch party captured the spirit of Felix with a high-energy, street-led aesthetic, blending DJ sets and vinyl culture with bold graphics and a crowd that mixed fashion buyers, creatives and skate culture insiders. The event transformed the record store into an immersive hub of urban cool, setting the tone for Felix’s return as a brand that crosses music and art.
NZ | Daylight NZ and The Spinoff bring vinyl back to life with The Long Play Podcast: …Says Charlie Godinet, Executive Creative Director, Daylight: “Vinyl has a rich, surprising history here. We wanted this project to celebrate collectors, support record stores, and give people a reason to experience music in a tangible way again.” Tracing the roots of vinyl back to 1879 in Christchurch, The Long Play charts the rise of New Zealand’s record industry—from its golden era of pressing local legends and global icons, through the decline of cassettes, CDs, and streaming, and into its remarkable modern-day comeback. As streaming fatigue grows, vinyl offers a tactile, intentional listening experience in stark contrast to the ephemeral digital world. Hosted by music journalist Charlotte Ryan alongside The Spinoff’s Duncan Greive, the series explores why vinyl has roared back into relevance…
New Orleans, LA | Morris Music House helped bring jazz to streets of N.O.: Anyone strolling down South Rampart Street could hear New Orleans music blaring from large speakers in front of Morris Music House. “As big bands and ‘race records’ turned toward rhythm and blues in the late 1940s, the store’s speakers amplified the new sound,” WWOZ’s “A Closer Walk” states. “Their motto was ‘First with the latest hits!’” Located at the corner of Common and South Rampart streets, Morris Music House started out as Morris Music Co. It was founded by Morris Karnofsky, who grew up in a Jewish household on the same street in the predominantly Black neighborhood. Born in 1895, Karnofsky’s “childhood was filled with music, from his mother singing Russian lullabies at night to brass bands parading past their house to the blues coming out of the Funky Butt dance hall down the street.”
Chicago, IL | Bring A Record, Catch A Vibe At The Vinyl Collectiv’s Meetups For Analog Music Lovers: The group’s biggest event is coming to Avondale on Wednesday. The meetups start with vinyl sharing—and this one will end with a free party featuring DJ Marc Davis. When 22-year-old Virginia Shipp moved to Chicago two years ago from Los Angeles, she was eager to find a community of vinyl music lovers who enjoyed a ’70s soul analog sound. But Shipp didn’t find it—so she created her own. Over the summer, Shipp, of the West Loop, founded The Vinyl Collectiv, which is like a book club for vinyls. Shipp has hosted three meetups where people bring a record of choice, share why they like it and connect through sound. Shipp is calling the monthly free meetups Bring A Record, Catch A Vibe. They include an afterparty of sorts where a DJ spins records while everyone “vibes out,” discovers new music and meets fellow enthusiasts, she said.
Marquette, MI | Brewery to host a vinyl record event in Marquette: Blackrocks Brewery will have its final vinyl record show from noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, on the main floor of the business at 424 N. Third St. in downtown Marquette. Thousands of new and used vinyl records, CDs, posters, cassettes, books and T-shirts will be available. The Blackrocks Brewery also serves a wide variety of beverages—including non-alcohol options—and hosts food trucks. Those attending can talk with Jon Teichman and Geoff Walker about trading old records and tapes for new favorites or finding an unused media collection a new home. For more information call 906-373-6183 or go to their Facebook Event Page under “Geoff & Jon’s Record Show.” All are welcome at this free event, presented by the Northern Michigan University Vinyl Record Club.
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