New Haven, CT | Locals celebrate opening of new record store on Chapel Street: On Wednesday morning, New Haveners gathered to celebrate the grand opening of Grails, now the only record store in downtown New Haven. DJs, politicians and passersby gathered on Chapel Street Wednesday to celebrate the grand opening of Grails, a new record shop that aims to take a fresh perspective on music listening in the city. Even in an era when digital streaming dominates music, record stores have seen a surprising resurgence in recent years. King Kenney, a musician and entrepreneur originally from New Haven, is the founder and owner of Grails. His new store is located across from Yale’s Old Campus, making Grails the only record store near campus and in downtown New Haven. Candice Lynch, a self-described “music junkie” and a property manager for Elm Campus Partners—the store’s landlord—believes that the decline in record playing is causing younger generations to miss out on both the rich sound that comes from vinyl and the experience of putting on a record.
Miami, FL | 9 Best Record Stores in Miami: From hip-hop to jazz and rock to electronica, Miami has a plethora of record stores catering to every kind of vinyl aficionado. Miami’s musical ecosystem is as dynamic and ever-changing as the city itself, which certainly extends to its record stores. Physical media fans are blessed with a wide variety of incredible vinyl destinations, from a downtown dance music specialty shop that stays open late to jazz specialists in Coral Gables and yacht-rock lovers in Fort Lauderdale. Below, New Times dives into the record stores in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. With some driving, it’s possible to hit them all in a single weekend. Happy digging!
Jacksonville, FL | ‘Like no other music experience on earth’: Riverside’s Tiger Records offers a glimpse into the musical time machine. The crackle of vinyl fills the air as music flows across the room, each note as crisp and authentic as the day it was first recorded. Some say its how songs were meant to be heard—through the rich, full-bodied sound of a record player, where every note of the song comes alive. Welcome to Tiger Records, where these musical time capsules line the walls of this Riverside shop, each waiting to tell its own story. For nearly six years, this hub has been offering Jacksonville music enthusiasts the chance to experience songs exactly as they were heard decades ago. “When you play a record, when you really sit down and actively listen to a record, it’s like no other music experience on earth,” Warren Evans, manager of Tiger Records, said. The store, founded by James Siboni, emerged from a vision to combine the best elements of every great record store they’d experienced. “We wanted to find cool music, wanted to show people cool music and be something in the community could really rally round,” Evans said.
Parramatta, AU | A survivor of the digital wave and Parramatta’s growth, independent record store celebrates 30 years: Tucked away at the end of a Parramatta arcade is a record store that survived three decades of change, from the rise of digital music platforms to Sydney’s second CBD being created around it. Digging through the archives, Beatdisc Records owner Peter Curnovic reflected on his time at the store as a dedicated teenage music fan. “I used to come and spend most lunchbreaks here trawling through the racks,” Mr Curnovic said. Previous owner Victor Aird said Mr Curnovic “pleaded” for a job at the store. “When he was 16, he used to come in here … from [working at] the local hamburger joint on the corner, smelling of oil with green hair,” Mr Aird said. He worked at the shop for around a decade before he bought the store from Mr Aird, in 2008.
Grand Rapids, MI | New ‘underground media culture store’ selling vinyl + video games opening soon in Grand Rapids: Got a vinyl or DVD collection you’re looking to grow? Or maybe you’re ready to dive back into the nostalgia of VHS tapes and cassettes. Either way, a new Grand Rapids shop might just become your new favorite spot. Backwards Compatible is gearing up to open its doors at 2024 Eastern Ave. SE on Friday, October 31, bringing an old-school vibe to the city’s music and media scene. The store describes itself as an “underground media culture store”—a place where you can buy, sell, and trade everything from vinyl, CDs, and cassettes to books, movies, clothing, and video games. I first heard about the shop in my neighborhood Facebook group. Folks in Alger Heights are excited to welcome it! Collectors might like that Tardy’s Collectors Corner, selling new and vintage comic books and toys, is right across the street—a little hub of nostalgia forming in the neighborhood.
Announcing Gimme Shelter: Songs for LA Fire Relief Double LP Featuring Art by Shepard Fairey: The 18-track collection features Elliott Smith, Rilo Kiley, The Flaming Lips, Norah Jones, Local Natives, and more in support of wildfire recovery efforts in Los Angeles. It was overwhelming to witness the devastation of this year’s horrific fires in Altadena, Malibu, and Pacific Palisades. In the wake of such unimaginable loss, it was also inspiring to see our city come together to lend support, with the music community especially stepping up to help their own, including countless benefit shows, auctions, compilation albums, and merch items benefiting fire relief. Still, it’s clear that the road ahead is long, and it’s going to take years of continued care, dedication, and resources to recover. Over the last several months, we’ve been producing our own effort to help raise funds and awareness for ongoing recovery efforts to help our city re-build and re-think as we move forward.
Why 90s Vinyl Is So Hard to Find (and Why Everyone Wants It): The Decade That Shaped Us. I love the 90s. They’re my formative, high school years. When the music was the soundtrack to everything I did. I still remember the first time I heard Nirvana or had the Red Hot Chilli Peppers blasting from the CD player in my car. Every Triple J Hottest 100 felt like a diary entry. But I didn’t collect vinyl then. None of us really did. I had stacks of CDs. It wasn’t until years later, through Neil, that I discovered what vinyl collecting could be (yes an addiction) but also I understood the listening quality and joy in each cover, liner notes, lyrics. Now, like everyone else, I’m chasing those 90’s albums that I used to have on CD all over again, just in the format they never got the first time around.
Neil Young announces 50th anniversary edition of iconic album ‘Tonight’s The Night.’ Folk, rock, country and grunge musician Neil Young has announced the 50th anniversary of his sixth studio album, Tonight’s The Night, will be releasd this November, via Warner Records/Reprise Records. Tonight’s The Night, originally released on June 20, 1975, after being delayed for two years, has been regarded as one of Neil’s masterpieces. The country and blues rock album reached Rolling Stone‘s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The special edition of the album, the 1970s album, which was recorded in 1973 on analog tape, will be released on Nov. 28, and will include six bonus tracks, totaling 18 tracks. The album symbolizes the historic decade amid the the end of the Vietnam War, a new president in the White House and the deaths of his two close friends, original Crazy Horse guitarist/vocalist Danny Whitten and devoted road crew member Bruce Berry.
Logic’s ‘Paradise Records’ Hits a Million in Blu-ray Sales: Logic just reminded everyone that going your own way can really pay off. The Maryland rapper, who’s been carving out a lane as an independent creator, revealed that his debut… Logic just reminded everyone that going your own way can really pay off. The Maryland rapper, who’s been carving out a lane as an independent creator, revealed that his debut film Paradise Records brought in over $1 million in Blu-ray pre-sales—all without help from major studios or media outlets. On October 17, Logic shared the news on Instagram, posting a movie poster and thanking fans for their overwhelming support. “The people have purchased over $1 million in Blu-ray pre-sales for my debut movie and not a single major outlet is shedding light on it,” he wrote. “The film industry/system is broken, and the cure, which was obvious to me, lies in direct-to-consumer, creator-to-fan connection.”
Follow The Vinyl District on Facebook HERE, Instagram HERE, Threads HERE, Bluesky HERE, and X/Twitter HERE.
