Taylor Swift’s ‘The Life Of A Showgirl’ sells 2.7 million copies in first 24 hours and breaks Spotify record: ‘The Fate Of Ophelia’ also became the most-streamed song in a single day in Spotify history on Friday (October 3). Taylor Swift’s ‘The Life Of A Showgirl’ has broken Spotify records and sold 2.7million copies within the first 24 hours of its release. The pop giant’s 12th studio record was released on Friday (October 3), the follow-up to 2024’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’, and it has not taken long for the album to make its impact felt. Billboard has reported the album sold 2.7 million copies in the US in traditional album sales across both physical and digital purchases on its first day of release. That already makes it the biggest week of sales in Swift’s career after just one day and the second-largest sales week for any album since the company Luminate began tracking the data in 1991—only the opening week of Adele’s ‘25’ in 2015 registered higher numbers, selling 3.4million copies.
Akron, OH | Square Records: Highland Square packs nightlife, popular events into a single square mile. Central Akron neighborhood is also home to more than 7,600 residents. “…Square Records is a record store in Highland Square. We primarily focus on indie rock, jazz, international, hip-hop. It started with a focus on records and vinyl albums, and that has stayed the same for the past 23 years. “We also carry local artists when people wanna sell through us. We have hosted shows in the past. We don’t have a space for it anymore, we have grown out of it. We are busting at the seams.” Akron band The Black Keys and other indie bands performed at the store in the past. “We’re one of a very few retail locations in Highland Square. There’s not a ton of retail. So we kind of filled that gap, first of all. Second of all, we are community-based purely by the fact that we’re, you know, we do support local artists. We support local bands,” Juniper said, noting they’ll carry popular artists such as Taylor Swift, too, if that’s what customers want.
Edmond, OK | Guestroom Records spins up third Oklahoma location with the opening of a new Edmond store: The smells of freshly applied paint, newly screen-printed T-shirts and vinyl records just out of the boxes mingle with the sounds of jazz legend Lee Morgan’s exuberant trumpet grooves inside a new store in the 15th Street Station shopping center. Inside Guestroom Records’ newest location, about 15,000 new and used vinyl albums are neatly arranged in bins, in wooden crates and on shallow shelves lining the otherwise plain, tan walls. The afternoon sunbeams shining in the wide windows glisten on the plastic sleeves enveloping records by an array of artists, from Norah Jones and New Kids on the Block to Zach Bryan and Led Zeppelin. “We ran out of time to get posters and that sort of thing up. But it’ll get a little bit more personalized as it goes on,” said Guestroom Records’ Justin Sowers.
New York, NY | New book is a visual love letter to local record stores: When I was in college in the mid to late 1990s, when I would be home for school breaks at my parents’ house in the suburbs of Philadelphia, I worked here and there at a small, independent music shop known as Rock Palace. It wasn’t a big store, mainly dealing with new and used CDs in those days. If you’ve ever seen the movie “High Fidelity,” you understand the vibe of the place, though we weren’t nearly as funny, and had longer hair. In the back of the shop, there was a small record section that we would sometimes add some band’s limited release albums to, though they were rare at the time. And once or twice a month, someone would come in with a box or two of records they were trying to unload that they had found at their parents’ house when they were moving. But vinyl was not that big of a seller. And in the early 2000s, Rock Palace went under as streaming and digital downloads took over. But how times have changed. Vinyl is back, and in a big way.
Austin, TX | Antone’s Record Shop: Vinyl records revival among Gen Z in Austin. Smelling the time-worn sleeves, feeling the delicately pressed records, hearing the stylus trace the grooves, seeing the plethora of albums paint the room, tasting each genre from blues to classical—this represents music at its fullest. Generation Z is reviving vinyl to experience music as it used to be heard. Eve Monsees, Antone’s Record Shop co-owner, confirmed the number of people in Austin buying records has increased continuously over the past decade. “It was so interesting to watch the fact that … people wanted to have something physical in their hands,” Monsees said. “Not just passively streaming music, but actually holding something. Reading the liner notes. It’s a more personal experience.” Monsees said the thrill of showing each other records, interacting with other customers or the charm of owning an album as decor makes vinyl personal.
Vancouver, CA | Vancouver record store owner gets ‘private concert’ from Paul McCartney: Imagine being the only people in the room while Paul McCartney rehearses for his North American tour—just you, your family, and one of the most famous musicians in history playing a full set “like it’s a private show.” That’s the moment Rob Frith, longtime owner of Vancouver’s Neptoon Records, still can’t quite believe happened. “It was like we were sitting on this couch in the middle of this giant studio, watching a private concert,” Frith told Daily Hive. …McCartney, now 83, co-founded The Beatles in 1960 and became one of the most influential songwriters and performers of all time. He and drummer Ringo Starr are the band’s two surviving members; John Lennon was murdered in 1980, and George Harrison died of cancer in 2001. For Frith, who grew up with the Fab Four, meeting him in Los Angeles last month was priceless.
Lincoln, NE | Vintage vinyl vendors gather for holiday record sale at Duffy’s Tavern on O street: Vinyl vendors and thrifting enthusiasts from around Lincoln gathered at Duffy’s Tavern on Friday night, to swap records and offer up their wares to buyers. Aimed at bringing avid local collectors together, Christmas in the Groove was the second time the sellers held the pop up market at the O street bar. Later on, several musical artists also took the stage to round out the night with live performances. Spencer Munson from Spindle Records said with the growth of live music in Lincoln, there’s a lot of crossover between those looking to see a live show and people who collect music on vinyl. For him, the night was all about sharing that music and all the cool things they’ve found over the years. “I think the record community, they can be really nerdy but they can also be really insightful too,” Munson said.
Classic Ghostbusters Soundtrack Set for Vinyl Repress this Halloween: They say you can’t bust… err, beat a classic, and Sony Music would likely agree. Just announced, the original Ghostbusters soundtrack is slated for repressing, with pre-orders now available and set to ship next month! This upcoming edition follows multiple past reissues, including a 30th-anniversary pressing in 2014 and a Walmart exclusive on white Stay Puft-colored vinyl. For 2025, Sony is keeping things simple, offering a straight-ahead homage to the original 1984 release—no gimmicks, just iconic imagery and classic tracks. The soundtrack balances Elmer Bernstein’s orchestral score with commercial hits that played pivotal roles throughout the film. Highlights include Mick Smiley’s Magic, the Alessi Brothers’ Savin’ the Day, and The Bus Boys’ Cleanin’ Up the Town. Of course, the standout remains Ray Parker Jr.’s Ghostbusters theme, a chart-topping single in the summer of 1984 that became a cultural phenomenon in its own right.
Prince and The Revolution’s Around the World in a Day Gets 40th Anniversary Reissue: The expanded release includes a new remaster of the album, as well as extended and alternate versions of songs, remixes, and B-sides. Earlier this year, Prince and The Revolution’s 1985 album Around the World in a Day celebrated its 40th anniversary. To recognize the milestone, NPG Records and Paisley Park Enterprises have partnered up with Warner Records and Legacy Recordings to release an expanded, newly remastered edition of the record, as well as a special vinyl box set that’s set for release on Record Store Day Black Friday. The remastered version of Around The World in a Day, which features a new Dolby Atmos mix done by Prince protégé and Grammy-nominated engineer Chris James, arrives in a variety of formats, including vinyl and CD.
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