Los Angeles, CA | L.A. record shop asks public for help staying open: ‘2025 has been one of the most difficult years.’ Los Angeles is home to some of the world’s best record shops, but a litany of factors is making them a dying art. …Sick City Records, located in Echo Park, sadly finds itself in that situation. According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, decreased foot traffic and increased rent are heavily impacting the shop, which sells vinyl, clothes and even offers haircuts from a singular barber chair located inside. “In January, when the Eaton and Palisades fires broke out, the shop was desolate for around a month,” L.A. Times writer Cerys Davies wrote in the publication’s De Los column. “Then, right as summer kicked off—usually a lucrative season for record-collecting tourists stopping by—ICE raids began happening all over the city.”
Accord, NY | Accord Record Store Freakout Spot Opens Holiday Pop-Up in Kingston: Following an unexpected shut down, the beloved shop pops up in the former Fletcher & Lu space on Broadway at least through January. “We wanted to open a record store where people who don’t buy records could go in and still have fun,” says Rob Davis of the idea behind Freakout Spot record store, explaining, “I got dragged to a lot of record stores by my dad when I was younger.” When he teamed up with his wife, Lila Allen, this past January to open a pop-up in the other half of the building that houses Bluebird wine shop in Accord, accessibility was top of mind. “Lila is the other half of the store. She curates really great books, items, clothes, oddities,” he says. “The shop looks and feels the way it does because of her.”
Inglewood, CA | Inglewood’s Recordland spins new life into old media for Calgarians: The vintage revival of vinyl calls for out with the new and in with the old. In a world dominated by technology and screens, Gen-Z—people born between 1997 and 2012—seem to crave nostalgia they never experienced through the “old ways,” embracing entertainment through records, books, and film cameras. Streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music continue to dominate the music industry. Still, vinyl has made a comeback in recent years, drawing people to the music scene in a more traditional way. Record stores are seeing a renewed interest away from instant playlists. Gen Z has sparked a vintage revival, seeking to disconnect from digital spaces and opting for more handheld options.
Poughkeepsie, NY | Darkside Records Relocates to Downtown Poughkeepsie: Poughkeepsie record store Darkside Records has moved from its location at 611 Dutchess Turnpike to its new building at 32 Cannon Street in downtown Poughkeepsie. The official reopening of the store on Nov. 21 invited the public to the new location to browse, shop and see how this beloved Poughkeepsie spot has taken their business to new heights. Darkside’s signature bright green walls and endless selection of records, CDs, cassettes, merchandise and much more have found a new home in this upgraded space, marking a new era for Darkside, and one that brings it closer to the community. Darkside Records, which originally opened in 2011 with its first-ever location on Poughkeepsie’s Main Street, moved to Dutchess Turnpike about five years later.
London, UK | Universal Music Group to open record shop in London: Universal Music Group is to open a record shop in London’s Camden Market next week. Developed in partnership with UMusic Hospitality & Lifestyle, the store will offer exclusive custom collections and pieces inspired by UMG’s artists, songwriters and labels, along with immersive installations, live performances, a Vinyl Lounge, DJ booth and a recording studio themed Sound Room. The opening will follow the launch of a UMusic Shop store in New York earlier this week in the city’s Penn Plaza. Susan Mazo, EVP & chief impact officer at Universal Music Group, said, “The launch of these two stores in New York and London further expands on our longstanding commitment to enhancing the ability of UMG’s iconic roster of artists, labels, songwriters, and brands to connect with their fans through exclusive experiences, merchandise, and bespoke collections.
Hollywood, CA | Warner Music Experience Holiday Store: Snag a coveted gift for the music lover in your life at Warner Music Group’s holiday pop-up, which is taking over the ground floor of the W Hollywood hotel for three weekends this month and filling stockings with 12 days of exclusive merch drops. Shop apparel and music from nearly 100 of the record label’s genre- and generation-spanning artists, from Joni Mitchell to Ed Sheeran. The special in-store drops include Grateful Dead x Malbon apparel (Dec 11), limited editions of Green Day’s Dookie (Dec 21) and the chance to win items like a pair of My Chemical Romance Hollywood Bowl tickets and a vintage Talking Heads poster.
Pittsburgh, PA | In a digital world, Pittsburgh is an analog paradise: Whether it’s writing in a journal, leafing through pictures and books, or cueing up a record from your favorite artist, there is something undeniably rewarding about physical media. Our desire for tangibility is, after all, innately human. We crave things that are tactile, as we are creatures who need to touch and taste and smell. Because we now live in a world where physical media and their accompanying devices have been largely refashioned into code and pixels for our ubiquitous screens, it’s hardly surprising that there’s been a growing backlash driven by people who love, praise, or simply appreciate physical media in all their nondigital, analog forms.
Miami, FL | Top five listening bars in Miami: Audiophiles have found a place in Miami with a vinyl record renaissance and high quality sound system focus, a place where you can go to escape the chaos of Miami and immerse yourself into the magic of analog music. Listening bars are a concept that originate from 1950’s Japan where post-war sentiments called for safe spaces to share music and culture intimately. A global resurgence of these bars once focused on jazz, now host DJ’s and genres from every wave on the spectrum. For those looking for cozy ambience, a place to discover new discography and great date night spots, here are five of Miami’s best soundroom bars, most specializing in vinyl.
SG | The best vinyl cafes & bars in Singapore: Exploring cafes is probably one of Singaporeans’ favourite pastimes, whether it’s for the vibes, the food or the drinks. Matcha or coffee, anyone? But once in a while, you discover a new kind of cafe that stands out from the rest. And for some, that’s what vinyl cafes are—beyond the aesthetics and taste, it’s also about the music in your ears. Scroll down to read about some vinyl cafes, bars and listening spots we found.
Follow The Vinyl District on Facebook HERE, Instagram HERE, Threads HERE, Bluesky HERE, and X/Twitter HERE.
