US | Independent Labels Capture 75% of Record Store Day Sales as Event Expands: Independent labels now control 75% of Record Store Day (RSD) sales. This marks a big change from the event’s early years, when these companies hesitated to press vinyl. Independent labels now control 75% of Record Store Day (RSD) sales. This marks a big change from the event’s early years, when these companies hesitated to press vinyl. Record Store Day co-founder Michael Kurtz shared the sales breakdown after releasing the 2026 release list. “…In the beginning, independent labels were not that involved because they didn’t have the confidence to press up vinyl where they had no idea if people would buy it or not,” said Kurtz, according to SPIN. “Now, independent labels make up 75% of RSD sales, so there’s that flip.”
US | Record Store Day partners with Monster Energy: Record Store Day has announced a new partnership with Monster Energy, the energy drink brand, to create immersive experiences, exclusive promotions and original content celebrating music, vinyl culture and indie record stores. Together, Monster Energy and Record Store Day will create immersive experiences, exclusive promotions, and original content celebrating music, vinyl culture, and independent record stores across the United States. By tapping into Monster Energy’s broad cultural reach, the partnership will open up new opportunities for fans to connect with their favorite artists and discover emerging talent—an experience record stores have long fostered.
Brixton, UK | The Living Museum: Brixton on Vinyl. …Inside Brixton tube station, right there in the ticket hall area, there was a small record shop. It didn’t look like much if you didn’t know what you were looking at just crates, sleeves, a counter but the sound told you everything. This was reggae, dub, lovers rock. Deep basslines that seemed to belong naturally in tiled Underground space. Music that felt like it was travelling with you, not being sold to you. You didn’t need to step fully inside. Most people didn’t. You slowed. You listened. You clocked what was playing. Jamaican imports, UK pressings, the kind of records that didn’t come with explanations because they didn’t need them. The genius of this shop was its position. You met music in motion.
MN | Down in the Valley launches own record label with 4 rare Meat Puppets recordings: The Minnesota record shop is launching its label with four early live recordings from the Meat Puppets. Everyone’s favorite record store is always more than a record store. There’s community, events, recommendations, and, sometimes, concerts. But Down in the Valley, with shops in Golden Valley and Maple Grove, is now really more than a record store. It has launched its own record label, The Old 96er Records, a name that references John Candy’s Paul Bunyan-themed steak dinner in “The Great Outdoors.” Old 96er’s opening salvo will be a limited-edition seven-inch release of four live Meat Puppets EPs on colored vinyl, each of which features cover art by Meat Puppets drummer Derrick Bostrum.
Pittsburgh, PA | Pre Amp Coffee Studio Boosts Brews and Beats in Pittsburgh: Pre Amp Coffee Studio, a new coffee-and-vinyl concept from the Richard DeShantz Restaurant Group, opened in November, blending specialty coffee service with the energy of a listening bar. Inside the narrow, high-ceilinged room in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood, warm gold tones, vintage-style lighting and a wall of album art set the backdrop for conversation and music. Vinyl records spin throughout the day, with customers listening from bar stools, tables and lounge seating. “…We specifically wanted the coffee bar to feel open and inviting, which is why we chose the Modbar system. This setup keeps the counter clean and allows the bar to resemble a traditional cocktail bar, but one where the focus is entirely on meticulously crafting coffee, while spinning vinyl records.”
London, UK | Tim Burgess to host DIY & Q Acoustics’ new listening event The Listening Room: We’ll be taking over The Forge at The Lower Third later this month for a night dedicated to the art of listening and community. …The Listening Room will be an intimate evening focused on sharing music with like-minded fans, in a setting designed especially for sound. Attendees will be encouraged to bring along their favourite vinyl record and discover it anew, as it’s played through an award-winning flagship system from Q Acoustics, paired with a GR3 turntable (courtesy of their sister brand Goldring). Across the evening, Tim will act as our special guest host, and will guide us through some of the songs that have shaped and resonated through their life and career, before inviting attendees to share their own choices and stories along the way.
Bridgeport, CT | The WPKN Music Mash. BIG VINYL RECORD SALE! at Foolproof Brewing in Bridgeport. Do you collect vinyl records? The WPKN Music Mash is a celebration of WPKN Radio, Bridgeport. 40+ tables of LPs, CDs & more. Great music! It’s a grand celebration of listener-supported WPKN-FM, Bridgeport. Over 40 tables of LPs, CDs, 45s, and who knows what else. Dealers from all over the Connecticut area and beyond. All types of music, from classic rock to punk, funk & hip hop. Great live DJs, beer and VINYL VINYL VINYL! Hope to meet you in the bargain bins! PLUS GREAT FOOD AND DRINK FROM FOOLPROOF BREWING CO!
Santa Fe, NM | Hot Wax, Hot Tracks: DJ Christina Swilley has created her own DJ niche within the Santa Fe music world. I could’ve sworn DJ Christina Swilley (her real name, not a performance moniker) had been around town longer than five-ish years, but it turns out the local artist and vinyl-lover only came to town during the pandemic. Somehow I was incepted into always being aware of Swilley, perhaps because she so quickly started performing regularly in the post-pandemic Santa Fe. …On the horizon, Swilley’s Galentine’s Day event at the El Rey Court’s La Reina bar should prove a good introduction to her style—one that doesn’t super-duper align with the thudding world of EDM or the you’ve-already-heard-it vibe of Top 40 aficionados. She likes to get weird, so she says, so I obviously had to learn a little more.
Why some people are turning back to CDs for music enjoyment: If you Google this question—Is physical media making a comeback?—you will see a nearly endless collection of online articles about that particular phenomenon. Most of those stories were written over the course of the last year. For me, physical media isn’t making a comeback. I’m just pulling it out of storage. For years, I have had totes and totes full of compact discs. Initially, those totes were stacked in the closet of the guest room. Then, I moved them out to the garage for a couple of years. However, in the last couple of months, I moved them back inside, out of their storage containers and onto a gigantic corner shelf in my home office. I just can’t get rid of them. I love them, want to display them, and want to listen to them. Sure, I have Alexa, but it’s just not the same.
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