US | The analog antidote: why Americans are trading algorithms for physical media: Across the United States, vinyl records, physical books, and even DVDs are experiencing a renewed wave of interest. In 2026, consumers are increasingly seeking ownership, mental focus, and a break from constant screen time—a cultural recalibration that is carving out a meaningful niche alongside the dominance of streaming. In an era when a smartphone can hold millions of songs and films, Mike Breton is noticing a different kind of demand at his Portland store, Electric Buddhas. Customers aren’t just browsing—they’re searching for record players, DVDs, and shelves of vinyl.
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Austin, TX | Waterloo’s ‘Spin it Foward’ vinyl donation drive helps bring music to hospital patients: A few years ago, Austin doctor Tyler Jorgensen, M.D., started a program with Dell Seton Medical Center to bring an unconventional form of comfort to hospital patients and their loved ones. ATX-VINyL, developed by Jorgenson in 2023, is a “resource that encourages patients and their families to connect through music, adding comfort and nostalgia to their patient rooms during the last stages of their care,” as one University of Texas article put it. Now, one of Austin’s biggest and most well-known vinyl record shops is supporting the program’s mission. Waterloo Records is holding a vinyl drive for ATX-VINyL through March 1, according to a post made online Monday.
US | Cataloging Black-owned record stores: As part of celebrating Black History Month, here’s a list of known Black-owned record stores in the United States and other places around the globe. The list includes those stores that are either fully or partially Black-owned. Sadly, as with all variations of brick and mortar record retailers, the advent of streaming, digital downloading, and online retailers like Amazon.com has vastly decreased the number of Black-owned record stores. It was also noteworthy that several stores only recently identified in previously published stories/articles (in the past five years) were discovered to have now closed permanently. Kudos to these business owners for weathering the economic, social, and technological challenges of owning and operating an independent record store in the 21st Century.
Nashville, TN | Demolition of East Nashville record store, venue ‘unlawful’ councilmember says: The Groove, a historic East Nashville building that once housed a beloved record store and venue, has been demolished in what one member of the Metro Council calls an outrageous violation of city code. Music is for everyone at The Groove, but the owners shared late last year they would be leaving their Calvin Avenue house after more than a decade in East Nashville. The final day of operations in East Nashville was Dec. 31, 2025. The business said they planed to “move” the shop, but did not share where, nor did the business indicate a reopening date. The business website still lists the Calvin Avenue address. Since then, the old house has sat empty until demolition crews came in recently and knocked it down. Now, the lot hosts a pile of rubble and wood.
Long Beach, CA | Grammy-Nominated Artist To Perform At Long Beach Record Store: Iron & Wine, the stage name of singer-songwriter-musician Samuel Beam, will perform a set at Fingerprints Music in Long Beach on Feb. 22. Samuel Beam, the indie folk artist who performs under the name Iron & Wine, will play a set of music for fans and customers at Fingerprints Music in Bixby Knolls on Sunday, Feb. 22. The event is open to anyone who preorders Iron & Wine’s upcoming album, Hen’s Teeth. The album’s official release date is Feb. 27, but those ordering through Fingerprints will receive it five days early at the event. Hen’s Teeth is Iron & Wine’s seventh studio album and is led by the single “In Your Ocean.” The vinyl or CD version of the upcoming release can be ordered at fingerprintsmusic.com. Purchasers will receive their copy following the live performance, which is scheduled for 5 pm.
Kalamazoo, MI | Physical media fans flip through vinyl at Kalamazoo Record & CD Show: Whether you like your music analog or digital, Kalamazoo’s Expo Center was the place to shop Sunday. The winter Kalamazoo Record and CD Show offered collectors thousands of discs, singles and LPs to flip through, and the vintage equipment needed to play them. The collaboration between music dealers has continued for 30 years, even after most music listening turned digital. Organizer Rodney Branham explained which artists are most in demand on vinyl, and gave advice for new collectors. “Taylor Swift comes up a lot,” he said. “Hendrix still comes up, The Doors still come up.” “Buy what you like and play it,” he added. “Don’t buy a record so that you can put it on the shelf because it’s valuable. You’re kind of defeating the purpose.”
Poughkeepsie, NY | The City of Poughkeepsie to celebrate Rex Manning Day: If you’ve never seen the 1995 cult-classic, Empire Records follows a group of misfit record store employees trying to save their independent shop from being turned into a corporate chain. It all unfolds over the course of one chaotic day that culminates with an in-store appearance by washed-up pop star, Rex Manning. The movie happens to take place on April 8, referred to in the film as “Rex Manning Day.” The date has been adopted by fans of the film as an annual celebration. This year, Poughkeepsie is leaning all the way in to Rex Manning Day with a free screening of Empire Records at the legendary Bardavon 1869 Opera House. On Wednesday, April 8, the Bardavon will host the free film to celebrate the opening of the new Darkside Records location.
Transdermal Celebration: Ween Get New CD Box Set, Vinyl Reissues, Live Albums from Rhino. Things are certainly looking brown at Rhino, who’ll be releasing five CD and vinyl titles related to Ween in the coming months. Following a deluxe edition of 1994’s Chocolate and Cheese and a Record Store Day vinyl pressing of rarities compilation Shinola, Vol. 1, the label will release Brown Box, a 10CD set of the band’s complete studio albums; color vinyl editions of late ’90s and early ’00s albums White Pepper and Quebec; and a new archival live album, Bring Out the Foos: Live 1996. All four titles will be available April 10. A week later, for Record Store Day, another live collection, Europe “90”, features three LPs of live material from early in the band’s run: a studio session recorded in The Netherlands and a fan-favorite live set taped in Switzerland not long afterward.
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