Palm Desert, CA | Analog Music Makes a Comeback in Palm Desert as Teens Embrace Vinyl, CDs and Cassettes: Music lovers in Palm Desert are going back to the basics, with vinyl records, CDs and cassette tapes finding new life among both longtime collectors and younger fans. Inside Dale’s record shop in Palm Desert, shelves lined with physical media are drawing in customers eager to browse through crates and rediscover the hands-on experience of buying music. While some shoppers have been collecting for years, others are part of a younger generation just now discovering the appeal of analog formats. Some local high school students say they enjoy exploring older music in a way that feels more personal than streaming. From dropping a cassette into a Walkman to flipping it over and listening to the other side, they say the experience helps them connect with an album from beginning to end.
Burlington, VT | Julian Hackney to Take Over Speaking Volumes Record Store in Burlington: The Rough Francis guitarist is purchasing the South End Burlington music and repair shop next month. Speaking Volumes Record Store & Repair Shop in Burlington will change hands in April. Owner Norbert Ender, who first launched Speaking Volumes as a used bookstore in 2006 on Pine Street, is selling his offshoot record store on Marble Avenue to Burlington entrepreneur and musician Julian Hackney. Hackney, 39, is the founder of the ginger beer company Young at Heart and the guitarist for local punk band Rough Francis. While he’s excited to run a record store, it wasn’t necessarily a challenge he’d planned to take on. “Never in my life would I imagine that I’d own a record store,” Hackney told Seven Days. “But, I mean, it literally fell into my lap. I just couldn’t say no.”
Kent, UK | Faversham shop Saturnalia Records features in documentary series Behind the Counter ahead of Record Store Day: A Kent record shop appears in a documentary championing independent music stores ahead of one of the biggest days in the sector’s calendar. Faversham’s Saturnalia Records, run by couple Elliot Barr-Macallan and Andrea McCarthy, appears in the latest series of Behind The Counter—an online series which has more than 5.6 million views. Produced by the organisers behind Record Store Day, taking place next month, the documentary shines a spotlight on 12 independent shops across the UK, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the people committed to vinyl and CDs. In the episode, the pair reflect on how Andrea’s teenage years shape the shop’s unique identity and retro look.
Long Beach, CA | Bagatelle Records closed suddenly after 50 years. Now it will reopen under new ownership. The vinyl collectors institution closed last fall with owner Steve Mintz’s passing. It was missed so much that would-be customers sometimes banged on the windows, hoping they could get back in. After months of silent speakers and empty aisles, one of Long Beach’s favorite record stores is spinning back to life, giving music lovers and vinyl collectors the renewed thrill of flipping through records and rediscovering forgotten favorites. Long cherished as a cornerstone of the local music scene, Bagatelle Records plans to reopen in April, bringing back thousands of vinyls to be sold at its shop at 260 Atlantic Ave. in downtown Long Beach. For five decades, the store was a hub for music enthusiasts, offering rare records and guidance to both collectors and casual shoppers.
Chattanooga, TN | Redbud Venue Hosts Record Store Day (RSD) 2026 Open House Celebration April 18 In Ridgedale: Redbud Venue invites the community to celebrate RSD 2026 with an Open House event on Saturday, April 18 at 2314 E. 13th St. in Chattanooga. “This free, family-friendly outdoor event will showcase live music, local vendors, food and activities designed to bring the community together in a festive spring celebration,” officials said. “Come out to Ridgedale and celebrate RSD 2026 in block party style.” Other neighborhood partners include Yellow Racket Records, Lo Main and Barque. Officials said, “Taking place primarily on the Redbud’s outdoor grounds, the RSD 2026 Open House will feature live performances from local bands, highlighting the rich and diverse music culture of Chattanooga…”
ME | Record Store Day returns in April: What Maine stores are participating? What Is on the Mount Rushmore of Holidays? Obviously, Christmas and Thanksgiving make the cut. I would also say the Fourth of July belongs there. And then there’s Record Store Day…which is quite possibly the best of them all. This year marks the 19th annual Record Store Day, a “holiday” that celebrates small businesses and all things music. This worldwide phenomenon takes place on Saturday, April 18, with thousands of stores participating. …This holiday did, in fact, get its start in Maine. According to NewsCenter Maine, Chris Brown from the iconic Bull Moose music stores came up with the idea back in 2007. It was a way to promote small businesses, support musical independence, and celebrate everyone connected to the scene.
Los Angeles, CA | A Practical Guide to Navigating L.A.’s Vinyl Ecosystem on Record Store Day: The vinyl holiday returns April 18 with exclusives, long lines and a reminder of why L.A. still shops analog. There are very few days in Los Angeles when waking up early for a line feels less like a chore and more like a ritual. Record Store Day is one of them. On April 18, independent record stores across the city will once again become gathering places for collectors, casual fans and the increasingly vinyl-curious. What started in 2008 as a last-ditch effort to keep brick-and-mortar record stores alive has quietly become one of the most important days of the year for physical music retail.
Baltimore, MD | Basement Selector is Staging a Quiet Rebellion Against the Digital Streaming Age: DJ John Canale’s new vinyl listening party “The Evening Ritual” digs deep into the power of sound. On Sunday nights, Wet City typically takes the night off on West Chase Street. But twice a month at the end of the week, this beloved bar, known as the spot for Spagett cocktails and some of the city’s best wings, will be jam-packed with people, swaying in their seats, enveloped in the sounds of iconic musicians. Think Sly and the Family Stone, Herbie Hancock, Daft Punk, Amy Winehouse. This is “The Evening Ritual,” a monthly record-listening session focused on unplugging and fully immersing in sound. At the front of the room, behind the decks, is John Canale, also known as “Basement Selector,” staging a quiet rebellion against the digital streaming age.
Chicago, IL | New Sound Cafe remixes former record shop: Once a gospel record store, New Sound Cafe in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood is filling a need for local meeting spaces. What to expect: Across from the Austin Green Line stop and on the Oak Park border, the cafe’s sleek design with exposed brick, modern pendant lamps and a mosaic tile floor invites more lingering rather than just grabbing coffee on the go. Originally home to New Sound Gospel Records & Tapes that closed about 20 years ago, the cafe features records on the walls, a vintage TV playing gospel concerts and the shop’s original sign above an organ that once sat in the store.
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