New York, NY | Should I Get Into Vinyl Records? There are plenty of reasons to consider collecting and playing LPs of your favorite music. Saving money isn’t one of them. …I realize that some of this is just vibes: I think records are cool. Is that worth the expense of building a collection when a single LP can cost more than what a streaming subscription would run you per month? Only you can answer that. Musicians certainly see more money from a physical sale than the fractions of pennies they earn from a stream, and for some fans, buying records is a sign of devotion to their faves — never mind that many of the people driving the current boom by picking up multiple colored-vinyl variants don’t even own a turntable. In fact, I’m heartened that the original question was about collecting and playing records, because they’re meant to be played…
UK | ERA research shows record shops increasing share of vinyl sales: Research from digital entertainment and retail association ERA shows physical record shops continuing to grow in strength driven by the growth in vinyl sales. Sales of the format are at an 18-year high. While home delivery continues to account for more than half of physical music sales, bricks and mortar stores have increased their share by nearly a third since 2021 to 41.2%. They have increased their share of total music sales (including streaming) to 6.2% over the same period. Increasing demand for vinyl from millennials has led to growth for the UK’s only national music retail chain HMV, now with around 120 stores, as well as an increase in independent store openings. The total number of independents increased to 499 in 2025—up 28 on the prior year.
San Fernando, CA | San Fernando record store gets ready to unplug: The Midnight Hour Records will close at the end of the year. Owners cite financial issues and lack of city support. A record store on a quiet street in San Fernando has been making noise in the Northeast Valley the last few years, building a loyal following by giving local bands a stage for performances. “We sell records and knickknacks and whatnot as a means to pay our landlord, but we very much use this space to have community events. We have skill-shares, we have fundraisers, we have concerts,” explains owner Sergio Amalfitano. The space has been an incubation chamber for new local bands, he says: “Being a jumping-off point for a lot of people to find their own way is the most important thing we have done.” But now, $85,000 in debt and after a long struggle with city leaders, Amalfitano says he’ll have to close up…
Ontario, CA | Canadian invention: The Last Sam the Record Man is in Ontario. It was one of the worst-kept secrets in Canadian music. Was the “late-night record shop” Steven Page sang of in the Barenaked Ladies megahit Brian Wilson, in fact, the original Sam the Record Man location on Toronto’s Yonge Street? Page confirmed the reference with a tweet when founder Sam Sniderman died in 2012. The Ladies and ’90s political folk group Moxy Fruvous, of Thornhill, Ont., were among the bands who were able to sell their material at Sam’s before they made it big, music industry observer Eric Alper told CTV at the time. “He actually put their music front and centre into his store beside the Rolling Stones and The Who,” Alper said on CanadaAM. “It is unimaginable that the music scene would be the same in Canada without Sam Sniderman.”
Chicago, IL | Wax Vinyl: Where Chicago Soul Meets Tokyo Sound. Behind frosted glass in Chicago’s West Town sits Wax Vinyl Bar and Record Shop, a love letter to sound. Couple Lee Farmer and Gina Barge-Farmer opened the space in 2024. In preparation, they visited Tokyo, specifically to experience a jazz kissa, or kissaten, traditional Japanese listening bars built around deep reverence for music. In these spaces, the sound system is sacred, the records are encyclopedic, and conversation bends to the music. “They’re music first,” Gina explains. “Thousands of records, true musicologists.” During one visit, they asked if the bar had anything from Gene Barge, Gina’s father, who was a celebrated blues saxophonist who played alongside legends and helped shape the sound of Chicago soul. To their surprise, the owner quietly pulled out his records. Across language and cultural barriers, music became the connector.
How to hear an album before it drops: Early-listening parties are on the rise. At Rough Trade East, a record shop in London, dozens of fans mingled among the vinyl-filled shelves. Lilting harmonies and Latin-inflected beats blasted through the speakers; people tapped their feet, gasped, grinned and even had a boogie. These “hooligans”—as Bruno Mars’s fans are known—had gathered to listen to the pop star’s new album, “The Romantic”, ahead of its release on February 27th. Similar events were hosted in 28 other countries around the world; there were more than 200 in America alone. …Listening parties, which started out as exclusive previews for industry insiders, are now part of the publicity cycle.
Mastic Beach, NY | Mastic Beach librarian on Spinnin’ Wax vinyl event: ‘A great experiment.’ The Mastic Beach Satellite Branch will host its first-ever Spinnin’ Wax Vinyl Listening Party on Thursday, March 5, inviting record fans of all genres to bring a favorite album and listen together. The library event, aimed at both collectors and casual listeners, is part of the offerings from the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library. “Everyone will get to bring whatever record they want and get to talk a little bit about it but really the main goal is that we’ll put it on the turntable and we’ll listen to it,” said JD Verbeck, a full-time librarian trainee who launched the event from his own love of records. …The free event is open to all, regardless of library card privileges or residency. A second party is scheduled for April 16, also starting at 6:30 p.m.
Hollywood, CA | This brand-new restaurant inside one of Hollywood’s top concert venues is a must-visit for music lovers: Inspired by Japanese hi-fi listening lounges, Vinyl Room is serving up ’70s vibes and encore-worthy cuisine and cocktails. It’s an age-old struggle when going to a concert: Do you eat dinner at home before you go, do you find the perfect restaurant near your destination and try to time it perfectly, or do you just fill up on snacks and drinks at the show? I’ve encountered that dilemma several times when seeing a show at the Hollywood Palladium, and while its refreshment offerings are a cut above most—churros, popcorn and predictably pricey cocktails—its new lounge, Vinyl Room, offers a solution for an elevated dinner-and-a-show experience. Last week, I got the chance to experience Vinyl Room before it opened to the public just in time for the venue’s two sold-out Gorillaz shows, and it was one of the most exciting openings I’ve checked out in a while.
How the Digital Age Sparked An Analog Revival: Twenty years ago, experts predicted that people would eventually stop accumulating stuff as the digital age took hold. Why keep a collection of CDs when your music can be stored and sorted neatly on Spotify? What is the point of filing reams of paper documents when you can store everything in the cloud? And photo albums seem like relics when you have Google Photos. But it didn’t work out as experts predicted. The modern economy hasn’t exactly encouraged the decluttering of our lives. E-commerce has made buying easier, expanded resale markets, and turned niche interests into large industries. And along with this, hands-on hobbies and collectibles experienced a resurgence. From the widespread rediscovery of vinyl records to the revival of the mechanical watch industry, people are still accumulating physical goods, keeping things they can hold—either for sentimental value or, increasingly, to possess a tangible asset.
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