UK | UK vinyl sales are at an 18-year high, new report reveals: Physical shops are increasing their market share, and the number of independent stores has also grown. A new report released by the Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA) has revealed UK vinyl sales are now at an 18-year high. Physical record shops are also increasing their market share. Although online purchases and home delivery are still far and away the preferred way to shop—with more than half of units bought in this way—41.2% of all records are now sold in person, over the counter. This is reflected in an increasing number of stores. HMV, the only national music retailer in Britain, has now expanded its portfolio to 120 sites, marking a significant recovery since 2019, when it was rescued from administrators and lost about one-quarter of its locations. Independent shops have also grown, with 28 opening last year, bringing the total number across the country to 499.
Seattle, WA | Sub Pop Records leaving Amazon HQ space for new store on Seattle waterfront: Longtime Seattle independent record label Sub Pop Records is leaving Amazonia. The company announced via social media on Thursday that its retail store at 2130 7th Ave., at the base of Amazon’s re:Invent headquarters tower, is closing this Sunday after five years. A new Sub Pop store will open April 1 on the Seattle waterfront at 908 Alaskan Way. The move comes a few months after Sub Pop closed its Sea-Tac Airport location at the end of 2025, ending a 12-year run for that space near the entrance of Concourse C. Sub Pop set up its brick-and-mortar shop in the heart of Amazon’s headquarters campus in January 2021, offering merchandise ranging from clothing, knick knacks and trinkets emblazoned with the iconic Sub Pop logo to vinyl records.
Melbourne, AU | Melbourne’s record store owners are sharing their most personal tracks at a Brunswick East brewery: Record store owners are the unsung curators of Melbourne’s musical identity, and someone’s finally giving them the mic. The Art of Listening, a music club built around deep listening and connection, is taking over Keeper Brewing in Brunswick East for a three-week residency this March. The series puts the spotlight on the people behind some of Melbourne’s most beloved record stores, inviting them to share the tracks that have shaped their lives and careers. Each session kicks off with an intimate listening experience, where the guest selects and presents a hand-picked run of records with personal stories attached. Once the listening wraps up, the guest jumps on the decks for a DJ set to keep the room moving.
Los Angeles, CA | New York-based wellness brand Bathhouse will take over the former record store. A former Amoeba Music location in Los Angeles will be turned into an spa. New York wellness brand Bathhouse will turn the ex-record emporium on 6400 Sunset Boulevard into its first location on the West Coast, Los Angeles Magazine reported. Due to open in 2028, the space will become Bathhouse’s biggest outpost to date. The building, a Hollywood landmark, was home to Amoeba Music from 2001 to 2020. Considered one of the world’s largest independent record stores thanks to its massive inventory, it hosted live performances and was a beloved fixture of the city’s music scene. In 2021, the store relocated down the street and is now called Amoeba Music Hollywood. The latter has clarified that it won’t be affected by the redevelopment news. “We are NOT turning into a bathhouse,” it said in a statement.
Orpington, UK | The Orpington Cafe and Record Store review—A music lover’s dream: I tried TripAdvisor’s top-rated restaurant in Orpington—and it certainly lived up to expectations. Brunch fans are spoiled for options in Orpington High Street—with Pato Lounge, The Second Home and Orpington GPO all offering tasty menus – but the highest-rated by far is the Orpington Cafe & Record Store. As well as scoring 4.9 stars on TripAdvisor, this homely cafe has scooped a Travellers’ Choice Award for 2025, which recognises places among the top 10 per cent of listings on the review platform. …Of course, its USP is the fact that it serves up vinyl alongside gorgeous food and, as such, the cafe is a music-lovers dream. Hits from artists such as Fleetwood Mac and Electric Light Orchestra played over the speakers and you can peruse LPs, singles and CDs through the decades—and even straight out of major blockbusters—while you wait for your food.
Littleton, CO | Records on Main celebrates Women’s History Month with Spin HERStory: Store will host events throughout the month to uplift women’s music. Since opening in April 2025, Records on Main has quickly become a Main Street mainstay, a spot to browse and find new music, chat with friends as you fill out your collection with your favorite album, or even, on occasion, hear live music. This March, the shop is turning up the volume on women in music with a plethora of events throughout the month. In honor of Women’s History Month, Records on Main started Spin HERstory—an effort to uplift women in music and give them more opportunities to be heard. Co-owner Cassie Chernin said the initiative was inspired by her role as a record store owner. She wanted to use the shop to celebrate Women’s History Month in some way, but she just wasn’t sure how…
San Francisco, CA | Gen Z’s vinyl obsession prevails. Are DVDs next? Vinyl flippers and video store owners share stories of Gen Z’s embrace of physical media. In the age of media consumption dominated by streaming, a perceived notion of infinite choice has prevailed: No matter how eclectic your tastes or how deep you wish to dive into a particular artist or genre, anything and everything your heart desires is a tap or a click away. But as any vinyl record seller in San Francisco will tell you, that is simply not always the case, even with mainstream artists. “One of the repeated cliches is that everything is available online now,” said Chris Guttmacher, owner of The Plastic Pancake, a small record store on the corner of Valencia and 21st streets. “There’s a lot of stuff that is, but there’s important records on big labels by big artists that are just not there.”
New York, NY | Interview: Kristian Sorge talks about Limited to One record shop. Growing up in Essex County, NJ, Kristian Sorge began to develop his record-curating ability and philosophy over time and physical distance. From the East Coast to the West Coast and back again, the journey brought him to where he is today: the owner of Limited to One record shop in New York City’s East Village. Early in life, music quickly got into his bloodstream. If it wasn’t vinyl, it was CDs, and before that, tapes. He was especially drawn to indie and punk singles, always chasing originals, like early Misfits seven-inches. By the early 2000s, he was heavily collecting LPs and eventually went all in on vinyl. “My early musical diet was metal, rock, and hip hop, but in my late teens, I started going to punk, indie, and DIY shows, which really opened my eyes to a new music scene,” he says.
Bill Callahan Is Coming to a Record Store Near You: Provided you live in one of these East Coast cities. As Bill Callahan celebrates the release of new album My Days of 58, the stalwart singer-songwriter has unveiled a prelude to his May tour of North America. He kicks off a string of shows at record stores in late March at Rough Trade New York, before heading to the Philadelphia Record Exchange; Jack’s Music Shoppe in Red Bank, New Jersey; the Sound Garden in Baltimore; and, finally, Byrdland in Washington, D.C. Check out his full itinerary, including the dates he announced in February, below. Attendance for the in-store shows is first come, first served.
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