IA | Physical media sales rise nationally, sparking new stores in eastern Iowa: Razzle Dazzle Music & Movies and Zig Zog’s Records are two new stores specializing in the sale of physical media at a time when the demand is growing. With the rise of streaming services and declining sales, it seemed as if DVDs and vinyl were going to become a distant memory. However, over the last couple of years, a jump in sales and a newfound appreciation for physical media among younger generations has breathed new life into the market at a time when individuals are struggling with affording streaming services and the cost of living.
Glenside, PA | Vinyl Chickie Expanding Hours In Glenside: The popular record store drew crowds recently by selling legendary Philly radio host Pierre Robert’s record collection. Vinyl Chickie is expanding its hours. The popular Philadelphia area record store will be open seven days a week starting on Monday. Vinyl Chickie Owner Lisa Schaffer made the announcement on Monday, stating that her son Brandon will run the shop on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays. Since opening about a year ago, Vinyl Chickie has made its mark in the Philadelphia region. Last July, Philadelphia Magazine gave the Mount Carmel Avenue shop its “Best of Philly” awardfor the top record store in the region. Schaffer—a self-described “music nerd”—opened Vinyl Chickie at 2256 Mt. Carmel Ave., a stone’s throw from the iconic Keswick Theatre, where concerts are frequently on the calendar.
East Orange, NJ | Movin’ Records Founders Honored as Council Advances Major Agenda Items: The East Orange City Council meeting on April 27 combined municipal business with a recognition of the city’s cultural legacy, as council members advanced key legislation, addressed resident concerns, and honored the founders of Movin’ Records, a Central Avenue institution that helped shape New Jersey’s music scene. The evening’s highlight was a special resolution honoring Abigail “Abby” Adams and Keith Brown, founders of Movin’ Records. Led by Councilman Sammed Monk, the presentation recognized the pair for their role in building a hub for DJs, artists, and music enthusiasts that influenced house, hip-hop, and R&B culture locally and beyond. Monk described Movin’ Records as a place where people came not just to buy music, but to connect and grow within the industry.
São Paulo, BR | Where Walter Salles hunts for his vinyl records: discover the gallery that houses relics from 1963 and treasures worth R$ 3,000 in the heart of São Paulo. From the classics at Galeria do Rock to the collection of 1 million LPs in Mooca, discover where to hunt for vinyl records in São Paulo. Located at 154 Sete de Abril Street in República, Galeria Nova Barão is São Paulo’s largest vinyl record haven. With open shelves, the gallery also keeps an eye on the past. The collection includes contemporary releases by major pop stars as well as older albums and rare editions, which are the venue’s main draw. Prices generally reflect the level of exclusivity, reaching up to R$3,000 for items considered national or international treasures. In addition to the shopping center, the gallery offers a nostalgic experience that transcends generations.
Athens, GA | EXPO2026: Kindercore Records’ 30th Anniversary Celebration: …It began as an independent record label, then later it turned into the record pressing plant Kindercore Vinyl in 2017. However, Lewis and Geller separated from their brainchild in a flurry of controversy and lawsuits before the entire operation shut down “acrimoniously,” as described by Lewis. When asked if the duo ever thought there would be an EXPO2026, named as a follow up to Kindercore’s EXPO2000 festival, Geller uttered a prompt, “Hell no,” and Lewis said that he was “dead set against doing anything” due to how the end of Kindercore went down. That ending soon became a strong reason in favor of giving the business the celebration it deserved.
Portland, OR | A Portland Company Can Put Your Favorite Mixtape on Vinyl: Launched by late indie-rocker David Freel in 2014, Vinyl On Demand offers extremely limited, custom vinyl pressings. n the late 1990s, Jen Dawson began a yearslong, long-distance friendship with an indie-rocker from Portland. Then they became partners—in business as well as life. Then her partner died. Now she’s working not just to keep his vision alive, but to scale it up. That vision? Extremely short-run vinyl pressings that spare bands minimums and upfront costs. “David did something really amazing, and I feel like his vision deserves some recognition,” Dawson says. “Whenever I tell somebody what I do or what’s going on here they go, ‘That is so cool.’ I thought maybe more people should know about it.” The David in question is David Freel, a songwriter other Portland songwriters talked about. We’ll meet David in a minute. But first, here’s the story of how Dawson met David. Stick with us, it’s a pretty good story.
Lost treasures: Ten cult classic albums worth scouring second-hand record stores for. From groundbreaking psychedelia to lost folk and good-time boogie, here are ten albums truly worth stumbling across. For every thousand copies of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon (currently in 760,236 collections on Discogs, with another 1,389,261 users wishing they owned a copy), there’s a single copy of a cult classic desired by the type of serious music lover whose tastes extend far beyond the albums everyone else likes. It might be pioneering proto-metal. It might be a cosmic country gem. It might be a forgotten folkie. But it’ll be a cult classic. Here’s 10 of them. Keep your eyes peeled.
IN | The Revolver Club Makes a ‘Lyric Endorsement’ for Vinyl Culture: With ‘Lyric Endorsement’ by VIRTUE India, the vinyl retailer transforms familiar lyrical references into a multi-platform campaign bridging culture and commerce. At a time when music is increasingly consumed through streaming, The Revolver Club, a record store and pioneer of India’s vinyl revival, has reminded listeners of a simple truth: music has always been a ‘record.’ The Lyric Endorsement is a campaign by VIRTUE India that is built on a cultural insight hiding in plain sight. Across decades, genres, and artists, song lyrics have consistently referred to music as a ‘record’—not a CD, not a cassette, and certainly not a stream. From ‘Put another record on’ to ‘You spin me right round, baby, like a record,’ the language of music has remained unchanged—even as formats evolved.
How the vinyl revival fills the gaps streaming left behind: As global sales climb, the reasons people buy records diverge sharply across cultures. When I took my son to Mirza Ghalib Street in Kolkata to find Bollywood soundtracks for his new turntable, I was struck by the economics of our mission. Why trade the convenience of 100 million songs on Spotify for a dusty vinyl record that plays for 45 minutes and then needs to be flipped? Mirza Ghalib Street, formerly known as Free School Street, has a strip of stores that have been home for old records since the 1940s. Streaming arrived and most of the world stopped buying physical music. These shops kept selling the pressings, for anywhere between $18 and $42. I was flipping through the frayed sleeves when the numbers hit me. A decent turntable and speakers cost $300 to $500. A streaming subscription costs $10 a month and has every song I could want. Why would anyone choose the hard way?
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