Berlin, DE | Berlin record store Sound Metaphors to close next month: The popular shop, treasured for its curation and deep crates of obscure dance music, can’t extend its lease. Berlin is losing one of its prized record stores. Sound Metaphors, located in the city’s Kreuzberg neighbourhood, will close its doors on June 30th this year, the shop revealed via social media today, May 9th. “People use decades for classifying contemporary music styles, periods in fashion and design, but sadly, a decade is also a standard rental period for commercial contract in Berlin, and landlords aren’t interested in the extended versions of tenancy, (especially not the faceless ones headquartered in Luxembourg type),” the shop wrote in a statement posted on Instagram. “We’re sure we’ll find new shapes and forms for sharing our obsessions with the physical world, hopefully in Berlin, if the current real-estate landscape so permits,” it continued.
London, UK | Vinyl record shops in London: The ultimate guide for crate diggers and music lovers. Few cities deliver the record shop experience quite like London. Whether I’m chasing rare soul 45s, digging for deep house 12-inches, or just soaking up the vibe with a coffee in hand, this city always hits the right note. London’s vinyl culture is alive, diverse and constantly evolving, offering everything from dusty basement crates to polished listening bars filled with underground gems. From iconic institutions to hidden neighbourhood gems, here’s my guide to the most essential spots to visit. Whether you’re a touring DJ, a collector, or a weekend browser, these shops will fuel your music passion.
Will Record Stores Resurge Like Bookstores? As Barnes & Noble opens dozens of new locations across the U.S., could an increase in record shops be far behind? …The record business followed a pattern similar to that of the book business. Major labels sold their vinyl pressing plants and let go of their manufacturing employees, and many of the pressing machines were sold for scrap (Bertelsmann alone reportedly scrapped 150 machines). In 2006, record store chain Tower Records closed all of its 89 U.S. stores and filed for bankruptcy, as did Sam Goody (which at one point had approximately 800 U.S. locations). …Bookstores and record stores are part of a breed of what are called “third spaces”, a term originally created in the 1980s by sociologist Ray Oldenburg. Third spaces refer to “a physical location other than work or home where there’s little to or no financial barrier to entry and where conversation is the primary activity.”
Christchurch, NZ | Vinyl store said it’s ‘great’ to see young people buying records: A vinyl store has said that it’s ‘great to see a young audience’ buying records. Castle Sounds, located in Christchurch, is Trader of the Week. Selling CDs, vinyl and records, the store is located in Castle Street, Christchurch. Alan has had the store for around 12 years now, after starting the business around 14 years ago. He said that he started the business as a hobby as he had a passion for music. He said: “It was just a hobby, I opened it as something to do. “It’s a labour of love.” …Alan said that it is a ‘luxury’ to be able to have the store, as he describes the businesses as ‘a niche.’ Alan said that Christchurch has a ‘very old demographic’ and that he sees a lot of customers buying records of music tracks they used to listen to when they were younger. However, Alan said that there has been a slight increase in younger people buying records. He said: “It’s great to see a young audience.”
Raleigh, NC | Raleigh music venue makes custom vinyl records for musicians worldwide: NC Made. Vinyl records, once a relic of the past, are now a popular way to listen to music. Some records you listen to might even be crafted here in the Triangle. In downtown Raleigh, Pour House Music Hall and Record Shop operates as a record shop by day and a music venue by night. Equipped with two record pressing machines, the business also produces thousands of fully customizable vinyl records for music lovers worldwide. “We were the 35th plant in the country to open up,” said Adam Lindstaedt, the owner. When COVID-19 pandemic hit, the business was open for only three and a half months before it had to close. “We switched everything in our record shop to online, so that floated us through COVID,” he shared. “(But,) Vinyl saved our live music business. We saw that there was a huge shortage in production capacity worldwide-about half of what the demand was.”
Plainville, CT | The Plainville Record Riot! Sunday June 8th! Over 10,000 vinyl records in one room! It’s the Plainville Record Riot! 40+ tables of LPs, CDs & 45s. A giant record store under one roof. 10,000 LPs in one room! Join the Record Riot community. Meet you in the bargain bins! Did you just buy a turntable? The Record Riot is a PERFECT event for you. Dealers from New England and beyond will bring all sorts of musical surprises. From punk to funk, classic rock to hip hop and soul/jazz too. Cheap records and expensive vinyl too. CDs as well, plus 45s for your jukebox. $5 admission at 9:30 AM, $10 early at 8 AM. Plenty of free parking! And great music all day! Hope to see you diggin’ in the crates!
San Luis Obispo, CA | Love vinyl? New SLO County trail links record stores, bars, hotels and more. Record collectors, disc jockeys and good ol’ fashioned vinyl fans now have another way to discover their favorite form of physical media in San Luis Obispo County. The SLO Vinyl Trail is a new guide listing more than a dozen locations on the Central Coast where residents and tourists alike can find places where the discs are sold, played and enjoyed. Jeff Root and Lisa Salmon are the masterminds behind the local project. …“We’ve gotten to know so many people who own record stores or who do pop-up record stores or who are playing vinyl in their bars or in their tasting rooms,” Root said. “So we thought, ‘Why not just stitch all these things together and make somewhat of a guide to the area?’ ”
Seattle, WA | The Local Music Scene: Behind the scenes of vinyl mastering with Levi Seitz of Black Belt Mastering. “…In 2014, my wife and I took out a second mortgage, and in a leap of faith (with the support of my friends and family), we bought a vintage, 1940s Scully vinyl lathe. After putting in a few months of hard work to get cuts that I thought would be acceptable to charge money for, I quit my day job to pursue mastering full time on April 1, 2015 (and yes, my employer did ask if my resignation email was an April fools joke…it wasn’t). I can’t say I’ve ‘never looked back.’ The first few years on my own were pretty rough. I continued to re-invest back into the business, upgrading speakers, room treatment and equipment when I could. I started to develop more vinyl centric relationships with pressing plants and labels…but the first big one was with Pearl Jam, who I still work with regularly 10 years later.”
Co. Clare, IE | Clare Woman Hoping To Find Home For Late Husband’s Extensive Vinyl Record Collection: A Clare woman is hoping to find a new home for her late husband’s extensive record collection. John Hogan had an eclectic taste in music and amassed over 2,000 vinyl records before he passed away two years ago. His mint condition collection includes Irish tenor John McCormack, live Broadway musicals, Gilbert and Sullivan, Leonard Bernstein, and Soprano’s Monsterrat Caballé and Margaret Price and many many more. His wife Susan, who’s living in Ennis, has told Clare FM’s Morning Focus it doesn’t feel right to play the records without her husband and she wants the collection to go to someone who will truly appreciate it.
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