Louisville, KY | Iconic vinyl retailer known for its Jimi Hendrix sign is spinning its last record after 48 years: A vinyl retailer known for its sign of the iconic guitarist Jimi Hendrix has confirmed its closure after nearly 50 years. Independent retailers have been closing across multiple industries, and music stores have also been impacted in the last few years. On Monday, Electric Ladyland in Louisville, Kentucky, said it would shut after 48 years of operation. The store will be open until the end of June. Electric Ladyland is most known for its bright, rainbow walls and large sign depicting Jimi Hendrix’s face. …The owner of Electric Ladyland thanked its loyal customers in an emotional post on social media. It read: “What began as a small business grew into something so much bigger than we ever could have imagined.
Princeton, NJ | A perfect weekend in Princeton, N.J., from record stores to ice cream and ivy-covered quads. …There are almost too many options to choose from, but the Princeton Record Exchange, or PREX, is a must-see. As the sign in the window attests, it’s one of the nation’s, even the world’s, best record stores with over 100,000 albums, cassettes, and CDs spread out over 4,500 square feet. James Murphy, of LCD Soundsystem, said PREX “saved his life.” Owner Jon Lambert said he has visitors from all over the world, and he’s found the average customer spends over an hour in the store. Sometimes they’re simply browsing and reminiscing, and Lambert said that’s just fine. “We want you to feel comfortable here, to have a tactile, sensorial experience,” he said. “We know you’ll probably be back.”
New York, NY | Openings & Closings: Sweet Peanut Records. Sweet Peanut Records, an independent record store, is opening this summer at 463 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 82nd and West 83rd streets). It will carry new and used vinyl records, some CDs, cassettes, and audio equipment, owner and Upper West Sider Hunter Brammer wrote to West Side Rag in an email. Brammer previously worked in finance but spent many years collecting and selling vinyl online as a hobby. “I have finally made the jump into doing this full time and hope to build a community and partner with other businesses in the area,” he wrote. Sweet Peanut will buy old record collections and will do house calls for collections.
Cape Breton, CA | In the groove: Cape Breton man spins passion for vinyl records into impressive collection. “It’s my addiction,” Stephen MacLeod said with a smile that was more prideful than joking about his vinyl record collection. With more than 13,000 records, the 60-year-old Sydney man has a record collection that might rival many radio stations in the 1960s-80s. A lover of 1960 and 1970s rock, British rock, and hillbilly, MacLeod has a vinyl musical library that spans more than seven decades and crosses multiple genres, including R ‘n’ B, doo-wop and rockabilly. Organized alphabetically on shelves that cover two-thirds of his basement walls, MacLeod’s collection is mostly 45s — smaller vinyl records with one song on each side. …Not only does he love the sound of the older music, MacLeod thinks music played off of vinyl records also has a better quality to it.
UK | Ed Sheeran found this record in a second-hand store—now it’s finally getting attention: When Ed Sheeran recently declared his love for an obscure album he had unearthed in a second-hand record shop in New York, it was big a surprise to the English singer who made it almost 50 years ago. After buying a copy of Allan Taylor’s 1978 LP The Traveller, Ed Sheeran may have recognised something of a kindred spirit in his fellow singer-songwriter. Taylor started out performing in pubs and bars, sleeping on floors and sofas with his guitar and little else, several decades before Sheeran began his career on a similar path. Taylor toured the world and signed major record deals. But unlike Sheeran, mainstream success eluded him. “Everything I did wrong, he did right,” Taylor says ruefully.
Buffalo, NY | The Buffalo Record Riot! Vinyl Records! Sat July 18th, Knights Hall, 2735 Union Rd, Cheektowaga NY. The Buffalo Record Riot! It’s a GIANT vinyl record POP-UP sale at the Knights Hall in Cheektowaga! Over 15,000 vinyl records in ONE ROOM! The Buffalo Record Riot returns! It’s a BIG vinyl record POP-UP sale at Knights Hall, 2735 Union Road in Cheektowaga! Over 15,000 vinyl records in ONE ROOM! 10 AM-4 PM. Great music and amazing family fun. LPs, CDs and 45s. Dealers from far and wide converge for a giant music sale! All types of music from punk to funk to country to classic rock, hip hop, soul/jazz and more. Dust off that turntable and come on down. Regular admission starts at 10 AM ($5) with early admission at 9 AM ($15). Don’t miss the BIG VINYL DIG!
Homewood, AL | Homewood Public Library adds vinyl records to Library of Things collection: The Homewood Public Library has added vinyl records to its Library of Things. The Library of Things is a collection of non-book-related items that can be checked out from the library. It includes instruments, electronics, tools and outdoor activities. According to the Homewood Public Library, records can be checked out for seven days and renewed up to two times. Library card holders can check out a maximum of two records at a time. Overdue fees cost $1 per day. For those who don’t own a record player, the library stated those are available for checkout as well. A full list of featured items in the Library of Things can be found here.
Ali Farka Touré’s ‘Savane’ Celebrates 20 Years With Limited-Edition Yellow Vinyl Release: Savane, the acclaimed final studio album by Ali Farka Touré, will return in a limited-edition yellow double-vinyl format to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Recorded in Bamako with a specially assembled ngoni ensemble, the album remains one of Touré’s most celebrated works. Critics have often cited Savane as his finest recording, noting its deep roots in Malian musical traditions alongside its blues influence.
Pilot program recycles vinyl records without compromising sound quality: Warner Music group worked with Abbey Road Studios to repurpose unsold and damaged vinyl into commercial-grade pressings. Warner Music Group and GZ Media have completed a new pilot program to demonstrate how unsold records can be reprocessed and incorporated into new vinyl pressings without compromising sound quality. The program processed approximately 10,000 unsold records sourced across artists, titles, and pressing plants, reflecting the mixed inventory typical across the industry. The records were shredded, and multiple pressing variants of records were pressed using different recycled content ratios, ranging from 10 to 100 percent. …As vinyl continues its global resurgence, the collaboration underscores how coordinated innovation across the value chain, from studio to label pressing plant, can help shape the next chapter of vinyl.
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