Auckland, NZ | Auckland record store Flying Out to close: Iconic Auckland record store Flying Out has announced it will close its doors. Managing director Matthew Davis said the closure was due to a number of factors. “Over the last few years, a pandemic, 3 festival cancellations, the effects of ongoing roadworks, the CRL construction and the continuing economic downturn has become an unpleasant, perfect storm,” he wrote on the store’s Facebook page. “Flying Out has been a true labour of love, and we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make it what it was—our F|O team (past and present), customers, suppliers, artists, and wider community.” Davis said what happens next will be announced in the coming weeks.
Evanston, IL | Animal Records moving to new location in downtown Evanston: After just about two years at its 624 Grove St. location, Animal Records plans to move to a new, larger storefront just down the street at 620 Grove St. “We need more space,” said owner Greg Allen. “We’ve just got a ton of inventory that we’re unable to display in our current spot, because it’s so crammed.” Allen hopes to have the new, larger location open in mid-July. Andy Vick, executive director of Downtown Evanston, told the RoundTable that he thinks it’s “wonderful” Animal Records will stay downtown. “Animal Records has been a great addition to the retail mix in downtown Evanston, and the store has been a regular participant in a lot of our downtown programming,” Vick said. “It’s exciting that the business is thriving and growing.”
York, UK | New addition to York’s thriving vinyl record scene: In recent years, the city of York has been transformed into a veritable haven for vinyl shoppers. Whether you’re a hardcore record collector, a DJ in the making, or a casual Sunday spinner, there are more places than ever to get your fill of fresh wax in York, including longstanding Your Local Link advertisers Vinyl Eddie and FortyFive Vinyl Café, as well as hidden vinyl treasure troves such as Earworm Records, Rebound Records, and the new Gillygate arrival, Record Plant York. Our city has also seen a recent upsurge in annual Record Store Day celebrations, with regular record fairs popping up across town, including The Crescent Record Fair at the Crescent Community Venue, York Record Fair at the Knavesmire, and The Great Yorkshire Fair, held for the first time at York RI this spring.
Barcelona, SP | Yoyaku expands to Barcelona with first permanent store outside Paris: The new space is located within the Bridge 48 arts hub near Ciutadella Park. Yoyaku has expanded its physical presence with the opening of a new record store in Barcelona. Located inside the Bridge 48 arts hub near the city’s Ciutadella Park, the shop opened on June 15th, 2026, and marks the company’s first permanent retail space outside its Paris headquarters. The new location will stock a selection of records spanning Yoyaku’s own catalogue, releases from local labels, new arrivals, and an extensive collection of second-hand vinyl. The opening further strengthens the company’s connection to Barcelona’s electronic music community while extending its network beyond France.
Houston, TX | Houston’s DJs Are Turning Their Record Collections Into a Vinyl Revival: Local DJs have too many records. Lucky for us, they’re selling them. …After nearly 15 years of DJing and collecting 80,000 45s, Powell knew he had enough wax to start a side business, but “you’re not gonna get rich doing this,” Powell says. “None of those guys are making much money,” he adds. Many record store owners are earning just enough to live, and while some shops are thriving, others have been forced to call it quits. This year, the last remaining location of the beloved music chain Soundwaves shuttered. None of that stops music fans from asking when he’ll open one of his own. Still, like many other DJs in the city, Powell chooses to keep selling records as a side hustle—online on websites like Discogs, and at scheduled pop-ups.
UK | Record Store UK launches campaign to create a vinyl emoji: Did you know there isn’t an official emoji for vinyl, despite the format being nearly two decades into its sales revival? It’s a gap that surprises many people: particularly as there ARE emoji for CDs and even floppy disks. But now there’s a campaign afoot to correct the omission, courtesy of the UK’s Entertainment Retailers Association and Record Store Day. They have launched an online petition and social-media campaign to finally get a vinyl emoji approved by the Unicode Consortium, the non-profit organisation responsible (or, as an amusing 2016 Los Angeles Times headline put it: “the shadowy overlords who approve emojis”). “A vinyl emoji wouldn’t just represent a format: it would represent collecting, DJing, crate-digging, independent record shops, and the simple joy of putting a record on,” claims the petition launched on Change·org.
TN | Hamdi Ryder on Keeping Vinyl Culture Alive in Tunisia: The Tunisian DJ/producer and label head honcho unpacks the story of Tunisia’s only dedicated vinyl record store, Eddisco Records. Across much of the MENA region, crate-digging is rarely a simple pursuit. While cities such as Casablanca, Algiers and Cairo have seen renewed interest in record collecting, independent labels and underground electronic music heads over the past decades, dedicated record stores remain scarce across much of the region. …Yet a new generation of DJs, producers and selectors is helping to change that, treating records not only as a listening format but as a means of preserving heritage, fostering community and creating connections with local scenes.
Bangkok, TH | Why Vinyl Records Still Matter: A Conversation with Gadhouse’s Watcharaphon “Petch” Teosuwan. Vinyl records may belong to the past, but for Watcharaphon “Petch” Teosuwan, their cultural relevance feels more contemporary than ever. Music listening has become increasingly immediate, invisible, and infinite, causing the art of tangible music formats to swiftly fade into the background. Yet the ritual of holding a record, admiring its artwork sleeves, and listening to an album from start to finish has not disappeared entirely. …As one of the co-founders of Gadhouse—the Bangkok-born company known for its retro-modern turntables and design-driven approach to analog listening experiences—Petch’s passion for music has helped spur Thailand’s growing vinyl movement.
Grand Rapids, MI | Old records, new spin: Brewery hosts vinyl swap night. Remember those records your wife told you to get rid of about 10 years ago, the ones you swore you’d “deal with later” before quietly sliding them a little deeper into the attic? Turns out, you were right all along; they are making a comeback. On June 23, those very crates of forgotten vinyl could suddenly become the most interesting thing you bring with you to downtown Grand Rapids. WGVU Public Media, in partnership with Founders Brewing Co., is inviting the community to take part in Fresh Sounds Vinyl Swap, a free, all-ages gathering designed for one simple purpose: to put music back into circulation and people back into conversation.
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