Ypsilanti, MI | Local record shop Wyrd Byrd strengthens music-loving community in Ypsilanti: Since opening in October 2022, Wyrd Byrd has grown from just a record store to a community space dedicated to uplifting music lovers. Wyrd Byrd is an independently owned record store in Downtown Ypsilanti. The store, located at 9 S. Washington St., is open 12 to 4 p.m. Sundays, closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and open from 12 to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. “I always wanted to have a record store. It’s just something, for some reason, since I was a kid, I always wanted to do. As I got a little older I got more into books, role-playing games, that sort of thing. So the idea kind of turned into all of these things. I get sort of obsessed about a lot of different things,” said store owner Shawn Gates.
Denver, CO | A new Wax Trax Records is opening in Stanley Marketplace: A 1,000-square-foot storefront will replace the record shop’s experimental pop-up kiosk. Wax Trax Records will open a 1,000-square-foot storefront in Aurora’s Stanley Marketplace, where it has run a kiosk in the hallway since 2024. The new space—the fourth permanent Wax Trax in the metro—will allow the record store to expand its offerings and create a hub for vinyl, occasional live music and community. Wax Trax will move from its kiosk into a nearby storefront previously occupied by the local streetwear company Abstract. That store, meanwhile, has moved to a different space at Stanley Marketplace. The store’s owners decided to sign the lease after the company’s best Record Store Day sales ever.
Milwaukie, OR | Police investigating record, vintage store burglary in Milwaukie: Police are searching for FOX 12’s Most Wanted after a burglary at a family-owned record and vintage store was caught on camera early Monday morning. “Broken glass, and inventory pieces, and empty trays, it’s a horrible feeling,” said co-owner Rebecca Stavenjord. A burglary was caught on camera at B-Side Records and Vintage in Milwaukie early Monday morning. “He was in and out in less than 10 minutes, and now we’re cleaning it all up,” said Stavenjord. Stavenjord said the burglar broke a door, stole cameras, jewelry, and cash that could cost the business more than $5,000.
Auckland, NZ | Business owners on Auckland’s K’ Rd feeling the pinch amid closures: Business owners in one of Auckland’s most colourful spots are feeling the pinch as some institutions are forced to close. Karangahape Rd has long been a vibrant counterculture pit stop with a mix of shops, eateries and music venues. But in the last two days, two businesses in the area have announced they’re shutting down. On Thursday, live music venue Neck of the Woods took to social media to announce it would be closing next week after 11 years. “Like a lot of music venues, we’ve been struggling since Covid, and this year has just gotten harder. We see sold out shows and think a club is doing well, but we live or die by our bar sales. That’s fine when the economy is up, but unsustainable in the current climate and as people are drinking and spending less,” the venue said.
Ditching the Pressing Plant: How On-Demand Vinyl Saved My Independent Label. Avoid the risks, delays, and waste of industrial manufacturing with on-demand production: sell physical music without excess inventory. The dream of running an independent record label usually collides with a harsh financial reality: the physical manufacturing trap. The standard playbook that we all tend to innately follow dictates that to be taken seriously, you need physical merchandise. Okay, I can buy that. …When I transitioned from the tech and creative executive sectors to launch SNDIGØ Records, I looked at this legacy supply chain and saw total structural inefficiency. The traditional model forces creators to act as warehouse managers and logistics coordinators. I wanted to run a music label, not a fulfillment center.
Miami, FL | ICA Miami helps launch rare Latin American vinyl project: The Design District Museum joins ISLAA and Hueso Records on Plan /33, a limited-edition vinyl series that preserves and reimagines Latin American underground music. The Institute for Studies in Latin American Art (ISLAA), ICA Miami, and Hueso Records unveiled a collaborative project titled Plan /33, an editioned series of 33 limited-edition vinyl records by ’80s Latin American underground musicians. The records will be available for sale at ICA Miami’s bookstore, in ISLAA’s New York bookshop, and online at hueso-records.com. Only 250 vinyls of each edition will be produced. …What’s more, these aren’t simply releases of old records; the cover art for each album will feature works from a selection of contemporary Latin American visual artists.
Cleveland, OH | The Cleveland South Record Riot! Vinyl Record Sale! The Cleveland South Record Riot RETURNS! It’s a MAD VINYL DIGGING PARTY! Sun July 19th at the Woodside Event Center, 5025 Mill Road. 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. DOOR PRIZES TOO! Regular admission starts at 10 AM ($5) with early admission at 9 AM ($15). Don’t miss the BIG VINYL DIG!
Belfast, IE | New listening bar and cultural space to open in Belfast: Music Room launches on July 1st. A new listening bar and cultural venue is set to open in Belfast. Founded by local DJ OJ Wilson, Music Room is designed around listening culture, combining a bespoke sound system, vinyl programming and hospitality-led design. The venue aims to provide the city with a dedicated environment for high-fidelity listening. At the centre of Music Room is a custom sound system designed in collaboration with Irish sound designer Toby Hatchett. The installation includes custom-built speakers and subwoofers developed with Volt Loudspeakers. “Anyone who has experienced a truly well-designed sound system understands the emotional impact it can have,” Wilson said. “The ability to lose yourself in sound, to feel fully immersed in music, is something incredibly powerful.”
Obsession Soundtrack Gets Vinyl, CD And Cassette Release From Waxwork Records: If you’ve seen Obsession and found yourself unsettled long after the credits rolled, part of that feeling likely came from the film’s haunting score, which I loved and discussed in my review. Well, there’s some exciting news, as it’s now on its way to physical media. Waxwork Records, in partnership with Back Lot Music, has released the Obsession: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, composed by Rock Burwell. Available now on vinyl, CD, cassette (yes), and digital platforms. The score marks Burwell’s first feature-film soundtrack and was created in close collaboration with writer-director Curry Barker. Their creative partnership began through a shared music project in Los Angeles and evolved into crafting the distinctive soundscape for Obsession.
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