Indie Record Stores And WMG Launch Nationwide Pilot To Explore Recovery Pathways For Vinyl Records: A collection of independent record stores across the United States, together with Warner Music Group (WMG), today announced the launch of a vinyl take-back pilot designed to better understand how damaged or unwanted records can be collected, consolidated, and directed toward potential material recovery pathways. Throughout the program, participating record stores will serve as collection points where consumers can return damaged or unplayable vinyl records regardless of artist, label, or condition. Collected materials will be aggregated and evaluated through recovery partner, Virterras Materials.
London, UK | London is getting a new record store, and it’s inside a music venue: Record shopping and a DJ set for afters. Bar and music venue Old Street Records will get its own record store next month. It may already sound like a record shop, but London’s Old Street Records is calling on vinyl seller Cigarette Records to supply the wares for its in-house record shop. You can see what’s in store from 18th July, when the store opens. It will offer around 5000 discs on day one, with plans to double the catalogue in time, with a collection that covers “disco, funk, soul, reggae, house, garage, jungle, rock and beyond.” “Everything I do comes back to one idea: music with feeling. Record shops are about discovery, conversation and community as much as they are about the records themselves. This collaboration with Old Street Records just makes sense,” says Owain Jones, Cigarette Records founder.
New York, NY | New Record Store Set To Open On Amsterdam Avenue: The store will carry both new and used records, with an emphasis on jazz, funk, soul, classic rock, new wave and indie music. A longtime Upper West Side record collector is leaving finance behind to open a neighborhood record store this summer. Owner and Upper West Sider Hunter Brammer plans to open Sweet Peanut Records on Amsterdam Avenue and West 82nd Street in mid-July. “I’ve always sort of had this dream of opening my own shop,” Brammer told Patch. The shop is named for Brammer’s chocolate Labrador. “When the space came up on Amsterdam, it just felt like good timing.” Brammer has spent more than a decade collecting records while working in finance, buying collections at auctions and selling vinyl online through Discogs and eBay. Over time, his apartment filled with thousands of albums. “I keep joking that my wife needed me to open a shop just to get them all out of the apartment,” he said.
Edinburgh, UK | The Skinny’s Guide to Edinburgh’s Record Shops: From A to V, here are ten of Edinburgh’s independent record shops worth visiting while you’re in town. Assai Records: With shops across Scotland, you’ll find all the best new releases here, plus regular in-store and out-store gigs, featuring some massive names. Avalanche Records: A constant in the city since the early 80s, at Avalanche Records you’ll find a massive selection of band tees, new and second-hand vinyl and CDs. Backbeat Records: Backbeat Records opened in 1981 and is packed to the rafters with second-hand vinyl and CDs. Not advised for the casual music consumer…
Blackpool, UK | I’ve spent years hunting for records—now we’re finally bringing it all into one shop: The Record Den, a new independent vinyl shop in St Annes, is preparing to welcome its first customers this week as it finalises its opening plans. Located at 40 St Andrew’s Road South, FY8 1PS, the store has confirmed it will open its doors from Wednesday 24 June, giving music fans the chance to browse a wide selection of records spanning multiple genres. Inside, the team has been busy grading, sorting and organising fresh stock ahead of launch, as the final touches are added to the new space, including its recently installed shop sign. Owners father-and-son team Dominic Hall, 63, and Chris Hall, 37 say they have been overwhelmed by local interest, with residents keen to know when the shop would be ready to open.
Los Angeles, CA | The Legendary California Music Store Home To More Than A Million CDs, DVDs, And Vinyl Records: Tucked along the iconic Hollywood Boulevard, Amoeba Music is one of the most beloved record stores in the entire world. With over a million CDs, DVDs, and vinyl records packed under one roof, it feels less like a shop and more like a living, breathing museum of music history. Whether you are a hardcore collector or just someone who loves good tunes, Amoeba has something waiting for you. Here is a closer look at what makes this legendary Los Angeles store so unforgettable. Walking into Amoeba Music and seeing the vinyl section for the first time is genuinely overwhelming in the best possible way. Row after row of records stretch out in every direction, covering genres from jazz and blues to hip-hop, punk, and everything in between.
Nashville, TN | Vinyl demand drives innovation at Nashville record-pressing plant: United Record Pressing ships about 8 million records a year as vinyl surpasses CDs. Vinyl records surpassed CDs as the most popular physical music format in 2022 for the first time in more than three decades, and a Nashville record pressing plant is working to keep up with demand. United Record Pressing, America’s oldest and largest record pressing plant, is using new technology alongside original presses at its Nashville factory. The plant has operated for 75 years and has produced records ranging from the Beatles’ first U.S. record to recent Taylor Swift releases. “It’s not been easy every year, and so it’s been really special to celebrate that longevity,” Cam Sarrett of United Record Pressing said. The plant was down to 12 employees in the 1990s, Sarrett said. After a vinyl resurgence during the pandemic, United Record Pressing now ships about eight million records a year.
‘Empire Records’ Soundtrack Available On Standard Vinyl For The First Time: Gin Blossoms, The Cranberries, and Toad the Wet Sprocket are all featured on the cult classic film’s soundtrack. 1995’s Empire Records reached cult classic status in part thanks to its soundtrack of 90s indie and alternative gems. As we approach the film’s 31st anniversary, its soundtrack is now available for the first time on 2LP standard black vinyl. Empire Records – The Soundtrack featured The Gin Blossoms’ “Til I Hear It From You” as its lead single. Despite the film’s tepid reception, “Til I Hear It From You” peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band’s first top 20 hit. Other songs featured on the soundtrack include The Cranberries’ “Liar,” Toad The Wet Sprocket’s “Crazy Life,” and Better Than Ezra’s “Circle Of Friends.” One of the final tracks, Evan Dando’s “The Ballad of El Goodo,” features the film’s lead actor Liv Tyler on backing vocals.
Return to Silent Hill Vinyl Soundtrack Officially Up For Pre-Order: Fans of the upcoming Return to Silent Hill film can get their horror on with the film’s soundtrack as Laced Records brings it to vinyl. With the latest horror film take on Silent Hill on the way, Room 318 Productions and Laced Records are putting the Return to Silent Hill soundtrack on vinyl. As you can see here, they have created a 2xLP set with the entire soundtrack available on four sides. What’s more, you can get this on traditional black vinyl, or bump it up to the Exclusive Edition with the “World Fog” wax coloring. We have mroe details about the soundtrack and this release below as both editions are being sold for $42 on pre-order, with the physical product coming out in January 2027. …The Return to Silent Hill (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) 2LP vinyl set features 29 specially remastered tracks carefully selected by Akira Yamaoka, pressed on ‘Fog World’ blend effect discs and presented in a deluxe gatefold sleeve.
Follow The Vinyl District on Facebook HERE, Instagram HERE, Threads HERE, Bluesky HERE, and X/Twitter HERE.
