Alexandria, VA | Crooked Beat Records announces new Del Ray location, just steps from incoming NRG record store: Beloved vinyl shop will reopen at 2101B Mount Vernon Ave. in August, across the street from Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s planned shop. Crooked Beat Records is returning to Del Ray. The beloved independent vinyl shop announced Tuesday it will reopen at 2101B Mount Vernon Ave., just 128 feet from the record store that Neighborhood Restaurant Group announced the same day it plans to open this summer—setting the stage for what could become a vinyl destination block on Mount Vernon Avenue. In a video posted to social media Tuesday afternoon, owner Bill Daly said a longtime supporter of the shop—a customer of nearly three decades—purchased a building and closed on it Tuesday, with Crooked Beat set to rent the space from her. “She just wanted Crooked Beat to keep going. And we are really appreciative of that.”
St. Petersburg, FL | Planet Retro Records owner Rob Sexton dies: “The guy cared very much for his community, his bands and his friends.” Rob Sexton, a longtime bay area musician and the owner of St. Petersburg’s Planet Retro Records, died Saturday of complications following a stroke. He was 55. A native of the Tampa suburb Clair-Mel, Sexton was widely known as the drummer in numerous punk and hardcore bands, going back to the 1980s. …Sexton was known not to suffer fools gladly. As the face behind the Planet Retro counter, “He could come across as a curmudgeon,” said Sexton’s longtime friend Keith Ulrey, owner of Tampa’s Microgroove Records. “But the guy cared very much for his community, his bands and his friends. He would do anything for anybody, really. He just didn’t put up with any sh–.”
Limerick, IE | Independent Limerick record shop appeals for support amid closure threat: The record store in Limerick city centre has been open for almost two years. Downbeat Records Limerick has appealed for support, sharing that they are under threat of closure. Frankie O’Mahony of Downbeat Records said online that they are asking locals to support them, as they may not make it to the store’s second birthday. “Anyone who knows me knows I hate getting on here like this, so you know it must be serious,” said O’Mahony. “Last month was really bad for us, and you know it’s great to see the sun hitting and all that. But it means that people are around Limerick less and less. “We don’t sell so much online, so we kind of need the Limerick community to come through. If next month is similar to last month, we’re gonna struggle to pay the rent. I would say the shop might not make it to its second birthday.”
Austin, TX | Austin record store joins pilot for recycling damaged vinyl records: Austinites going through the disappointment of discovering a damaged vinyl record in their collection can at least avoid sending it to the landfill. A new initiative is turning 11 independent record stores across the United States, including Antone’s Record Shop in Austin, into vinyl take-back points for potential recycling. The pilot is a collaboration between the record stores, Warner Music Group (WMG), and Virterras Materials, a recycling technology business that specializes in “challenging” materials like plastics and rubber. It will run from “the end of June through September,” a press release says, and all participants have to do is drop off damaged records—any kind or condition is accepted. The program is still in an exploratory phase; the partners don’t know the best way to organize the collection yet, and they are vague about what the records might become.
Richmond, VA | Wax Moon record shop relocating in Scott’s Addition to make way for owner’s new pinball arcade: Wax Moon’s pinball machines are getting a space of their own in Scott’s Addition. The long-running record-and-video store at 1310 Altamont Ave. is relocating around the corner to make way for owner Andrew Griimoiire’s newest venture: Eclipse Arcade, which will feature about 45 pinball machines, including the dozens currently housed in Wax Moon. Wax Moon, meanwhile, will move to 3007 W. Clay St., in the same building as Dawnstar, a video game store that Griimoiire owns with partners Dakotah Coates and Meaghan Riley. The trio are also co-owners of Eclipse. Eclipse is set to open July 4 in Wax Moon’s current 3,200-square-foot space. The record shop plans to open the same day at a new storefront on the other side of the block.
Brooklyn, NY | Celebrating Beat Street Records, a Hip-Hop Mecca in Brooklyn: Long before streaming platforms and social media reshaped the industry, Beat Street in Downtown Brooklyn was the cultural epicenter of Hip-Hop in the borough. DJs, record collectors, and Hip-Hop enthusiasts reunited on Sunday to celebrate the legacy of Beat Street Records at ScalesNYC in Brooklyn. Once located on Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn just across from Albee Square Mall, Beat Street was much more than a record store. It was one of the most important Hip-Hop vinyl hubs in New York during the 1990s and early 2000s. It was a gathering place for DJs, producers, collectors, MCs, and Hip-Hop fans looking for music that wasn’t available in mainstream stores. With the decline of vinyl and CD sales during the digital music boom, Beat Street closed its doors in 2006. Although the store is gone, its influence continues to resonate throughout Brooklyn’s music community.
London, UK | Old St. Records to open in house record store with all-vinyl celebrations: Old Street Records is taking its love of music beyond the stage with the launch of a new in-house record store, curated and run by London record dealer, DJ and promoter Cigarette Records. Giving music fans another way to spend time in the space and opening on 18th July inside the Shoreditch music venue, the new store will bring together around 5,000 records from launch, with plans to grow the collection to 10,000 titles spanning disco, funk, soul, reggae, house, garage, jungle, rock and beyond. The collection has been shaped by Cigarette Records founder Owain Jones, whose approach is rooted in what he calls “music with feeling.”
Reading, PA | The Reading Record Riot! Over 10,000 vinyl records for sale in the Berkshire Mall! The Reading Record Riot! It’s a BIG vinyl record POP-UP sale in the Berkshire Mall! Over 10,000 vinyl records in ONE ROOM! 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. Regular admission starts at 12 noon ($5) with early admission at 11 AM ($15). DISCOUNT TICKETS ON EVENTBRITE! Don’t miss the BIG VINYL DIG!
Alexandria, VA | Moving the needle: How a vinyl producer became comfortable with instability: Furnace Record Pressing CEO Ali Miller explains how the vinyl record manufacturer fine-tunes its process to service its customers. Unlike a lot of her record-making colleagues, Ali Miller doesn’t have a background in performing music or touring. …She later took jobs working in a corporate environment and discovered it wasn’t for her. An opportunity arose to return to the physical media business when an Oasis coworker told her about Furnace Record Pressing in Alexandria, Virginia. Nineteen years later, Miller climbed up the ranks, including vice president and COO. She became CEO shortly after rock band Metallica, through its investment firm Black Squirrel Partners, became a majority owner of the vinyl record manufacturer in 2023. “Knowing our long-term future is secured while also being better able to take advantage of growth opportunities is really exciting for every member of the Furnace staff,” Miller said in a statement at the time.
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