Madison, WI | CD sales are rising and its music to record stores’ ears: CDs are making a comeback, with sales rising across the country driven by an unexpected group of buyers. Numbers from music industry tracker Luminate show CD sales rose almost seven percent since the start of the year. While K-pop releases contribute to the surge, sales are still up more than six percent even without those factored in. Steve Manley, a 40-year veteran at B-Side Records, said the revival is being fueled by younger shoppers. “People are buying CDs again, and it’s not just old people like me,” Manley said. He called the trend surprising for an older format many consider antiquated.
Ipswich, UK | Ipswich man ditches career to open record shop in Microshops: An Ipswich man who ditched his stable job to pursue his dream hobby for a living has had a flying start. Terry Cox, 42, opened The Spinning Magpie Record Shop, in Carr Street, after 20 years working as an opticians manager. After turning his life upside down in April, when the store opened, Mr Cox has seen a ‘very positive’ start to life as a business owner. He said: “There has been strong support from the record-buying community in Ipswich, with plenty of people coming in to trade as well as buy. “The early days did bring some challenges, particularly adjusting to working alone after being used to a more social, team-based environment. “At times, that felt mentally difficult, but once that initial period passed, I settled into a routine.”
San Mateo, CA | Young people show renewed interest in physical media of past: Local stores bet on subscription fatigue turning customers toward VHS, DVDs, vinyl records. …A 2026 survey published by CivicScience, a consumer analysis company, found that 37% of Generation Z subscribers canceled one or more streaming services and another 29% said they planned to cancel soon. …For two local stores, this dissatisfaction has translated into something of a revival of physical media. Belford said people miss actually owning the media they are consuming, a feature streaming services don’t actually provide. “I have so many people complaining about streaming. They think it’s a ripoff,” Belford said. “They take things off without telling you. …You don’t really own any product. …People are getting fed up with that kind of stuff.”
San Francisco, CA | Dick Vivian, Rooky Ricardo’s Record Store Owner, Dies at 78: The Lower Haight shop owner with a contagious love for music had been diagnosed with Stage 3 pancreatic cancer. Dick Vivian, the widely loved proprietor of Rooky Ricardo’s record shop in San Francisco, died on Friday, July 24. He was 78. In a statement, Rooky Ricardo’s said that Vivian “passed peacefully in his beautiful home, right about the time he would have been leaving to open the shop.” Since 1987, Vivian owned and operated Rooky Ricardo’s, a used vinyl store that specialized in 45 RPM singles and was prized by casual fans and serious collectors alike. The store obtained official legacy status from the City of San Francisco in 2007. …Chris Veltri, who owns nearby record store Groove Merchant, told KQED last year that Vivian himself was the spirit of the Lower Haight record shop.
UK | Getdown Services announce stripped back in-store tour to accompany new album Massive Champion: Ahead of their upcoming second album ‘Massive Champion’, Bristol duo Getdown Services have announced a string of stripped back record store performances. The band will be simplifying their typically bombastic live set into something more intimate across a range of smaller record stores closer to their home in the South West. The minimal sets will feature stripped back versions of tracks taken both from ‘Massive Champion’ and their back catalogue. Regarding the tour, the pair have said: “On this run we’re going to be doing something which is sort of the opposite to what Getdown Services has been about since the start. No backing track and playing actual instruments at a fairly low volume…”
Hong Kong, CN | Inside Hong Kong’s listening bars, which balance a love of vinyl with culinary culture: Amid the global vinyl revival, 3 Hong Kong venues are betting that good sound is worth the investment—but what’s the financial reality? Kung Chi-shing adjusts the needle on a Lionel Hampton vinyl, and suddenly a gentle vibraphone rings out over the chatter of afternoon cafe-goers at Coda, a 520 sq ft space in Sai Ying Pun. Coda is one of a new clutch of listening bars, where quiet appreciation of music is intended to take priority over highly refined drinks and conversation. The concept has a long history in Japan but has recently spread worldwide, reaching hip neighbourhoods in New York, London, Berlin and beyond. So far so cool, but for all the “romance” of the vinyl revival, the listening bar model demands significant concessions.
Rockville, MD | Montgomery County Public Libraries to Host Vinyl Day Celebration at Rockville Memorial Library on Saturday, Aug. 15. …The free event will celebrate music, creativity, and community with live performances, interactive activities, family programming, and opportunities to explore the enduring appeal of vinyl records. The event is open to all ages, and no registration is required. “Montgomery County Public Libraries’ branches are places where people come together to learn, discover new interests, and connect with one another,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “Vinyl Day brings people of different ages and backgrounds together through music while highlighting the important role our libraries play as welcoming spaces where everyone can learn, create, and build community.”
The 6 Best Record Players for Vinyl Lovers: These turntables sound great and make it easy to fall in love with listening to records. …With the renewed interest in the form comes new technology and more affordable prices. There’s an array of midrange high-fidelity record players that produce a crisp sound without the accustomed skipping associated with records during vinyl’s golden age. If you’re looking to start collecting records, reconnect with your collection, or upgrade your system for a better listening experience, we’ve been testing record players at every price point to help you find the right option for your space.
Vinyl Reissue Labels Are Quietly Ditching One Genre While Collectors Pay Up to Four Figures for What’s Left: Two surviving labels found completely different workarounds, and only one of them stays affordable. Vinyl cleared $1 billion in US sales in 2025, with 46.8 million LPs sold. In Germany, meanwhile, one label co-founder keeps checking Discogs to count the people who want a given symphony, and the number keeps landing in the low hundreds. Kai Seemann co-founded Speakers Corner Records in 1993, and no audiophile reissue label in Europe has run longer under the same owners. He told interviewer Michael Fremer that the label has walked away from the music it was built on. The final classical titles were pressed at 500 copies each, “and even this took years to sell,” he said. “We have the feeling that classical is dead,” he said.
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