Oh Great—AI Slop Is Coming for Vinyl: Suno is on a never-ending quest to rip music from your cold, shaking hands. In a world where we tend to own very little, subscribe to a lot, and have a generalized estrangement from the tangible world, a few bastions of physical media keep us tethered to a simpler time. Take vinyl, for example, which, despite the digitization of music and the onset of streaming, has somehow remained completely and utterly unadulterated by the crushing weight of—just kidding, we’re putting AI slop on vinyl now. Suno, the AI slop factory for music, is behind efforts to slopify vinyl, which I can only describe as sad at best.
Bristol, UK | The shop where vinyl revival is more than nostalgia: Vinyl records line the walls, cassettes sit alongside CDs and band T-shirts hang above gig posters. Cherry Waves Vinyl on Church Road is exactly the sort of independent record shop many assumed streaming had made obsolete. But instead, it’s thriving. For owner Dan Cove, the resurgence of physical music has been anything but a passing trend. “I started selling records about 20 years ago,” he says. “My dad had a massive collection, so I started selling some of his records on eBay.” …In 2026 the shop has become part of St George and Redfield’s growing independent retail scene, attracting everyone from veteran collectors to teenagers buying their first cassette player. “I get a really wide variety of people coming in,” says Dan.
St. Petersburg, FL | St. Pete’s Daddy Kool Records hosts early listen party for Phoebe Bridgers’ ‘Lost Weekend.’ The songwriter’s first album in six years is out on Aug. 14. After a six-year wait for a new solo album, Phoebe Bridgers is making her return to record store shelves, and St. Petersburg fans will have a chance to hear Lost Weekend before the rest of the world. Daddy Kool Records hosts a Phoebe Bridgers listening party for her new album on Thursday, Aug 13, at 11 p.m., giving fans an early listen to the singer songwriter’s third album before it goes on sale at midnight. The record marks Bridgers’ first full-length solo release since 2020’s critically acclaimed Punisher, an album that earned her multiple Grammy nominations and cemented her place as one of indie music’s biggest names.
Austin, TX | Austin’s Waterloo Records still setting the stage for budding artists 44 years later: After relocating, the storied record store’s new digs offers artists a bigger space to reach fans through in-store performances. Most of the members of Austin folk band Cast Iron Shoes are all gathered on a black leather couch in Waterloo Record’s green room. They’re waiting for their bass player, who is running late. It’s the band’s first time playing the Waterloo stage—an exciting step for any local Austin group. Nicole Ridgewell, lead singer and multi-instrumentalist, spoke to the artistry of their music—highlighting the many stringed instruments that the band plays on.
Torbay, UK | Vinyl Revival: A conversation with Graham Jones. Record shops, vinyl, and the characters who keep them alive. On our Monday afternoon show on Torbay Hospital Radio, Hugh and I had the great pleasure of talking with Graham Jones. He is the author of Last Shop Standing and its follow-up The Vinyl Revival and the Shops That Made It Happen. He has spent nearly thirty years travelling the country as a record sales rep. In that time, he’s seen the rise, fall, and unexpected rebirth of the independent record shop. When he started out, he counted 2,200 shops across the UK. By 2009, that number had plummeted to just 269. As he told us, “I became increasingly disturbed by the sheer volume of shops closing,” a sentiment echoed in his book, which began life after he toured the country interviewing 50 shop owners.
Dubai, UAE | ‘People don’t own music anymore’: Inside UAE’s vinyl revival and the business behind it: Streaming is saturated. So, UAE artists are pressing their music onto vinyl instead. Every independent artist today faces the same problem: millions of songs, one algorithm, and almost no way to stand out. In the UAE, a small but determined community has found an answer in a familiar, but unlikely place—vinyl. Jayesh Veralkar has spent 25 years on the business side of the music industry, most recently heading partner marketing for an entertainment tech company in the region. When he moved to Dubai nine years ago, he struggled to find what he calls “soul” in the city’s music scene. …That changed during the pandemic. With his wife and business partner, Serina Pinheiro, Veralkar founded Vinyl Souk—a community platform built around music discovery, in-person experiences and, at its core, vinyl records.
Portland, ME | Portland, Maine is getting a new vinyl record bar unlike any other: Portland, Maine is about to get a nightlife spot that’s unlike anything else in the city. Bad Neighbors, a new vinyl listening bar from the team behind Arcadia Portland Maine, is getting ready to open in a 4,500-square-foot space directly across the street on Congress Street. …What makes Bad Neighbors different is its high-fidelity listening concept. According to News USA Today, one of the co-founders is a professional sound engineer who helped design the room’s acoustics specifically for vinyl records. Instead of throwing on a random playlist, the bar will play full album sides, with different nights dedicated to certain artists or genres.
Las Vegas, NV | A first spin: The Vinyl Room is ready to play at Mandalay Bay. Vinyl is all about the feel. It is music you can touch that touches you. “People like to hold albums, and they like to look at album covers, more so than they would a CD,” Live Nation Las Vegas President Kurt Melien says. “And I think people love the sound. It’s an audiophile thing. People love that original sound that comes from a record player, so there is a big nostalgia piece to this venue.” …The Vinyl Room is open to membership beginning at $2,000. But it is also open to the general public with reservations available now at OpenTable. The members-only venue is the 33 Members Room. The 78 Lounge and 45 Lounge—named for record sizes—are open to the general public.
Indio, CA | The Dune Room Brings Vinyl Culture to Downtown Indio with DJ workshop: Music lovers of all ages gathered in downtown Indio Saturday to celebrate vinyl records while learning the art behind analog music. The Dune Room hosted a community event aimed at introducing teens, beginners, and curious music fans to the world of vinyl. Throughout the day, attendees learned how records are produced, explored the basics of vinyl DJing, and heard from local bands that have released their own music on vinyl. Owner Ron Mesh said the event was designed to spark curiosity while bringing people together through a shared love of music.
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