Birmingham, UK | Music industry expert calls for honesty from record labels: A music industry expert at Birmingham City University (BCU) is urging record labels and artists to be more honest and transparent about what fans can expect from vinyl releases, following growing disappointment over incomplete or altered albums. With some artists citing production deadlines, manufacturing costs and the physical limitations of vinyl for missing tracks or unfinished recordings, Dr Matt Grimes, course co-director of the BA(Hons) Music Business course and Senior Lecturer in Music Industries and Radio at BCU, believes the music industry must do more to manage fans’ expectations.
Peekskill, NY | Paramount Vinyl Vault Brings New Life to Music Collecting While Supporting Peekskill’s Historic Theater: Music lovers now have another reason to visit the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater. Paramount Vinyl Vault, a volunteer-run pop-up record shop inside the historic Peekskill venue, is giving donated records, CDs and books a second life while raising money to support the theater’s nonprofit mission. The shop was founded by musician and longtime music enthusiast Greg Jacquin, who previously created Marquee Records at the Tarrytown Music Hall. After seeing that volunteer-run record store successfully generate funds for the nonprofit theater, Jacquin realized the concept could work in Peekskill as well.
Louisville, KY | Anthrax Set Midnight Louisville Signing for ‘Cursum Perficio’ Album Release: The New York metal veterans will mark the September 18 release of their first studio album in ten years with a late-night appearance at Guestroom Records following Louder Than Life. Anthrax will mark the September 18, 2026 release of their 12th studio album, Cursum Perficio, with a midnight signing at Guestroom Records in Louisville, Kentucky. The event will take place immediately after the band’s September 17 appearance at Louder Than Life. Scott Ian, Charlie Benante, Frank Bello, Joey Belladonna and Jonathan Donais are scheduled to meet fans beginning at 12:01 a.m. on September 18 at the Bardstown Road record store. Space for the signing is limited.
Charlotte, NC | We tried Cafe Audire, NoDa’s new coffee shop and vinyl listening lounge: Cafe Audire pairs coffee and house-made syrups with record players, headphone rentals and mid-century decor at The Pass near Sugar Creek station. Cafe Audire is NoDa’s new coffee shop and vinyl listening lounge. It’s a mid-century modern coffee shop at The Pass that doubles as a vinyl lounge—with cocktails coming after dark. Located at 4090 Raleigh St., the lounge is tucked into The Pass, a 12-acre mixed-use development near the Sugar Creek light rail station. Cafe Audire opened its doors in June of 2026 and celebrated its grand opening in July, joining a growing lineup of local businesses at The Pass, including Soul Gastrolounge, Borderline Bar & Billiards and The Dog’s Club. We stopped by Wednesday afternoon to check out the coffee menu and listen to a few records.
London, UK | The Rum Brand’s First Vinyl Album, Brought to Life Through A Series of Collaborations With Some of London’s Leading Venues. Vapoura—the super-premium English rum distilled, matured and bottled entirely in England—has launched After Stories, an ongoing cultural collaboration series pairing the brand with culturally-led venues to produce exclusive vinyl EPs and bespoke cocktail menus inspired by the spaces themselves. The Mandrake is the first partner, marking Vol. 1 and with further venue partnerships planned as the series continues. Each edition of The After Stories series centres on a six-track vinyl EP, pressed by The Vinyl Factory and produced exclusively for the collaboration, with each original track inspired by a different space within the hotel.
Dundee, UK | Inside the Broughty Ferry vinyl record night where everyone gets a spin: The Funky Gunners’ weekly open-decks nights at a Broughty Ferry pub have fostered a vibrant community built on conversation, curiosity and a shared love of music. …Around the Broughty Ferry pub, strangers greeted each other like old friends, people passed records between tables, and exchanged stories about their favourite albums. It’s a familiar scene at The Funky Gunners’ weekly vinyl night, where an ‘open-decks’ format has helped build one of Dundee’s most welcoming music communities. The Funky Gunners—Neil Tilston, Richard Poole, Germain Julien, Grant Cunningham, Gavin Nicol, and Brian Johnston—are a collective of vinyl DJ’s who have been running these nights since early 2024. In a world where music is accessible at the click of a button, they are proving that there is still something special about gathering around a turntable.
London, UK | Bid on artist-designed record sleeve artwork for War Child: 700 artists have designed record sleeves for War Child’s annual auction, Secret 7”. See the results in London. War Child’s annual Secret 7” record auction, sitting at the intersection of art and music, has become a summer highlight. The concept is simple, with figures from across the creative industries asked to submit a design for a record sleeve. All of the 700 results will be on show at London’s 180 Studios in August, before being available to buy at an online auction, with all proceeds going to the charity. Designs are kept anonymous until the record reaches its owner, who will then discover if they have a work from a big name or emerging artist.
Happy Mondays announce unique ‘pill edition’ reissue of “Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches” …Part record release, part art object and part pharmaceutical parody, the Pill Edition transforms one of British music’s most iconic albums into a collectable piece of Madchester history. Inspired by a rare promotional item created around the album’s original 1990 release, and limited to just 200 across four colourways, the edition reimagines the original concept as a contemporary design object. Housed within bespoke pharmaceutical-style packaging, the release includes a 3D-printed Happy Mondays capsule, bespoke pill organiser, GMEX inspired rave whistle, acid blotter artwork, purity testing kit (inspired by Shaun Ryder’s call for drugs to be tested in clubs) and an embossed credit-card-style download pass containing the complete digital boxset audio.
Toronto, CA | Why your new record sounds the way it does: Inside Viryl Technologies and the modern record press. …The record revival is usually told through artists, retailers and sales figures. It is also an industrial story. For decades, the format leaned on aging American and German presses, scarce parts and specialist knowledge passed quietly from operator to operator. Viryl entered that world in 2015 with a Toronto-built press designed around automation, monitoring and serviceability. For collectors, that machinery is not a side issue. It shapes how quickly records can be made, how consistent they are from copy to copy, and how ambitious a plant can be with the limited editions, color variants and reissue programs that now define the modern record market.
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