Colorado Spring, CO | Downtown Colorado Springs sees new businesses open as others leave and close: Easy’s Record Store opens on Tejon Street. Several new business storefronts have been announced by the Downtown Partnership in Colorado Springs, alongside the closure or relocation of other businesses in the area. Several popular businesses in Colorado Springs closed, including Jax Fish House and Oskar Blues, signaling a transition for downtown. At the same time, a variety of shops opened in the area, including Easy’s Record Store, which held its launch event Thursday. …“Ryan and I both grew up in record stores and vintage shops, and in the ’90s you kind of hung out there too, and so I think that’s really where our mindset is for this space, is like a place that you can come poke around…”
Miami, FL | Beatles for sale! Miami record shop selling rare record for $5K: The cover, depicting the band covered in raw meat and decapitated baby dolls, shocked audiences upon release in 1966. For Beatles fans, it’s the stuff of legend: a rare 1966 album cover depicting John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, still mop-topped but well into their psychedelic era, covered in bloody, raw meat and decapitated baby dolls. No, you’re not tripping on acid-laced tea. This really happened. Known as the “butcher cover,” this edition of the band’s “Yesterday and Today” album elicited shock—and confusion—from fans upon release. Only 750,000 copies were printed before Capitol Records recalled the album, replaced the cover, and plastered over existing copies with a more innocuous image of the band standing around a travel trunk, McCartney sitting inside.
Stillwater, OK | Nine bands, one stage, seven Months: ‘The Showcase’ debuts: Velvet Fudge opened its doors in February 2026. Since then, it has seen vinyls come and go from bins and shelves as customers search for what to add to their collection next. But what’s really special about Velvet Fudge, and what makes it more than just a hole-in-the-wall record shop on Lewis Street, is the venue space. Connected to the record shop is an unassuming concrete room. Bobby Wintle, who owned the space when it was ‘The Bait Shop,’ referred to it as a “DIY punk venue.” The Showcase occurred on March 27. It featured nine bands, all of which were performing on the same evening and stage. It was a come-and-go show, lasting from approximately 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., and is Velvet Fudge’s largest event to date.
Utsunomiya City, JP | Snokey Record in Japan’s Utsunomiya City Offers Vinyl That Is Meant to Be Part of People’s Lives Through Music: Located on the second floor of a small building right next to Orion-dori street, the bustling downtown area in the city of Utsunomiya, Snokey Record is meant to be a part of people’s lives through music. Rock, jazz, Latin music—the shop’s shelves are packed with a variety of different records, mostly Western music, including many obscure titles. The owner, Masaaki Takezawa, 55, sources the inventory himself, and the collection numbers roughly 10,000 albums. As Takezawa drops the needle onto a record from behind the counter, the enthusiastic vocals of American soul singer Phil Flowers filled the room. It was a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone.” The sound was pleasing to the ear, and you would find yourself naturally drawn in.
Leicester, UK | Sadness as Leicester family record store Rockaboom closes for good: It has been in Leicester city centre for 40 years. After four decades of selling records, CDs, tapes and concert tickets, Leicester independent record store Rockaboom has announced its closure. In a post online, the family-run business announced: “Rockaboom is now closed. Thanks for all your support over the last 40 years and goodbye.” The Leicester city centre store was run by Carl Petty, having been opened by him and his late father, Ian, in the 1980s. Among those commenting on the announcement was Carl’s brother, Jason, who said: “Well done Dad for starting this all off with my amazing brother Carl.
Alexandria, VA | Mobius Records Hits Del Ray: Thousands of Vinyl Records and Live Music Arrive on Mount Vernon Avenue. Del Ray is getting a new soundtrack, and behind it is a friendship more than a decade in the making. Mobius Records ALX opens Saturday, Sept. 12, at 2016 Mount Vernon Avenue. The independent shop will bring some 5,000-plus titles, music merchandise and a decidedly old-school record-store experience to Alexandria. Customers will find new and used vinyl across genres, along with CDs, cassettes, posters, T-shirts and other merchandise. But the four partners behind Mobius ALX also want to sell something less tangible: the experience of discovering and sharing music. Dempsey Hamilton founded Mobius Records in Fairfax in 2014. The independent store soon developed a following among Northern Virginia music fans and collectors.
Benton Harbor, MI | SW Michigan Record Show returns Sept. 19 to LMC Mendel Center: Vinyl collectors and music fans can dig through thousands of records and music collectibles when the Southwest Michigan Record Show returns Saturday, Sept. 19, to Grand Upton Hall at Lake Michigan College’s Mendel Center. Now in its fourth season, the Southwest Michigan Record Show brings together experienced dealers from across the region with a wide-ranging selection of new and pre-loved vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, record supplies and music memorabilia. From affordable finds and familiar favorites to harder-to-find pressings and collector pieces, the show offers something for longtime collectors and those just getting started. “One of the things I like most about this show is the variety our dealers bring to the room,” said event organizer Jeremy D. Bonfiglio.
Manila, PH | Record fairs and borrowed nostalgia: …We are an obsessive lot, record collectors, touched by a bit of madness and resigned to the reality that our obsession will only be challenged by the onset of arthritic knees and hearing loss. We obsess over artists, producers, engineers, genres, even session musicians and album cover designers. A lot of us are completists, striving to acquire, by all means necessary unless it lands one in jail, a favorite artist’s entire discography, or all the pressings of a favorite album. How many pressings of Steely Dan’s “Aja” can one possibly own? A lot, it turns out.
Oh! Jazz Launches Premium Vinyl Label ‘oh! Jazz Records’ To Bring Exclusive Global Live Performances To Turntables: Global live-stream platform Oh! Jazz has officially announced the launch of its new boutique vinyl label, Oh! Jazz Records. Expanding on its core mission to connect audiences with artists and iconic jazz venues worldwide, the label brings raw, high-fidelity live music directly to physical media through a series of ultra-premium, limited-edition vinyl releases. Known for broadcasting high-definition, Stereo, Dolby 5.1 and Dolby Atmos live shows from legendary clubs in cities like Tokyo, Madrid, Pittsburgh, London, Ferrara, La Habana, Mexico City, Auckland and São Paulo, Oh! Jazz is translating its vast digital catalog into a tangible audio experience.
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