Hintonburg, ON | The Record Centre keeps the music spinning in Hintonburg with a passion for community: If you explore the Hintonburg area and see a canary yellow sign, you may find yourself visiting The Record Centre at 1099 Wellington St. W. Or maybe you’ve found the other one: The Record Centre Too, at 1112 Wellington St. W. It’s rare to find a record shop with two locations on one street, but it works for The Record Centre. The main store houses new and used vinyl and audio equipment to browse, and offers turntable repairs. Meanwhile, the second location handles online orders (of which there are many), acts as storage for the more than 15,000 LPs in the store’s collection, and is the place for discounted vinyl, CDs, and cassettes for the crate diggers out there. Weaving from store to store, John Thompson effortlessly balances the equation between business and community.
Kansas City, MO | Woman-owned metro record store preps Swifties for ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ release: One metro record store is preparing Kansas City for Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album release. Judy Mills, owner and founder of Mills Record Company, sat down with KCTV to talk all things ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ ahead of the new record drop. Mills Record Company is hosting an album release party on the night of Thursday, October 2, leading up to the drop when the clock strikes midnight. Swifties can listen in-store as soon as it’s out, and they can purchase a copy for themselves at the listening party. Judy loves seeing Swifties of all ages experience the joy of vinyl music. “It brings tears to my eyes when I see a little girl buying her first record,” said Mills.
Atlanta, GA | Crowd gathers in metro Atlanta for Cardi B meet-and-greet: The event was part of Cardi B’s nationwide in-store promo tour, where she is returning to old-school marketing to connect directly with fans. Cardi B fans showed out in metro Atlanta Monday to greet the rap star as she promotes her new album, “Am I the Drama?” The event was held at DBS Sounds in Riverdale, where hundreds spread across the parking lot as they waited with the hopes of seeing the rapper. Cardi B released her long-awaited second album on Sept. 19. Fans were encouraged ahead of time to pre-order the album on the store’s website to secure an RSVP and wristband for entry. The event was part of Cardi B’s nationwide in-store promo tour, where she is returning to old-school marketing to connect directly with fans.
Long Beach, CA | Cardi B selects beloved Long Beach record store, Fingerprints Music, for fan meet-and-greet. Last week, Afro-Latina rapper Cardi B dropped her highly anticipated sophomore album, “Am I The Drama.” As part of the album’s national rollout, she handpicked a series of independent record stores for exclusive fan meet-and-greets. Long Beach residents were thrilled to learn that one of those stops would be none other than their hometown favorite, Fingerprints Music. Over the years, Fingerprints has built a reputation as a go-to location for major artist appearances. Owner Rand Foster said that the store has previously hosted guests like Ozzy Osborne, Jack Johnson, Taj Mahal, Foo Fighters and Prophets of Rage (a supergroup featuring members of Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy, and Cypress Hill).
Milan, IT | Milan’s Tempio del Futuro Perduto reopens in-house book and record store: Tempio Shop sells vinyl, books, artwork and more. Milan’s Tempio del Futuro Perduto has revived its in-house book and record shop, Tempio Shop. Reopened on September 18th, Tempio Shop stocks vinyl, books, artwork, flyers and an array of other print media connected to the longstanding venue. “Tempio Shop is born to support those working on the margins of the mainstream, offering visibility to support and uniting sound, word and vision,” a statement from the club read. “A place designed for those who collect, explore and listen, in a historic period where it’s weird to stop and think.” Tempio Shop’s reopening arrives shortly after the venue successfully secured a contract to operate in their building through at least 2030.
Madison, TN | Record fair radio station fundraiser shows vinyl’s growing appeal among music lovers of all ages: This is the second time WXNA has held the record fair. They’re planning another one six months from now. For music lovers, there’s no shortage of ways to listen to favorite songs. While many folks rely on streaming services, vinyl records are making a comeback. A fundraiser in Nashville brought together record enthusiasts and a local radio station in perfect harmony on Sunday. “It’s the sound, when you hear the needle hit the vinyl and you hear it pop, it’s fantastic, if you have a good sound system at home, it’s fantastic,” said Warren Lyng, an attendee at WXNA’s record fair Sunday. We may be living in the digital age, but plenty of folks are bringing back the sounds of a once bygone era. “My wife and I collect high-end vintage metal and also Japanese pressings,” Lyng said.
Kings Cross, UK | RCA Records UK unveils a first-of-its-kind pop up space at Mare Street Market, Kings Cross: Launching Wednesday 24th September, RCA Records UK unveils a first-of-its-kind pop up shop at Mare Street Market, Kings Cross. Presenting a physical space for artist and fan interaction, the shop will spotlight the label’s rich legacy through vinyl, curated fan activations, artist merch, and much more. Home to some of the most iconic artists of all time, Sony Music’s flagship label RCA Records UK will bring its vibrant tapestry of artist stories to life with a nine-month residency at the Kings Cross hotspot. Offering visitors the opportunity to explore decades of history through curated vinyl collections, the shop will feature records from its iconic roster including the likes of Beyoncé, Bring Me The Horizon, JADE, André 3000, Sade, KAYTRANADA, Miley Cyrus, Pharrell Williams, Myles Smith and more. “This space is more than a record shop, it’s a celebration of RCA’s past, present and future…”
This May Be the Ultimate Retro Boombox for Physical Media-Obsessed Audiophiles: The styling it thoroughly vintage, but this old-school portable audio player has some modern tricks up its sleeve. Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Over the last few years, there’s been a pretty serious resurgence of physical media in the audio space. It’s likely no surprise to most that vinyl kind of helped spearhead this revival, but even CDs and cassette tapes have (at least somewhat) risen back to prominence. That said, it can be tough to find modern devices capable of playing these obsolete forms of tech, least of all ones that really capture the spirit of the physical media golden age of the ’70s to the ’90s. In an interesting team-up, two Japanese outfits—one, an audio electronics brand and the other a musical group (famous for anime DanDaDan’s end credits sequence)—have a solution brewing.
Saratoga Springs, NY | The Saratoga Springs Record Riot! Over 15,000 vinyl records for sale in ONE ROOM! Sun October 19th. The Saratoga Springs Record RIot RETURNS! It’s a GIANT vinyl record POP-UP sale on Sun Oct 19th! Over 40 dealer tables in one room! Great music & family fun. LPs, CDs and 45s too. Door prizes too! The Saratoga Springs Record Riot! It’s a giant vinyl record sale in downtown Saratoga Springs! Over 15,000 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. Dust off that turntable and come on down. DOOR PRIZES TOO! Regular admission starts at 10 AM ($5) with early admission at 9 AM ($15). Don’t miss the BIG VINYL DIG!
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