Villanova, PA | The Value of Nostalgia: …Vinyl sales in the U.S. increased by 9.3% last year, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, and about 60% of Gen Z now reports buying vinyl, according to a study by Futuresource Consulting. I used to assume this was just a small, specific aesthetic some people were into, the same way that some people are into film cameras or vintage clothes. However, that explanation doesn’t do justice to the scale of the trend or why so many people are beginning to feel nostalgic for things they likely never experienced.
4 science-backed reasons to love physical media: Although physical media offers various advantages over streaming and digital downloads, collecting it doesn’t necessarily come without challenges. For example, depending on where you live, finding somewhere to actually buy DVDs, Blu-rays, and vinyl records in person could be a struggle. Even if you have access to a quality physical media retailer (or you don’t mind ordering all your discs and records online), you might be reluctant to fully embrace the physical media trend for fear of coming across as, well, pretentious. When vinyl first made a comeback, there was no shortage of jokes about hipsters pretending the format simply offers greater “warmth” than digital formats. It’s understandable if you don’t want your hobby to make you the target of similar jabs.
Evanston, IL | New Evanston record shop puts Chicago house music front and center: In what will likely be music to the ears of house fans, Evanston will soon be getting another record store this fall, with a heavy emphasis on one of Chicago’s own creations. Although an official opening day has not been announced, E-Town Records will be located at 2601 Prairie Ave. in the Central Street business district, just a block from a Metra station and less than a half-mile from Northwestern University’s Ryan Field. The owner is Dan Chiss, a 56-year-old Evanston native who said he has always dreamed of having his own store. Chiss, who works in the technology industry by day, said he’s been selling records online for a few years and about three years ago sold records at Frolic & Detour, a vintage shop that operated at 1909 Central St.
Pittsburgh, PA | Wallflower brings books, vinyl and ‘quiet corners’ to Downtown Pittsburgh: Cocktail bar soft-opened in April ahead of the NFL Draft and officially opened in June. At Wallflower in Downtown Pittsburgh, the shelves are lined with books and records, but the bar’s namesake gets its own display: co-owner Lauren Mathews’ high school copy of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” Mathews bought the olive-green MTV Books edition of Stephen Chbosky’s Pittsburgh coming-of-age novel at Barnes & Noble in 1999. Slightly dog-eared in one corner, it hangs framed on the wall. “It’s a little beat-up because it passed through my friends. It’s seen some life,” Mathews said. She owns Wallflower with her significant other, Jimi Farrell. When considering names for the bar, they wanted something that “nodded” to Pittsburgh without being “too on the nose.”
Nashville, TN | Step inside Noelle Nashville’s Ryman Vinyl Suite, where Music City history comes to life: A downtown Nashville hotel is giving guests the chance to do more than visit Music City history; they can stay surrounded by it. Inside Noelle Nashville, the Ryman Vinyl Suite is designed as an immersive tribute to the Ryman Auditorium and the artists who helped shape Nashville’s music legacy. The suite features deep burgundy walls, archival photography, vintage music memorabilia, and a curated collection of more than 100 vinyl records. Custom stained-glass windows and other details throughout the space are inspired by the Ryman’s architecture and craftsmanship. That experience goes beyond simply decorating the room with music memorabilia. Guests can browse the vinyl collection, put on a record, and explore photographs and pieces tied to artists who have performed in Nashville over the years.
Los Angeles, CA | Vinyl collective Spinning records live across the Inland Empire. On a Sunday night at the Mexican restaurant La Popular in Claremont, diners are eating to a soundtrack that starts with cumbia and jumps to J Balvin and Bad Bunny before landing on Luther Vandross. That’s the aim of DJ collective Compás Discoteca — to bring connection and community through live vinyl mixing at La Popular and El Balcon in Ontario. …Ricardo Carlos, Elias Ruiz, Albert Piña and Adrian Silva have been friends for about two decades. They all DJ as a hobby and often share music. On a night out in 2024, they saw a sign: a parking space for a “compact car,” minus two letters. “The C and T are missing — compá. Like, ‘We’re compás,’” Carlos said, recounting that night.
Ray Charles’ ‘Live in Concert’ Returns as Expanded 2LP With Complete 75-Minute Shrine Auditorium Performance: Tangerine Records restores the full 1964 Los Angeles concert on two LPs, including “Georgia On My Mind” and “Busted,” with new remastering by Michael Graves and vinyl mastering by Jeff Powell. Ray Charles’ Live in Concert has returned in an expanded two-LP edition restoring the complete 75-minute performance recorded at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium on September 20, 1964. The new Tangerine Records release arrived September 25, 2026, alongside CD, digital and streaming editions. Originally issued in 1965, Live in Concert was shortened substantially to fit a single LP, leaving more than half an hour of the performance unavailable on the original record.
Resident Evil’s Soundtrack Is Coming to Vinyl: The soundtrack to the new Resident Evil movie is coming to vinyl, as you can hear the intensity of Zach Cregger’s horror film. Milan Records has teamed with TriStar Pictures to bring the terrifying soundtrack from the new Resident Evil film over to vinyl. As you can see here, they have taken the soundtrack and pressed it on a 140g red-smoked color 12″ record, which they have housed in a printed sleeve with a 12″ x 12″ insert that features exclusive artwork and notes from the director and composers. This was meant to stand out in your collection as you feel the tracks that get your heart racing and put you in a state of unease throughout the latest horror film based on the video game franchise.
Zappa’s ‘Freak Out!’ Gets 60th Anniversary Super Deluxe Reissue: Zappa Records/UMe has released a 60th anniversary edition of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention’s 1966 debut album “Freak Out!” The expanded reissue includes a six-disc Super Deluxe Edition (five CDs plus a Blu-ray audio disc) containing 105 tracks, with 90 additional live and studio recordings, many previously unreleased, according to the announcement. The set was produced by Zappa archivist Joe Travers and includes new 2026 mastering of the original 15-track album, a rediscovered 1966 pre-master mix, a restored mono mix, rehearsal and demo recordings, and live material from three 1966 shows at San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium. The Blu-ray disc features new Dolby Atmos and surround sound mixes of the album created by Karma Auger and Erich Gobel, along with archival mix variations and a previously unreleased surround track, “Groupie Bang Bang.”
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