Bolton, UK | I visited X Records in Bolton town centre and was shocked: CDs and vinyl records have become a somewhat relic of a bygone era for a while now. Streaming giants like Spotify and their cheap—when compared to how much a physical copy of that much music would cost—premium memberships, streamed straight to your ears via whatever high-tech wireless earphones you can wear, have delt a major blow to physical media and the iPod—yes, remember those! Why buy a CD for your car when you can just hook your phone up to the Bluetooth? But, despite this fierce attack from the tech giants, you can still find little caverns on history in some town centres, keeping the physical media tradition alive. If anything, even if you don’t buy anything, they can prove to be a great place to look around, it’s almost like a museum.
Berkeley, CA | Amoeba Music plans to build apartments above its Telegraph Avenue store: The iconic record store would move into the ground floor of the new housing development and says it will preserve the People’s Park mural on its Haste Street wall. Amoeba Music’s Telegraph Avenue record shop has stayed afloat through many sea changes in how people get their music, from the rise of CDs to the era of streaming apps. Now its owners have a plan they say will help secure the future of the 35-year-old store — and the iconic mural on its exterior depicting pivotal moments from Berkeley’s 1960s history. …The plan calls for tearing down most of the existing building at 2455 Telegraph Ave., but keeping its facade, including the “People’s History of Telegraph Avenue” mural along Haste Street and Amoeba’s arched rainbow entryway. The record store, which bills itself as the largest west of the Mississippi River, would occupy the new building’s ground floor.
Austin, TX | Austin staple Waterloo Records gets new home after 30 years: After more than 30 years at its North Lamar location, Waterloo Records has a new home, and it’s right up the street. FOX 7 took a look at the record store’s grand opening celebration in Austin on Saturday. The iconic venue was busy Saturday, celebrating its grand opening with a new location in North Lamar, just five blocks north from its previous spot. Last year, co-owner John Kunz sold part of the Waterloo to new partners Caren Kelleher and Trey Watson. The grand opening highlighted a new era while keeping Waterloo’s legacy intact. With a new location comes new features like a mixing studio, rentable podcast and peformance spaces, and even a bar serving coffee, beer and wine. The new location also offers nearly 9,700 square feet, 3,000 more than the old store. “Waterloo Records is an iconic record store, not just in Austin, but across the globe,” said Kelleher.
Hereford, UK | Temple Records in Hereford celebrates 20th birthday: A record store in Hereford is celebrating 20 years of trading. Temple Records, based in Bridge Street, has been selling records, turntables and merchandise for two decades, and owner Guy Davies is delighted to make it this far. The business will be celebrating its anniversary this weekend with a jam-packed 12 hours of DJs and great music in a celebration of vinyl and summer tunes at Thirst Trap in Union Street. Guy said: “There’s a feeling of satisfaction, and I’ve certainly enjoyed the journey of running the store. Stubbornness has kept me going and the popularity of records is like a lucky bet, where it has paid off big time. “Vinyl and records are a physical art form, where you get the disk and the artwork on the sleeve. It is such a big step away from the digital world.”
Bristol, UK | I tried Bristol’s brand new taco and vinyl place and was blown away: Despite misgivings over the concept, it was the most enjoyable lunch I’d had in ages. I find the idea of a “restaurant and record store” about as appealing as a “rail replacement bus” or “colonoscopy without anaesthetic”. I love restaurants, and record stores, but the idea of combining them seemed like a hipster nightmare aimed at someone far cooler than me. With some trepidation I stepped over the threshold of Alta Loma, a new taco place on Upper Maudlin Street in the city centre with vinyl for sale downstairs, fearing style would be valued firmly over substance. I have scarcely been more deliciously wrong in my entire life. The venue has only been open for a couple of weeks, but word of mouth has clearly spread quickly as it was fairly busy when I strolled in on a Friday lunchtime.
Burlington, VT | Best record store: Pure Pop Records. Since 1980, Burlington’s Pure Pop Records has reigned supreme as the city’s foremost place to acquire new music. Tucked away in a funky, subterranean spot, the shop feels almost trapped in time, like it was lifted out of a cult ’80s comedy. Customers love digging through its bountiful selection of the latest vinyl. If it’s a new release, Pure Pop is bound to have it in stock. Ditto for CDs and cassettes. Beyond fresh titles, you’ll find plenty of classic, used records, plus DVDs, Blu-rays, posters, pins, magazines and other music-related merch. Occasionally, the shop hosts listening parties for new releases and even DIY concerts. Don’t miss ’em.
Burien, WA | Time Tunnel Records in Burien is more than a business for customers: While streaming tunes is the go-to method for many music fans, there is a local record store in Burien creating a one-of-a-kind experience for its customers. Matthew Alston opened Time Tunnel Records 11 years ago. He moved from Buffalo, NY to Seattle in the 90s with his band. Thirty years later, he is still shredding on his guitar with his customers. “He started to play for me, and I was like, ‘I also play,’ and one day I brought in my guitar, and we started to jam,” said Vincent Huynh. Huynh is 19 years old. He tells FOX 13 Seattle, unlike most of his friends, buying records is his preferred way to listen to music. “I didn’t get introduced to, like Spotify or Apple Music, because I really enjoyed having something physical,” he said. Alston said when you purchase a record, tape, or CD it is yours forever. He said that is not always the case with streaming services due to licensing issues.
Hastings-on-Hudson, NY | VINYL CRAZY! The Hastings Record Riot! 15000 vinyl records for sale, CDs too, Sunday September 7th: The Hastings Record Riot is a COOL outdoor market of vinyl records! Over 40 tables of LPs & CDs. On the Metro North parking lot, 9 AM-5 PM. Great music! A food truck! PUNK FUNK METAL HIP HOP AND MORE! Attention NJ/NY area vinyl fans! Come shop at over 40 tables of LPs, CDs, 45s in downtown Hastings-On-Hudson! Dealers from all over New York area will showcase their wares in the Metro North parking lot. Meet new music friends, find that special LP that you’ve been looking for. All types of music: punk, funk, country, classical, blues rock, hip hop and more. FREE ADMISSION! Great family fun! Meet you in the dollar bins! 9 AM-5 PM. FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!
The typeface for Taylor Swift’s next album was designed by a heavy metal fan: For ‘The Life of a Showgirl,’ Taylor Swift turned to Gazzetta, a tall, condensed sans-serif typeface. Gazzetta is the tall, sans-serif type family by Nicaraguan type designer Edwin Moreira that Swift is using on her forthcoming The Life of a Showgirl album, out Oct. 3. The award-winning typeface spells out the album’s name and tracklist across multiple variants. Moreira, a heavy metal fan, tells Fast Company that he found out Swift was using his font after a Swiftie friend told him. “At first, I couldn’t believe it, but then I confirmed it really was Gazzetta,” he says in an email. “It has been an incredible surprise to see a typeface I designed connected to such a huge cultural moment; it’s surreal but deeply rewarding.”
Follow The Vinyl District on Facebook HERE, Instagram HERE, Threads HERE, Bluesky HERE, and X/Twitter HERE.
