Leigh, UK | Man set to open Float On Records music shop in Leigh: A Leigh man has described the chance to open his own record shop in the town where he grew up as a “golden opportunity” after years of dreaming about working with music. Sam Wood, 26, is preparing to launch the new business in Leigh and hopes to welcome his first customers through the doors on October 9. The music enthusiast, who has been collecting records since childhood, said the unexpected opportunity came at exactly the right time after he returned home following university. “…An opportunity came up to start my own business. I love music. It was an opportunity and I couldn’t miss out.”
Ennis, UK | Clare poets go on the record for under threat Ennis store: A campaign to keep the doors open at Ennis’ only vinyl record store and cafe The Record Break has been given a ‘write’ boost as a collective of women poets has come back together for a fundraising tour of the county in support. In 2018, a group of women poets in Clare formed under the name Seven Sisters to perform in response to the lack of representation of women’s work in a historic collection of Irish poetry. Among the original line-up of poets was Record Break owner Sinéad Nic Síoda and when fellow poet Ruth Marshall heard about her ongoing fundraising campaign to save the business she was determined to do something. She contacted a number of female poets to ask if they would help by bringing Seven Sisters back with a series of fundraising readings and she was thrilled with the positive response.
Minneapolis, MN | Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis take WCCO inside the music at Electric Fetus: For more than four decades, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis have helped make some of the songs we know by heart. But during a recent morning inside Minneapolis record store Electric Fetus, the legendary production duo offered a glimpse into something else: How they hear those songs. Surrounded by albums that shaped them—and several they helped create—Jam and Lewis talked about the samples, sequencing, voices and decisions hidden inside records millions of people have heard hundreds of times. Fair warning: This one is for the music nerds.
Miami, FL | New Times members celebrate 35 years of Nirvana’s “Nevermind.” Grunge fans gathered at Technique Records in Miami for a listening party celebrating more than three decades of the landmark album by the Seattle band. Music has a way of bringing people together, and what better excuse for a gathering than the 35th anniversary of one of the most influential albums in rock history? On Wednesday, Sept. 23, Miami New Times took over Technique Records for a listening party celebrating 35 years of Nirvana’s seminal album, “Nevermind.” Members and local grunge fans gathered to revisit the record, trade memories and celebrate the lasting impact Nirvana has had on generations of musicians and listeners. And this wasn’t just about dropping the needle on a record.
London, UK | East London is getting a new two-floor music venue and record shop: Altar will be home to a sultry bar, tiny record shop and 100-capacity music venue when it opens in Leytonstone this October. If the news that Leytonstone has become something of an ‘it’ neighbourhood has escaped you, well, you’re a few years behind the times. Chock full of vintage furniture stores, lively nightlife spots and a wealth of proper boozers, nearby Leyton was even named among Time Out’s coolest neighbourhoods in the world a couple of years ago. Now, E11 is getting a new gig venue to add to its array of hotspots. When it opens its doors on October 23, Altar will be a bar slash record shop slash performance space.
New York, NY | Morris Ballen, Who Helped Spread Indie Artists’ Music, Dies at 88. Countless independent acts in every genre—punk, hip-hop, church choir—relied on him to create small runs of high-quality records and CDs. Morris Ballen, whose company, Disc Makers, manufactured small runs of high-quality vinyl records, cassettes and CDs, offering a critical service to countless punk rockers, rappers, church choirs and garage bands who made music without the backing of a major label, died on Sept. 21 at his home in Philadelphia. He was 88. ..Especially in the days before digital music, independent artists faced a challenge: They needed to get physical copies of their music into the hands of their fans, but they couldn’t afford—and didn’t need—the massive production runs offered by major manufacturers. Enter Mr. Ballen and Disc Makers.
Omaha, NE | Vinyl record expo returning to Omaha: Vinyl record enthusiasts can browse albums available from over 60 sellers at an upcoming Omaha event. River City Record Club will host the annual Omaha Record, Music & Collector’s Show on Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Firefighters Union Hall, 6005 Grover St., in Omaha. A press release stated the event will bring together more than 60 record stores, independent dealers and private collectors from Omaha and the surrounding region. Shoppers can dig through vinyl LPs and 45s along with CDs, cassettes, 8-tracks, posters, magazines, T-shirts, accessories and other music memorabilia. The event is expected to attract hundreds of shoppers, and a press release stated it will continue a more than 40-year tradition of record shows being hosted in Omaha.
Beginner’s Guide to Vinyl: StereoNET’s Top Turntable Tips: So, you’ve decided to buy a turntable. If you’ve developed a record-collecting habit and need something to play them on, you have come to the right place. We’ll get you up to speed—33⅓ RPM, of course—and into the groove when it comes to buying advice! The vinyl scene is buzzing right now, with album sales booming and manufacturers fast-tracking decks for every pocket. But buying your first turntable can be intimidating. Talk of cartridges, phono stages, and anti-skate gizmos is enough to put many in a spin. The good news is that you don’t need to be a vinyl Jedi to master the jargon. The trick is to understand what you’re buying, and why.
IE/US | Irish and American vinyl manufacturers launch a new model allowing artists and labels to use one supplier for local production and fulfilment across Europe and the US: Anthem Vinyl and Hellbender Vinyl have announced a new transatlantic partnership designed to give artists and record labels a simpler way to manufacture and fulfil vinyl across Europe and the US, while maintaining a single supplier relationship. The principle is simple: one supplier, local production, closer to the customer. For a UK or European artist or label selling into the US, American stock can be manufactured and fulfilled through Hellbender, while European stock is produced and fulfilled through Anthem in Ireland. For US artists and labels targeting audiences across the UK and Europe, the model works in reverse. The key difference is that artists and labels do not need to manage separate manufacturing relationships in each territory.
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