Author Archives: TVD HQ

UK | Gen Z buy more vinyl than millennials, new study finds: It comes after sales of vinyl records in the UK in 2020 were the highest on record since the early 1990s. According to a survey conducted by MRC Data, 4,041 people aged 13 and over were questioned over the course of two weeks about their musical influences, inspirations and purchases, with 15 percent of Generation Z respondents – people commonly identified as being born roughly between 1997 and 2012 – claiming to have purchased vinyl albums in the previous 12 months. This compared with only 11 percent of millennials who said that they purchased vinyl over the last year. It comes after sales of vinyl records in the UK in 2020 were the highest on record since the early 1990s. The figures by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) revealed that nearly one in five (18 per cent) of all albums purchased last year were vinyl, with 4.8 million LPs being purchased. The new numbers were up on 2019’s figures, and the highest since the Britpop boom of the early 1990s.

London, UK | UK’s ‘best record shop’ is tucked away in this corner of South London: The famous Banquet Records is owned by a local councillor. A London record shop has been awarded best independent retailer in the UK for the second year in a row – and it’s owned by a local councillor. Banquet Records on Kingston’s Eden Street is owned by Cllr Jon Tolley, who was awarded the prestigious Music Week award on September 14. Big names such as The Who, Stormzy, Bastille and Vampire Weekend have all played gigs organised by Banquet Records at venues in Kingston over the years. With more than 61,000 followers on Twitter, 59,200 on Instagram and over 22,000 on TikTok – it’s no wonder the store is a winner. Craig Austin, a Kingston local who has been visiting the shop for 13 years, said Banquet Records is “at the heart of Kingston and it’s what makes Kingston a little bit different.”

Pittsburgh, PA | Paved Paradise, a vinyl pop-up expo, is coming to Pittsburgh this month: Pittsburgh is a city for music lovers, and as more live music shows return to the city, so do opportunities to buy music. Now the city, which already offers plenty of opportunities to dig through vinyl treasures at places like Jerry’s Records, will welcome even more opportunities to find pressed gems with Paved Paradise. Described in an email as “equal parts pop-up shop, block party and roadside fruit stand,” Paved Paradise will stop in Pittsburgh on Wed., Sept. 22 as part of a nationwide, 15-city tour. The folks at PP will be setting up at Allegheny City Brewing and will sell vinyl from the back of a 24-foot truck and two on-site tents. This pop-up shop, a collaboration between Ghostly International, Numero Group, and Secretly Group record labels Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar, and Secretly Canadian, will feature local collaborations as well as exclusives from some of your favorite music acts. There will also be live DJ sets from DJ GUVVY, Ali Berger, and more.

New York, NY | Ergot Records is a new record store and venue in the East Village, New York: Ergot Records, a New York-based label run by artist Adrian Rew, is entering the record store business. The Ergot Records shop opens this Friday, September 17th, at 32 East 2nd Street in Manhattan’s East Village. The store’s stock is currently comprised of predominately used vinyl and cassettes, but an expanded selection of new releases, books and other print material are expected soon. To celebrate, the shop is hosting DJ sets all weekend from Whitney Claflin, DatKat, Davide Gualandi, Brandon Ndife, Bob Nickas and Brian Turner. Future in-store events will be announced soon. In a press statement, Rew, a Lot Radio resident and former curator at art gallery Blank Forms, explained how the pandemic impacted his decision to venture into retail. “The events of the last year and a half have brought about the unfortunate closure of crucial downtown hubs of sonic gathering and information transfer such as 2 Bridges Music Arts, the Pyramid Club and Max Fish,” he said.

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UK | Vinyl is still winning: sales are up 94% in 2021 with $467m revenue Stateside: The humble record’s remarkable resurgence continues apace. After a largely locked-down 2020, it seems vinyl is back on course and continuing its extraordinary winning streak in 2021. The Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) has just posted its mid-year music revenue report, with a key finding being that in the first half of 2021, revenues from vinyl albums grew 94 per cent to $467 million in the US. Although this comparison (ie. versus the prior year) includes the period in which retail stores were significantly impacted by Covid-19 – and Record Store Day 2020 was delayed, eventually taking the the form of three virtual RSD drops – it is certainly more evidence of the humble record’s continued resurgence. The RIAA report also found, for example, that revenues from CDs increased by just 44 per cent in the first half of 2021, to $205 million. Yes, it’s an increase on 2020, but what it really means is that revenues from our once beloved compact disc still remain 19 per cent lower than they were in the first half of 2019.

NY | Find your groove at these 12 upstate used record stores: Vinyl is back. In a very big way. Although most new releases now come out on vinyl, all of us have had those great, memorable old records in a box in our house somewhere. Those wonderful long lost musical memories from back in the day. Now used vinyl record stores are the hottest thing going. Here is a list of 12 of the best Upstate used vinyl stores where you can find those old memories once again. They won’t cost you $1.99-cents anymore, but what price can you put on your favorite old record album that you haven’t heard in years? Go and check these out! Poughkeepsie: Darkside Records: A vinyl; lovers dream. Thousands of records, CDs, and even cassettes. Remember cassettes? Give yourself plenty of time when visiting here. They even have old turntables. Lots of related items too, like rock T-shirts, posters, DVD movies, music magazines and more. A multi-winner as “Best Record Store in the Hudson Valley

Houston, TX | Memo Record Shop has one of the most eclectic Latino music collections in the country: Guillermo “Memo” Villarreal grew up with a love for music and has spent more than 50 years sharing his incredible collection with the city of Houston. Memo opened his record shop in 1968, selling music you couldn’t find anywhere else in the city. He’s seen the music industry move from records to 8-tracks to cassette tapes to CDs. The types of music have also grown. Customers can now find mariachi, conjunto, Caribbean, salsa, merengue, Tejano and much more in the aisles of the store. Memo Record Shop #1 also has a vast collection of Latin movies. “If we don’t have it, it doesn’t exist anymore,” Memo said. Memo’s business has grown into a museum of sorts over the years as well, with hundreds of photos, autographs and guitars hanging on the walls. His most prized possession is a signed guitar from Carlos Santana. “Music for me, it’s my life,” Memo said.

Alexandria, MN | In the groove: Local collectors wax rhapsodic about vinyl records: While most people are satisfied downloading a song or album onto their phone or iPod, the record collector wants a physical copy of that music. Almost everybody likes music, but some people take it a little more seriously than most. These would be the record collectors. While most people are satisfied downloading a song or album onto their phone or iPod, the record collector wants a physical copy of that music. And they want to do this for every album or song that they like, their collections swelling into the hundreds, sometimes even the thousands. “I would say I probably have a smaller collection than most,” said Rexford Sweetwater. “I have about 300 or so. I know people that have up to 2,000. Those are the kind of people that collect everything. And who listens to 2,000 albums? There’s no time in your life to do that. “I don’t buy anything, and I never have, that I would just buy for the sake of having it. It doesn’t make sense. It’s very important to get exactly what you want and take care of it. All of the albums that I had from when I was a teenager I still have in great condition. … No scratches, perfectly taken care of, because I love albums,” he said.

Barrow, UK | TNT record shop, Barrow get a surprise visit from Indie Dutch band, Pip Blom: Pip Blom paid a surprise visit to TNT records, Barrow. The popular Dutch group called in on the owner of TNT records, Dave Turner after it was recommended they pay a visit. Unfortunately the band had to postpone some dates of their tour due to a band member falling sick, but the band still came to Barrow to check out the Duke Street vinyl specialists. TNT records, owner, Dave Turner said it was an absolutely brilliant experience. He said: “When I saw them come into the store I was like ‘I recognise them, that’s Pip Blom.’ “I knew they were planning on doing a gig in the town but didn’t know they’d turn up at the store so it was a nice surprise. “They were blown away by the off chance that we were blasting out one of their tracks just as they walked into the shop!

Billie Eilish And Charlie Parker Headline Slate Of Record Store Day Releases: Record Store Day’s 2021 Black Friday event takes place on November 26. Record Store Day has announced the official lineup of 150 exclusive titles set to be released on November 26 for Black Friday. The roster of mostly vinyl releases includes limited-edition albums, EPs, or singles by artists such as Billie Eilish, Jason Isbell, Aerosmith, Trippie Redd, U2, John Legend, Jimi Hendrix, Lana Del Rey, Fleetwood Mac, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Mobb Deep, Leonard Cohen, Tank and the Bangas, Motorhead, Bill Evans and Blackberry Smoke. Record Store Day organizers are cautioning this year that it’s possible a few of the titles being announced today could fall out, due to severe backlogs at vinyl manufacturing plants. A few releases planned for Black Friday are also being held back from this lineup so the artists can announce them themselves. Releases from Craft Recordings include a brand-new Sam Cooke compilation, The First Mile of the Way, which highlights the singer’s formative years—including his gospel recordings with the Soul Stirrers and his early forays into pop music.

Boise, ID | The Record Exchange: New Owners, Same Style: The Record Exchange has been around for almost 45 years and it’s become an institution of downtown Boise. Employees tend to work there for decades and it’s a kind of home away from home for music lovers in the community. Founders Michael Bunnell and Jil Sevy worked hard over the years to create an inclusive space. They cobbled together a store that does it all — employs a knowledgeable and diverse staff; sells all types of music products, coffee and gifts; and hosts in-store shows with huge stars — all the while keeping the store welcoming and open to people. Fortunately for Idaho the two have left behind a place that many people see as more than just a store. “For years our hope was that when we were ready to sell employees would step up,” said Bunnell. “We’ve built something special here and I can’t imagine Boise without it. We couldn’t be happier.”

Durham, NC | Paved Paradise brings ‘vinyl wonderland’ to downtown Durham: Paved Paradise, the “part pop-up shop, part block party, and part roadside fruit stand,” made its way to Durham on Tuesday as part of a 15-city tour. Although the sun was beating down on this hot September afternoon, wooden bins were filled to the brim with colorful vinyls, and niche t-shirts lined two tents. Ken Shipley, co-founder of the Numero Group, was seen buzzing around the stacks of vinyls and taking a minute to chat with customers. All in all, five record labels were represented at Paved Paradise: Dead Oceans, Ghostly International, Jagjaguwar, Numero Group and Secretly Canadian. “We started thinking about how we can bring a record store to a bunch of different places and do it outside and do it COVID-safe and have a good vibe,” Shipley said. The result is a series of pop-up shops largely in the southeastern United States. Paved Paradise began in Bloomington, Indiana on Sept. 9 and will end in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Sept. 26. Although Raleigh is sadly missing from the lineup this year, it’s hard to imagine a more perfect spot as you browse through records than outside of Motorco Music Hall in Durham.

Middlesbrough, UK | Press-On Vinyl plant in Middlesbrough to start production this autumn: Press-On Vinyl, a vinyl record pressing plant located at Middlesbrough’s Tees Advanced Manufacturing Park (TeesAMP), was first announced back in April, and today (14 September) it’s been announced that the pressing plant will begin production this autumn after they secured investment from Futuresound Group. News of their launch comes amid vinyl delays experienced across the independent music industry, which is due to Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic as most of the vinyl pressing plants are based in Europe. Where possible, Press-On Vinyl will source raw materials as locally as possible to reduce carbon footprint, and when production begins in autumn it’ll be open to a selection of record labels, independent artists and partners. Futuresound Group MD Colin Oliver said, “Though the recent restrictions put a lot of our activities on hold we have been working hard in a number of areas, and when Press-On vinyl came onto my radar having two record labels as part of the group I could see the issues with the UK vinyl supply and had to get involved.”

Indianapolis, IN | The Butler Collegian: Vinyl revival: The introduction of other technologies by 1990 had seemed to make the once popular vinyl record obsolete. However, a recent revival in vinyl album sales calls this assumption into question. Statista reported that vinyl album sales in the United States have grown for the fifteenth year in a row, while other physical album sales, such as CDs, are declining. Last year, vinyl records also accounted for 62% of all physical music product sales. With so many different and more convenient ways to listen to music, one question remains: why have vinyl sales increased in the past years. The comeback of vinyls has coincided with the popularity of “vintage” inspired trends in fashion and design. The rise of vinyls could be seen as a product of these vintage trends; however, vinyl collectors and listeners point to other reasons for the popularity of vinyl records. Bennett Lang, sophomore music performance major, expressed why he chooses to collect vinyl records.

Recorded-Music Revenues Climbed 27% — And Vinyl Sales Skyrocketed 94% — in First Half of 2021, Per RIAA: …Vinyl sales skyrocketed 94% to $467 million, although that number was also dramatically skewed by store closures during the pandemic and severely impacted last year’s Record Store Day, which is traditionally the biggest sales day of the year. Revenues from CDs increased 44% to $205 million, but still remain 19% lower than they were in in the same period in 2019. CDs only accounted for 30% of physical revenues, while vinyl accounted for more than 2/3 of physical format revenues. Digital download sales revenue continued to drop, down 6% to $319 million, as did digital track sales revenue (down 12%) and digital album sales revenue (down 4%). Looking at the overall pie chart, streaming comprised 84% of revenues, physical sales 10%, digital download sales 5% and synch 2%.

Record Store Day reveals full list of exclusive Black Friday vinyl releases: More exclusive vinyl albums coming in November. Black Friday isn’t all about the best TV deals. OK, so it is mostly about that, but it’s also a chance to grab some limited-edition, rare and exclusive vinyl releases thanks to Record Store Day’s participation in the global shopping event. The organisation behind the biggest annual celebration of the beloved vinyl format has just announced its full list of releases for this Black Friday. The list includes anniversary editions, rarities and reissues from Ghostpoet, Hall & Oates, Fleetwood Mac, Lana Del Rey, U2, Tricky and John Carpenter, to name a few. These (and others, listed below) will only be available in independent record stores on Black Friday, which this year takes place on Friday 26th November. You can see a full list of those participating record stores in the UK here. So, while you’re trying to bag a deal on speakers, TVs and headphones, or anything else for that matter, don’t forget to take some time out to pick up some new vinyl. Here’s the full list of releases for this year’s Black Friday…

Derbyshire, UK | Derbyshire music fans with a vintage vinyl collection could pick up a small fortune: Music memorabilia is big business and it reaches out to everyone. We’re not all lucky enough to own a rare antique, Chinese vase or diamond ring but countless people have a musical item tucked away, possibly valuable, that may be forgotten. For example, if you reached your formative years before CDs and digital downloads became the norm you may own a vintage vinyl collection. Roxy Music, The Police, David Bowie, The Jam, Oasis, Blur, Madonna … the list of rock and pop stars who inspired us to head to the nearest record shop is endless. And if you missed out on buying a record back in the day, auctions offer a route to source rarities and classics. Right now, vinyl from the 1980s and 90s is often desirable because people in their 40s and 50s with disposable incomes are collecting the music they loved in their youth. Keen to find out what your vinyl collection might be worth? On September 22, Hansons’ music memorabilia consultant Claire Howell will be offering free valuation appointments at Hansons’ Etwall Auction Centre in Derbyshire.

Bangkok, TH | Where to find Bangkok’s best record stores and vinyl bars: Get in the groove with this primer to vinyl culture in Bangkok. The debate between analog and digital music will never end. Even if today’s technology enables you to listen to music effortlessly, many believe it will never replicate the concert-like experience you get from listening to vinyl. It’s no wonder we’re seeing a resurgence in analog music appreciation in Bangkok. From old-school record shops to swanky vinyl bars, these places will help you build your collection, upgrade your gear, and join the vinyl revolution. Tonchabab Record Shop: Teeming with old and new records covering genres from Thailand and all over the world, Tonchabab is the kind of classic family-run vinyl shop that your father might’ve frequent- ed when he was young. It has two branches. Both are goldmines for seasoned and beginner crate-diggers alike. Think rare world music finds, from luk thung to ’60s and ’70s stalwarts like Diana Ross and The Carpenters.

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US | US recorded music revenues grew 27% year-on-year in first half of 2021: …Streaming may be 84% of the recorded music market in the US, but there’s also a good-news story in physical sales, with both vinyl AND CD sales up considerably year-on-year – 43.9% and 94% respectively. How much is this merely a bounceback from Covid-related issues around retail and distribution in the first half of 2020? The RIAA pointed out that CD sales were still 19% down on their revenues two years ago, in the first half of 2019, so there is an ongoing decline for that sector. However, vinyl sales were $467.4m in the first half of this year, well over double the $205.3m for CDs. Crucially, in the non-Covid-afflicted first half of 2019, vinyl sales in the US were $232.1m, so for this format there absolutely is sharp organic growth. Americans listened to more than 840bn on-demand streams in the first half of 2021.

Kent, UK | Eil.com: Behind the scenes of the world’s biggest online rare records store, based in Meopham, near Gravesend: Hidden away on an unassuming industrial estate, to the south of Gravesend, lies the home of the world’s biggest online record store; a haven for rare and collectible items spanning the generations. While it may not look up to much from the outside – trains trundle along the railway tracks to nearby Meopham station just yards away – inside it is, to many, a palace of dreams – with row upon row of bulging shelves containing more than a quarter of a million sought-after items from the world’s biggest names. It is to an avid record collector what Willy Wonka’s factory was to a chocolate aficionado. This is the home of Eil.com; a company which has long boasted a global customer base and one which it has carefully cultivated over the years. If you’re after a rare Beatles first edition album in tip-top condition, or perhaps a Madonna picture disc, then the chances are this is where you’ll look. After a tour programme, platinum disk, signed album? Then step right up.

Cleveland, OH | Clevelander Franklin Fantini Is Archiving and Sharing Country Music’s Odd and Forgotten Past With ‘Dollar Country WTFC’ Radio Show: From a makeshift studio in his suburban Cleveland basement filled with a collection of 1,500 .45 RPM vinyl records, Franklin Fantini — a self-made, DIY purveyor of ten-cent wax — has for the last five years been broadcasting Dollar Country WTFC every week. The hour-long online radio show hosted by Frank — Frank the Drifter, as he introduces himself — features a curated tracklist of 18 songs handpicked from his shelves. Most of Fantini’s selections are obscure country recordings by unknown artists released by now-defunct labels, and his listeners range from fellow collectors to reformed metalheads and punks who now embrace the country genre in adulthood. The name Dollar Country comes from Fantini’s time working at Love Garden Sounds, a record store in his hometown of Lawrence, Kansas, where he spent hours watching customers pick over the bargain offerings. “I just saw people going through the dollar bin of .45s, and I always thought that seemed really stupid,” Fantini says. “But then, after a while, I would find these weird country things.

Every Picture Tells A Story, Or, How I Recreated My Record Collection, and Then Some: Today’s renaissance of vinyl as a chosen physical music format represents an opportunity for baby boomers to recapture their collective youth. In the 1970s, record stores were the place to hang out and learn about music and life. I foolishly sold most of my 4,000-LP collection in 2010, and within two years realized what a colossal mistake I had made. I’ve spent the past eight years rebuilding much of what I previously owned, and then some. About three quarters of the records came from the used bins of about a dozen stores in and around Long Island, although most were culled from Record Reserve in Northport, NY, where Jack Kerouac once spent time drinking at the still-operating local watering hole Gunther’s Tap Room. From 2015 to 2019, I’d spell Record Reserve’s proprietor Tim Clair occasionally. When I was a teenager I always wanted to work in a record store, and instead was delegated to the dairy department of the Big Apple supermarket in Commack. Never too late, indeed.

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Manchester, UK | UK’s last cassette shop reels in nostalgic music lovers: Tucked away in a corner of the top floor of an indoor market in Manchester, northwest England, is the last shop in Britain dedicated to selling cassettes. Mars Tapes crams around 1,000 cassettes, a Coca-Cola radio, boom boxes, vintage editions of the Walkman cassette player and other tape-related accessories in a compact retail unit smaller than one of the city’s tram carriages. Hits by stars including Elvis Presley, Florence and the Machine, and Lewis Capaldi line its shelves, as classic tracks provide a musical backdrop, taking customers back in time. The shop was set up in 2019 by an eclectic group of people united by a love of music, explained co-founder Giorgio Carbone. Spanish sound engineer Borja Regueira, 28, and his girlfriend Moira Lorenzo, 27, initially proposed starting a cassette-only shop.

Nashville, TN | Nashville record stores: Where to find used vinyl in Music City. Nashville is Music City, so it’s no surprise the city has some of the best record shops around. From massive used music warehouses to a former church building to hole-in-the-wall shops decorated only by 12-inch record sleeves, here’s where to go record hunting in Nashville. Alison’s Record Shop: What you’ll find: vintage rock, jazz and country albums. Alison’s Record Shop, located near the Nashville West shopping center, stocks mostly used records curated by shop owner Alison Warford. There’s an emphasis on vintage rock records, which are organized into subgenres such as new wave, hard rock, punk and so on. Ernest Tubb Record Shop: What you’ll find: classic country records. Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame member Ernest Tubb founded his record shop on Lower Broadway in 1947. Music City has grown up around the shop since then, which still sells old-school country albums within walking distance of the Ryman Auditorium.

VinyGo Stereo Vinyl Recorder Will Put You In The Groove: A long time ago, there were these vinyl recording booths. You could go in there and cut a 45PM record as easily as getting a strip of four pictures of yourself in the next booth along the boardwalk. With their 2021 Hackaday Prize entry called VinyGo, [mras2an] seeks to reinvigorate this concept for private use by musicians, artists, or anyone else who has always wanted to cut their own vinyl. VinyGo is for people looking to make a few dozen copies or fewer. Apparently there’s a polymer shortage right now on top of everything else, and smaller clients are getting the shaft from record-pressing companies. This way, people can cut their own records for about $4 a unit on top of the cost of building VinyGo, which is meant to be both affordable and accessible.

War Child re-release four classic albums 1 Love, Hope, Help! A Day In The Life and War Child Presents Heroes: The four classic albums, which were released for War Child between 2002 and 2009 feature the likes of Muse, Stereophonics, Oasis, Lily Allen, Radiohead and more. War Child have re-released four of their classic albums today (Friday 10 September). The charity – which strives to protect, educate and stand up for the rights of children caught up in war – has released 1 Love, Hope, Help! A Day In The Life and War Child Presents Heroes via their recently launched independent record label, War Child Records- their recently launched independent record label. The four classic albums were released by the charity between 2002 and 2009 and feature the likes of Muse, Stereophonics, Oasis, George Michael, Avril Lavigne, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Coldplay, Radiohead, Gorillaz, Manic Street Preachers, Beck, Keane, Lily Allen, Elbow and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

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