Author Archives: TVD HQ

York, UK | Shoppers could lose York HMV ‘by the end of the month’: Shoppers in York are set to lose another high street favourite, with the closure of HMV. The Coney Street store was at risk just weeks ago, after HMV went into administration, but 1,500 jobs around the country were saved when Canadian retailer Sunrise Records bought 100 stores around the UK. Although the York shop was thought to be safe, staff were told on Monday, March 18, that the store would be closing. Signs appeared on Tuesday which announced the store was to close, and ‘everything must go’, while The Press understands workers in York expect their final shifts to be the weekend of March 30/31. HMV Managing Director Neil Taylor would not confirm the closing date, but said it “will be closing, despite our best efforts to keep this store open,” and praised “superb staff.”

Pittsburgh, PA | Who moves across the country to open a record store in Pittsburgh? Most people popping up with new record stores in Pittsburgh will tell tales of shopping at Jim’s Records, Eide’s or The Attic as a kid. Josh Cozby doesn’t have those stories. The owner of the Government Center, a new shop on East Ohio Street in the North Side’s East Allegheny neighborhood, grew up buying records in Southern California and was living in Salem, Ore., when he decided to move his vast record collection 2,600 miles to make them the basis of his first retail venture. What makes one quit his job and switch coasts to open a record store? “First,” he says, “I owned a bunch of records and came to the conclusion that I have more records than I was ever gonna use. And second, I was burned out on being a public high school teacher. “I was realizing the only thing I was interested in talking to students about anymore was what kind of music they were into and how that interacted with them trying to navigate adolescence. It was a good set of clues that it was time to figure out something else to do.”

Toronto, CA | Tokyo Smoke cannabis dispensary set to open in former HMV flagship store: The latest application for cannabis retail shows that one dispensary is moving into the former location of HMV’s flagship record store. According to the ACGO’s website, an application has been submitted for a cannabis retail location at 333 Young Street by Tokyo Smoke. The owner is listed as one of the five retail license lottery winners in the city, Colin Campbell. Tokyo Smoke itself began as part of the city’s cannabis scene in 2015 as a coffee shop owned by Alan and Lorne Gertner. Since legalization, the store’s parent company HIKU Brands, has been purchased by Canopy Growth, the country’s largest cannabis producer by market cap, and runs four licensed dispensaries in Manitoba and two cafe locations in Toronto. According to the AGCO, public notice period runs until April 2, which means this location will not be ready to open by April 1, the earliest date for cannabis retail locations to open in Ontario.

Summerland, BC | ‘Our sales are hurting’ Kelowna music hub takes hit after big competition moves in: Milkcrate Records still taking a hit after Sunrise Records moved into town 2 years ago. At least four nights a week, Milkcrate Records provides space for local musicians and artists to perform at one of the only remaining early shows in Kelowna. Record sales have fallen by 40 per cent at the record store since Sunrise Records’ opening two years ago in Orchard Park Mall. “Our sales are hurting… even though vinyl is still on the increase. We are also being hurt by online shopping. It’s something that everyone needs to be aware of. Even though it may be more convenient we need to be aware of how we are putting these brick and mortar business out of business,” said owner Richard Rafton, with Milkcrate Records. Milkcrate Records is not just a store in downtown Kelowna, it has grown into a cultural epicentre for the music and arts scene.

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Murfreesboro, TN | The Great Escape used media store opens location in the heart of Murfreesboro: If you have used media you’d like to sell or you’re looking for new items to add to your collection, you’re in luck. The Great Escape media store has opened in Jackson Heights Plaza at 810 N.W. Broad St., Suite 200, in Murfreesboro. This is the fifth location for the store, which opened in 1977 in Nashville. “(We sell) new and used records, new and back-issue comic books, CDs, video games, toys, movies and many more items,” said Rob Baker, who co-owns The Great Escape with his wife, Candace Baker. The store also pays cash for collections and collectibles, or trades with people bringing in items to sell…The Bakers have been residents of downtown Murfreesboro since 2012 and wanted to open a shop close by in their hometown.

Hanover, PA | Hunting for vintage vinyl records? Head to Vinyl Visions in downtown Hanover: For Perry Musselman, part of the fun of collecting and buying records is the hunt to find the exact one you want. On April 3, Musselman’s own record shop, Vinyl Visions, will be open at 10 York Street in Hanover. “I am 60 years old, and I never put away my turntable,” Musselman said. “I have been playing record albums all my life.” In the new shop, Musselman will be selling CDs, DVDs, rock and roll posters and other miscellaneous paraphernalia in addition to vinyl records. Two-thirds of the inventory at Vinyl Visions will be rock and roll and “the music I grew up with in the 70s, only because it’s what I like and have a passion for,” Musselman said. However, there will be records going as far back as the 50s and more recent content, too.

Berlin, DE | Inside the vinyl archives of Berlin’s biggest music library: Where almost everything is borrowable. Following our feature discovering incredible record libraries around the world, DJ and producer Max Graef uncovers an audio treasure trove at the Zentral- und Landesbibliothek BerlinZentral. The largest public music library in Germany’s capital boasts a huge range of sonic archives (salsa, Russian folklore, rap, medieval and more), music publications, over 43,000 CDs, over 95,000 pieces of sheet music, and a “piano room” where you can reserve your slot to tickle a Bechstein or Steinway piano ivories for up to two hours a week. As for vinyl? There are over 73,000 records in its collection, all housed in a closed storage container at the ZLB’s Berliner Stadtbibliothek location.

UK | Journalist Pete Paphides Launches New Label: Music journalist Pete Paphides has announced the launch of new label Needle Mythology. A noted scribe, Pete Paphides’ excellent Soho Radio show is a perennial spin in the Clash office, matching classics against lesser known gems. The latter certainly form the spine of new label Needle Mythology, with Pete Paphides aiming to bring sought after records to vinyl for the first time while expanding on the original CD format. The label’s name comes from a song by Stephen Duffy, with the indie legend’s 1997 album ‘I Love My Friends’ becoming one of the imprint’s first releases. Needle Mythology also launches with a rare 2004 solo record from Ian Broudie, seemingly recorded in a hotel in the wee small hours after he was finished producing The Coral. It sounds like an excellent project, with Pete Paphides giving a lengthy interview to Super Deluxe Edition about his motivations, and what lies ahead for the imprint.

Orrville, OH | Younger generation intrigued by technology from the past: Rotary telephones, 8mm video cameras and Atari video computer systems were once the talk of the town, but now they reside in places like the Old Technology Museum that was on display at the Orrville Public Library on Friday. Colin Daniels, a junior at Smithville High School, was shocked that some of the items in the museum, like the Nintendo GameCube, were ones he has actually used. “It is kind of cool how technology progresses,” he said. “The GameCube came out in 2002, I used it and I am not old. Even though it came out recently, it is now considered old.” …While some of the items on view appeared almost foreign to Daniels, he was drawn to the vinyl record display. “I have a record player,” he said. “There is a cool novelty about putting the record on the player and sitting back and listening to it. It even sounds better than digital music, it feels warmer and it is cool that people are getting back into (vinyl).”

Bologna, IT | Popular Discogs seller, Background Music, opens record shop in Bologna. The storefront is part of Gallery16, a new concept music store with a bar and event space. Background Music, a popular Discogs seller for the past seven years, is now part of a brick-and-mortar music concept store called Gallery16, opened last week. Owners Massimo Mandrioli Peccia and Lorenzo Lerry Arabia say the joint venture is “not just a record shop, but above all, a meeting place with a bar and open to DJ sets, live shows, presentations and much more.” The shop specializes in alternative styles, and it stocks new and secondhand vinyl. Check out their Facebook page for upcoming music events and exhibitions this month.

Binghamton, NY | Hundreds of people find musical treasures at annual record fair: The Broome County Farmers Market opened its doors Sunday, but instead of selling food, it was selling music for Binghamton’s annual record fair. Hundreds of people from across the Southern Tier went to check out the selection of more than 100,000 vinyl records, CDs, and DVDs for sale. Vendors came from across the northeast to sell their collections to the public. Event organizer, Jack Skutnik, says he has put the show together for the past 30 years and says it is always a big success. “It’s nostalgia for a lot of people. They relive their youth, old songs, new music. Some people collect baseball cards, some people collect silverware, some people collect records and CD’s so we fill that need.”

Steve Perry Soups Up ‘Traces’ Album for Deluxe Edition: Re-release contains five bonus tracks — “some of my most favorite songs,” singer says. Steve Perry will not let the flame go out on his comeback solo album, Traces. He’s reissuing it this spring with five bonus cuts for a deluxe edition. The record will be available digitally, on CD and on two, 180-gram vinyl slabs; he’s even souping up one of the double-LP versions with a 3-D lenticular cover. The updated versions are available now. “These bonus tracks — ‘October in New York,’ ‘Angel Eyes,’ ‘Call On Me,’ ‘Could We Be Somethin’ Again,’ and ‘Blue Jays Fly’ — are some of my most favorite songs in this 15-song collection,” Perry said in a statement. “I’m so glad they will now be available everywhere.”

Special Doctor Who Releases for Record Store Day: This year’s Doctor Who releases for the eternally popular Record Store Day have been revealed. Leading the way is the classic, and largely lost, William Hartnell adventure from 1965 – Galaxy 4. Peter Purves, who played companion Steven Taylor, provides linking adaptation for the original soundtrack. Two Heavyweight 180g discs of orange vinyl with purple splatter contain the classic adventure. The Doctor and Steven, as well as Maureen O’Brien’s Vicki, encounters the beautiful Drahvins led by Maaga (Stephanie Bidmead). But should they trust them or the gruesome Rills as both groups attempt to escape a dying planet? It’s joined by Destiny of the Daleks – the soundtrack of the 1979 adventure with linking narration by Lalla Ward. Ward, of course, features in the story itself as Romana, alongside Tom Baker’s Doctor and Davros, creator of the Daleks, as played by David Gooderson.

It was 70 years ago this month that the 45 RPM record was introduced, accidentally helping to give birth to rock’n’roll: For the first fifty years of the recorded music industry, everyone had to make do with scratchy, fragile 78 RPM records. These 10-inch discs dating from the late 1800s and generally worked fine. It wasn’t until 1948 when Columbia Records came along with its long-playing albums pressed on a new plastic called polyvinyl chloride that things began to change. Vinyl was much tougher than the shellac-based material used to make 78s, meaning they didn’t wear out after about 100 plays. More importantly, though, vinyl allowed grooves to be cut closer together (about .003 inches), greatly increasing the capacity of a side of a record. Instead topping out at around four minutes, an LP could store more than 20 minutes of music before anyone had to flip it over.

Portland, OR | ‘It’s been a real roller coaster ride for us’: Music Millennium celebrates 50 years: Music Millennium is the largest and oldest record store in the Pacific Northwest. In 1969, The Beatles released Abbey Road, the final album they recorded together before breaking up. That same year, in a small shop on East Burnside, Music Millennium opened their doors and 50 years later, they’re still selling records like Abbey Road. “It’s a little surreal, you know there’s not many record stores in the country that have made it to 50. It’s been a real roller coaster ride for us,” current owner Terry Currier said. “There’s been a lot of changes over the years.” That change has not only involved trends and technology but new owners as well. In 1979, the original owners, the MacLeod and Lissy families, sold it and within 5 years that owner almost filed to file for bankruptcy. The MacLeod family assumed a half a million-dollar debt and took the business back over. Currier bought out the MacLeod family in 1996 and has owned the store ever since.

Kingston, ON | ‘It’s about time’: Flood-damaged Kingston record store to reopen: Community rallied behind Brian’s Record Option after 2018 construction mishap. After a months-long repair and renovation project forced by a freak summer flood, a much-loved record store in Kingston, Ont., is opening its doors again. Construction work near Brian’s Record Option inadvertently flooded the Princess Street shop early last August, destroying tens of thousands of vinyl records, cassettes, CDs, posters and books. Owner Brian Lipsin wasn’t sure if he’d be able to reopen, but he said money from his insurance and community fundraisers covered the cost of the rebuild. The shop opens back up at 9:30 a.m. this Saturday. “It’s about time,” Lipson told CBC Radio’s Ontario Morning on Wednesday. “I’ve hated being in limbo for so long.”

Dayton, OH | Omega Music introduces “Skip the Bag” initiative to positively impact community: Omega Music is taking steps to become more sustainable and make a positive impact on the community. Their “Skip the Bag” initiative aims to help the environment and also support local charities. “We give customers an option to choose a bag or skip the bag. If they skip the bag, we give them a puzzle piece they can drop in one of our charity boxes,” Inventory Manager Mike Cooley said. Each puzzle piece represents the cost of the bag which is 10 cents. “At the end of the month, we total up the puzzle pieces and donate that amount to each charity,” Cooley said. Each month, Omega chooses different charities to support. “10 cents may not seem like much, but after 30 days it really adds up,” Cooley said.

Dundee, UK | ‘Phenomenal demand’ for tickets as city record store brings Foals and Idlewild to Dundee: As reported in SeeDundee, Foals will play two shows at Fat Sam’s on Sunday, May 26. And Scots rock band Idlewild will hold an acoustic session at Clark’s on Lindsay Street on Monday, May 27. The shows are being hosted by Assai Records, which is based in Broughty Ferry. The shop has attracted a string of major acts to the city in recent times with Tom Walker playing in their King Street premises in early March and Snow Patrol packing out Church in June 2018. The Foals gigs will celebrate the release of the band’s new album, Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part One. It will be played in its entirety at the Dundee shows. Their late show in Dundee has already sold out following “phenomenal demand” for tickets. Idlewild’s gig at Clark’s on Lindsay Street will coincide with the launch of their new album Interview Music.

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Calgary, CSA | Westleaf Receives Development Permit Approval for its Flagship Prairie Records Cannabis Store in Banff, Alberta and Provides Retail Update: Westleaf is pleased to announce the Town of Banff has approved its development permit for a flagship retail location in the heart of Canada’s most visited national park. The location on Caribou Street just off famed Banff Avenue, will be developed as a flagship in the Prairie Records brand of cannabis stores. The town located one hour west of Calgary, attracts more than 4 million visitors annually and is Canada’s most visited national park and one of the top tourist destinations in the country. Westleaf remains on track to open approximately 20 locations in Alberta and Saskatchewan by the end of Q3 2019, subject to receipt of required regulatory approvals including receipt of cannabis retail licenses from the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis and the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority.

Ayr, UK | End of era as popular Ayr music shop shuts down: Big Sparra Vinyl in Ayr has announced its closure following a recent flood at the New Bridge Street store. It’s the end of an era for a much-loved record store which has touched the hearts- and ears- of many across the country. Big Sparra Vinyl in Ayr has announced its closure following a recent flood at the New Bridge Street store. The record shop has been selling golden oldies and modern mixes for half a decade. And Big Sparra has had its fair share of the limelight as it featured as one of the main filming locations in a TV advert as part of the National Trust for Scotland’s campaign, For the Love of Scotland. The store have been big supporters of annual Record Store Day in the past and even opened at 8am to allow vinyl collectors to get their hands on limited-edition discs. But it seems it’s not the end for co-owners Robert McKain and Ian Wallace as the pair move on to new ventures, with the latter half of the duo hoping to reopen in the same unit.

Auckland, NZ | In a spin for music charity: Ever wondered how music is created and captured on a vinyl record? With the renaissance for affection of the vinyl record in mind, a unique event is giving music enthusiasts the chance to see great original Kiwi songs played, recorded — and that work cut on a vinyl record – in three hours. Musician, songwriter, producer and now vinyl-cutter Jesse Wilde, is staging Journey to My Vinyl Destination, on Saturday, March 16, from 1pm. “It’s for vinyl record lovers and anyone who enjoys good music,” says Jesse, a former long-time Bucklands Beach resident. “You will see a live music performance recorded, mixed, and mastered and cut to vinyl right before your very eyes. The whole process of vinyl lathing, mixing and mastering for vinyl will be explained in this three-hour event.”

Stroud, UK | Groove Armada DJ Tom Findlay to perform at Stroud record shop: One of the world’s best DJs has chosen to celebrate World Record Store Day in Stroud this year. Tom Findlay, one half of the UK electronic dance and chill-out duo Groove Armada, will be playing two intimate DJ sets on Saturday, April 13 as part of the celebrations in the town. The famous DJ, who has released eight studio albums and singles such as I See You Baby and Superstylin with his musical partner Andy Cato as part of Groove Armada will be joined by Stroud’s own DJ superstars Mr Mulatto and Frank Situation from Situation Sounds to celebrate their own collaboration. Love on the Attack will officially be released by Tom AKA Sugar Daddy on Record Store Day, and he will be taking to the decks alongside Mr Mulatto and Frank Situation at Trading Post Records at 3pm to the delight of fans.

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Tokyo, JP | The tenth floor of Shinjuku’s Tower Records store will specialize in vinyl from the end of March. A new record store called Tower Vinyl Shinjuku is set to open inside of Tokyo’s flagship Tower Records store. From March 21st, the tenth floor of Tower Records will stock more than 70,000 vinyl records. 30,000 of those will be new inventory, including new releases, reissues and limited edition items from both Japanese and Western artists. The other 40,000 records are secondhand, a collection that ranges in style but will have an emphasis on soul and rock. The new space’s interior is covered in glass and features a large vintage speaker for an enhanced shopping experience. There will also be in-store events and vinyl pop-up shops in the future.

Paris, FR | 10 of the best independent record shops in Paris: As a major music exhibition opens in Paris, a local DJ uncovers these treasure troves for collectors, offering new recordings, rare gems and, in some cases, live events too. Paris has a vibrant secondhand record scene, with stores all over the city stocking rare vinyl of everything from Ghanaian Highlife to calypso, classic chansons françaises – Edith Piaf, Charles Trenet, Georges Brassens, Serge Gainsbourg – plus electronic music and techno. With a new exhibition, Music Migrations (palais-portedoree.fr, until 5 January 2020), dedicated to the multicultural influences that transformed the Paris and London music scenes from the 1960s to the 80s, this is a good time to discover the top disquaires unearthed by local DJ and record dealer, Gwen Jamois.

NY, FL | VP Records Retail Locations Now Official Record Store Day Locations: On Saturday April 13th, VP Records will celebrate Record Store Day 2019 with VP Record’s annual Sound System Showcase at its retail locations in Jamaica, Queens and Miramar, Florida. This year, both VP Records retail stores have received the distinct designation as official Record Store Day Locations. To commemorate the annual celebration of vinyl culture, the free event is a day for fans and consumers to experience authentic Jamaican Sound Systems while being able to purchase classic, new and exclusive titles. For the first time, the event will be streamed on the VP Records YouTube channel and archived for future viewing.

UK | Beatles ‘Love Me Do’ demo worth £20,000 handed to a charity shop by unwitting owner who gave the ‘not for sale’ vinyl to British Heart Foundation: A rare Beatles record thought to be worth £20,000 has been put up for auction – after its owner unwittingly donated it to a charity shop. British Heart Foundation staff were shocked to uncover the 7in demo of The Beatles’ first single Love Me Do, which had been placed in a carrier bag with 25 other vinyls and given to the store in Midhurst, West Sussex. The record features a misspelling of Paul McCartney’s name, with the words ‘Lennon–McArtney’ appearing on the label instead. The words ‘Demonstration Record’ and ‘Not For Sale’ are also on the label. Around 250 of the demos were pressed by Parlophone Records and sent to the BBC for radio airplay when the Fab Four were virtually unknown.

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