Author Archives: TVD HQ

Dundee, UK | Former Groucho’s Dundee staff awarded £46,000 in unpaid redundancy after tribunal: A group of Groucho’s Record Store staff have secured a £46,000 win over their former employer after claiming for unpaid wages and redundancy cash. The four former employees raised an employment tribunal action against Stella Brodie claiming for redundancy money, unpaid wages and damages. Mrs Brodie took over the running of the iconic record store after Alastair “Breeks” Brodie died in 2019. Mrs Brodie closed the store in June 2020, but former Groucho’s staff said they were left without wages for weeks after she told them they would not be paid redundancy money. Following an employment tribunal, Mrs Brodie was ordered to pay £45,971 in total. … The former employees went on to start their own business following the closure of Groucho’s, but were left without an income for 12 weeks whilst they established Thirteen Records.

Minneapolis, MN | Electric Fetus Ranked Among The 10 Great Record Stores In America, According To Spin: Minneapolis’ iconic record store, Electric Fetus, has been ranked among the greatest record stores in America. That’s according to music website Spin, which put together a list of 10 of the greatest record stores in America. While there’s no particular ranking of these top vinyl stores, the Electric Fetus is listed third from the top. “Strange name, cool place. So cool, it was apparently the last record store Prince visited before his passing,” Spin writer Jolie Lash said. The list was released in honor of Record Store Day returning June 12 and July 17. Reckless Records in Chicago, Illinois, Music Millennium in Portland, Oregon and Amoeba Music in Hollywood, California are some of the featured stores. The Electric Fetus opened in 1968, and those who run the store admit that the origin of the store’s unique name has been lost to history. As a possible explanation, Lash noted that Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland was released in the same year as the store’s opening.

West Norriton, PA | Coffee Closet with Barista Jake now part of Vinyl Closet Records: Flipping through the record bins can certainly build up an appetite. Fortunately, it’s no longer 1976, and if you happen to be munching on a hot dog with mustard while at the record store, the clerk won’t be asking you to kindly leave the premises with your snack. Eating while browsing is not frowned upon at Vinyl Closet Records. In fact, owners Jason and Angela Bucci McFarland encourage customers to patronize the shop’s new café, Coffee Closet with Barista Jake, which is run by the couple’s son Jake. There’s a mission behind the espressos, medium roast and dark roast coffees, which started from humble beginnings as a coffee cart back in May of 2020. The supplemental business was created to give Jake something to do during the quarantine, Angela McFarland said. … Jake proudly added, “I take the orders and make the coffee. I’m a star, and so is my dad. We work together.”

Austin, TX | Faster Than Sound: Love Wheel Records Rolls In: Austin music mainstay Mike Nicolai retails vinyl and Indoor Creature parties at the Ballroom. Just off Burnet, North Austin stop Love Wheel Records opened in late April nestled between a nail salon and barber shop. Joe, the three-legged shop dog, greets vinyl patrons in the cheery green and orange store. I left with a few very reasonably priced vintage wares and a complimentary Joe coaster. Love Wheel, named for the gushy Daniel Johnston track about a “love wheel spinnin’ round round round,” offers new and used vinyl across genres, with some books and CDs too. “The first time I moved to Austin I was 26 – I had come here on tour and sort of fell in love with it,” says owner Mike Nicolai, who runs the Brentwood store with wife, Nancy. “I’ve been in and out of town, but I always come back because this feels like home. We’re real happy here, so it seemed like the place to do this.”

Tysons Corner, VA | Remembering the day the Rick Springfield fan army shut down Tysons Corner: June 17 is the 40th anniversary of the day Rick Springfield shut down Tysons Corner. Larry Houck was there. “Talk about having a front-row seat,” said Houck, who worked at the Variety Records in Tysons Corner Center, where Springfield was scheduled to meet fans. “It was totally nuts. All the roads leading to Tysons, all the ramps off the Beltway, were totally congested that day.” In 1981, the Australian heartthrob was doubly famous: as Dr. Noah Drake on “General Hospital” and as the artist behind a priceless piece of pop perfection called “Jessie’s Girl.” “He just had so much exposure that summer,” Houck said. The shopping mall record store has pretty much gone the way of the passenger pigeon, but there was a time when it was a busy crossroads for music lovers, both fans and performers alike. “Santana came in once,” said Houck, 63. “Lou Rawls came in one day. Catfish Hodge used to come in. Bill and Taffy Danoff used to come in quite a bit.”

UK | Independent record labels took 26% of the UK market share in 2020: Independent record labels saw a market share of 26% during 2020 according to the BPI and Aim. British label bodies the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) and Aim have recently reported that market share taken by independent labels saw a huge increase during 2020. Independent labels share grew to just under 26% last year as measured by ‘album equivalent sales’, a metric that blends streams and digital/physical sales. The announcement also states that independents’ share of ‘streaming equivalent albums’ has grown in the past five years also. Breaking the stats down into format, independents accounted for 35% of vinyl sales in the UK in 2020, nearly 30% of CD sales, and 24.5% of streaming consumption. All three percentages rising in the first quarter of 2021. The news is fantastic for the grassroots level of the industry that even against all the odds is gaining ground and in some respects thriving. Although major labels dominate the industry, there is more space for independents to grow.

Denver, CO | Denver record store Wax Trax hosts local musicians: Located on 13th and Washington in Denver’s Capitol Hill district, Wax Trax Records has been at the heart of Denver’s alternative music scene since it opened in 1975. Despite the inconspicuous appearance of the brick and mortar corner store, Wax Trax has a long history of putting on shows featuring both local and touring bands, such as Mazzy Star, Gone and Band of Susans. Recently, the store has put on a series of “sidewalk shows” every weekend, inviting local musicians to perform directly outside the store. Although Wax Trax has traditionally held shows inside, the outdoor shows complied with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during previous stages of the pandemic, allowing it to be one of very few venues where local artists could perform. “We want to really invest back into the local scene and do what we can to spark it back up,” said Pete Stidman, general manager of Wax Trax.

San Antonio, TX | San Antonio record label owner, Hickoids front man hangs on in fast-changing music industry: Jeff Smith’s San Antonio-based label Saustex Records has survived the disappearance of record stores, vanishing CDs, the rise of streaming platforms and the COVID-19 pandemic. The small San Antonio record label specializes in rock ’n’ roll, and so does Smith. The 57-year-old is the front man for the redneck punk band the Hickoids, and in addition to performing has written and promoted music for nearly four decades. While streaming services may have largely replaced CDs, Smith’s Saustex Records still produces discs along with vinyl records and even T-shirts promoting its lineup of musical groups. “I am a rock’n’roller for life,” Smith says. It started when he was 14. He played in a San Antonio-based band called the Dwarves before performing with the Hickoids. The band dates back to the early 1980s, went a long hiatus and re-formed in 2008. It plays loud, hard-charging rock ’n’ roll with threads of R-rated humor.

SG | The complete beginner’s guide to vinyl and record players in Singapore: Nostalgia is a new-age drug for Millennials. From film photography to calligraphy, retro anything is making its glorious comeback in the world. Similarly, the old-school, analogue features of vinyl records come as a sort of respite in today’s fast-paced digital world. It harkens back to a sentimental time where things were simpler and brings back the experience of selecting music rather than opening an app on your phone. There is just something so comforting about the crackle of a record and the warmer tones of the tunes that make the music really come alive. Putting a record on is the whole music experience: it is active song selection and attentive listening to how artistes curate and convey their message, as opposed to streaming a two-hour playlist of lo-fi beats in the background on your phone. There are many things to consider when getting started on vinyl. Essentially, one would need three things: an active speaker, a record player and of course, vinyl records.

Pearl Jam announces 25th anniversary ‘No Code’ vinyl reissue: Pearl Jam has announced a vinyl reissue of the band’s 1996 album, No Code, in honor of its 25th anniversary. The clear LP marks the first time No Code has been available on vinyl since its original release, as well as the first time the album’s been specifically mastered for vinyl. The reissue will be released August 13. You can pre-order a copy now via Pearl Jam’s web store. No Code, Pearl Jam’s fourth studio album, was released amid the band’s infamous legal battle with Ticketmaster, which affected the tour behind the record. Still, it ended up spawning hit singles in “Who You Are” and “Hail, Hail.” Interesting, No Code was released on the same calendar date — August 27 — as Pearl Jam’s iconic debut album, 1991’s Ten. That record will be celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

Missoula, MT | Fleming, Ear Candy record shop adapt and thrive to pandemic challenges: After almost 24 years in business, Ear Candy record shop owner John Fleming has learned to adapt to new challenges facing local businesses around Missoula during the pandemic. Originally opened in 1997, Ear Candy has outlasted the rise of digital downloads that took down multiple chain stores and remains one of the few independently owned record shops within Missoula. But Ear Candy’s impact on Missoula goes beyond a record shop and actively contributes to the Missoula music scene by sponsoring shows and releasing music by local artists. The pandemic introduced new challenges to the shop, forcing Ear Candy to completely shut down for two months. As a result, Fleming focused on expanding his website and online presence to sell vinyl on Discogs, a website similar to eBay for those looking to buy and sell vinyl and CDs.

Sussex, UK | Vinyl record buyers queue from very early hours in Sussex and Brighton: For those vinyl enthusiasts the wait was finally over on Saturday as it was drop one of Record Store Day throughout Brighton, Sussex and the UK. Vinyl junkies have had the dates Saturday 12th June and Saturday 17th July etched on their brains for several months now, as it’s two days of the year when hundreds of independent record shops all across the UK come together to celebrate their unique culture. Special vinyl releases are made exclusively for the annual event, which this year is in two drops. Thousands more shops celebrate the day around the globe in what’s become one of the biggest annual events on the music calendar. Vinyl record fans in Brighton and throughout the rest of Sussex were queueing from the early hours on Saturday in order to endeavour to secure their chosen limited edition treasures, which will in most cases be instantly highly collectible.

Auckland, NZ | That vinyl boom? Blame teens buying Dire Straits records: Chris Hart is standing between two shelving units groaning under the combined weight of tens of thousands of surplus records. On the left of the Real Groovy store owner are vinyl albums stacked in neat alphabetical rows. On his right are cardboard boxes chock-full of second-hand records yet to be sorted. Around the corner, the relentless hum of an ultrasonic cleaning machine can be heard as two full-time staff members turn dusty old treasures into as-new releases. When Covid-19 lockdowns were enforced last year, Hart feared all of this, the iconic Auckland store he’d owned and managed for the past four decades, was over. “That’s exactly what I thought,” he says. “I thought, ‘Oh well – I’m two years short of retirement.'” Hart has been through tough times before. In 2008, receivers turned up, took the keys off him and made him tell his 70 staff members they were out of a job. He survived by scraping together the money to buy Real Groovy back from the bank.

Reno, NV | An Oversized and Eclectic Stack of Well-Loved Vinyl Slides into a Corner of a Reno Brewery: Flip through a treasured record collection and you’re likely to find tattered covers and faded, bent corners on the most played albums. Artist Erik Burke displays these signs of a well-loved LPs in a new mural that amplifies music’s outsized impact to a monumental scale. Tucked into a corner at Reno’s Record Street Brewing, the towering artwork gathers a vintage collection—The Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready to Die is slotted next to The Velvet Underground & Nico and Johnny Cash’s Live At Folsom Prison is side-by-side with Give ‘Em Enough Rope by The Clash—that’s an eclectic mishmash spanning genres and decades. “A large part of it was sourcing the original vinyl and choosing the most worn-and-torn covers to show how these records are a big part of our life and tell unique stories,” the artist tells Colossal. Burke is known for his stylized portraits and floral murals, which you can see more of on his site and Instagram. He also has a few prints available in his shop.

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UK | Record Store Day a success for Barrow shop: A business boss hailed the ‘incredible’ turnout of the public to mark Record Store Day on Saturday. Queues were visible outside TNT Records in Barrow’s Duke Street from the get-go. Record Store Day saw more than 200 independent record shops across the UK come together to celebrate their unique culture. Special vinyl releases were made exclusively for the day and many shops hosted performances and events in order to mark the occasion. Dave Turner, owner of TNT Records, said: “As we were opening, people were still joining the back of the queue. “We went out the back for a quick fag before we opened and I could see the line going right the way back, tail-ending by the Izgara restaurant. “It was mental. It was dead busy all day. I knew there’d be a little bit of a turnout because of people letting me know early doors [but] I did not expect that. The turnout was incredible.”

Birmingham, UK | A2B taxi driver who quit to open record store in Hall Green says Clean Air Zone will boost business: Despite seeing other record shops in Birmingham close down in recent years, John is confident his store will be different. A former Birmingham taxi driver has opened his own shop with the 10,000 records he had piled high to the ceiling in his living room. Father-of-two John Fitzgerald, 38, quit his job of 10 years with A2B Taxis last August to pursue his hobby of buying and selling vinyl records as a full-time career. The business started out online until John noticed a shop had become vacant on Highfield Parade near his home in Hall Green. “I walk past that row of shops every day to drop my kids to school,” he said. “I had already left my job at this point and I was walking past one day in November and noticed the old bead shop that was there had closed down. “I got in touch with the landlord on the Friday and by Monday I was signing a 12-month contract on the shop.” If it hadn’t been for Covid, John says he would never have plucked up the courage to change careers.

Napa, CA | Vinyl makes a comeback at new Napa record store: As a kid, Tim Leonard fell in love with music and vinyl records. In fact, he still has his favorite LPs, bought back when he was in junior high, like the Rolling Stones and the Kinks. “Music has always been a part of my life,” said Leonard, who is 61. “I’m passionate about it.” Today, Leonard has more than 1,200 vinyl records in his personal collection. And now he’s spinning his passion in a new direction. Leonard just opened a vinyl record store at 2375 California Blvd. in Napa. Called Right On !!! Records, it’s the first such standalone retailer to open in Napa in more than 20 years. This new small business owner said he was inspired to start Right On !!! Records after being out of work for several months during the COVID-19 pandemic. He had a job in the wine industry, but “I got burnt out,” said Leonard. During the pandemic, “I just reassessed my life and what would make me happy.”

Salem, NH | After Outcry, Bull Moose Re-hires Fired Salem Workers, With Apology & Pay Raises: The Bull Moose record store chain is apologizing, re-hiring workers and promising pay raises after controversy over the sudden closure of its Salem location last month. The staff of the Salem store was fired in May after raising concerns about the end of the company’s mask requirement for customers. They also said they’d been routinely harassed and threatened by patrons with little help from their managers. Now, Bull Moose is apologizing for how the situation was handled. In a statement posted on social media, founder Brett Wickard said the company failed to uphold its values and “must take responsibility for that.” “We are sorry that we did not act anywhere near how we want to be as a company. We pride ourselves on building community and acting with empathy, yet we failed on both those counts,” he said. “Falling flat on our faces was humbling – but we’re determined to have our mistakes become a transformative event for Bull Moose.”

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UK | Fans flock to stores for first Record Store Day of 2021: Fans all over the UK have been queuing outside stores since the early hours. Fans all over the UK have been flocking to record stores for the first Record Store Day event of 2021. The annual celebration of independent record stores across the UK kicked off today (June 12), with a follow up event on July 17 planned. Many fans have been queuing since the early hours hoping to get their hands of some of this year’s special purchases – you can see some of the fans with their purchases below.

Bury, UK | Record Store Day: Vinyl music enthusiasts flock to Wax and Beans to get their hands on exclusive and limited records. Vinyl music enthusiasts made tracks to Bury’s independent record store in the early hours hoping to get their hands on exclusive and limited titles. Today is Record Store Day and this morning people, socially distanced, queued outside Wax and Beans in Bury town centre, some since 10pm to be first in line when the shop opened this morning. The day, with another set to be held next month, is a celebration of the country’s 200 independent record shops. Special vinyl releases are made exclusively for the day. Music lovers from far and wide travelled to the Bury store, including Harrogate, North Yorkshire and Sheffield to buy exclusive vinyl records which are supplied to independent stores. The queue stretched from the shop on The Haymarket all the way down to Silver Street.

Terre Haute, IN | Record Store Day celebrated as a new vinyl shop opens in Terre Haute: Saturday, June 12th marks national record store day. To celebrate the day, a grand opening happened in 12 Points area in downtown Terre Haute! Record Store Day Arts and Music fest took place as the grand opening of the Local Vinyl. The event took place from 12pm and lasted until 5pm. Vinyl enthusiasts gathered and were able to enjoy a new record place locally. Eleanor Jones, the store’s owner, hopes that by opening this new shop in the Wabash Valley, people like herself and others who share her appreication of vinyl records, won’t have to travel outside. “I used to have to drive outside of the state if I wanted to get a record, but by doing this I can welcome others to come and enjoy, while also buying local.” says Jones. You can find the Local Vinyl in 12 Points.

Johnstown, PA | Record Store Day draws music fans to George’s Song Shop: For 90 years, George’s Song Shop has been catering to fans of all musical tastes. Music fans converged on the shop early Saturday for the opening of Record Store Day – with the line of shoppers stretching to the sidewalk. Gwen Stahl, 17, of Clymer, purchased a Twenty One Pilots record. “I’m excited,” she said. Including the main sales area, the shop at 128 Market St. has five floors filled with records, owner John George said. “If we don’t have it, nobody does,” he said. His father, Eugene George, opened the store in 1932 when the Great Depression was at its peak and Bing Crosby ruled the charts. George’s Song Shop has withstood the COVID-19 pandemic. “Business has been pretty good this year, all things considered,” he said. “People have been stuck in doors, so what do you do? Listen to music.”

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