Author Archives: TVD HQ

Lehigh Valley, PA | Record Store Day in the Lehigh Valley: 2 local shops picked to carry exclusive WXPN vinyl: An exclusive vinyl copy of live recordings by some of eastern Pennsylvania’s best, but maybe lesser known, musicians will be available for one day only on April 20 for free. While you’re making your annual pilgrimage to your favorite music shop on Record Store Day, don’t miss hitting up either of the only two Lehigh Valley record stores selected to carry WXPN’s Homegrown Originals: Vol 2. Like its predecessor Homegrown Originals, Vol 2 is a compilation of exclusive live recordings on vinyl by Philadelphia-rooted artists taped for The Key Studio Sessions, WXPN radio’s weekly music scene series, and the Free At Noon concert series. The double-sided, 10-track album features music by Greater Philadelphia area artists who specialize in blending. Pop, R&B, indie, rock and punk all make up the happy host of genres reflected in the album and the sound of today’s underground music scene in this part of the world.

Brooklyn, NY | Record store backed by Erasure, Depeche Mode’s Vince Clarke coming to Park Slope: Enjoy the silence while you can Park Slope, there’s a new record store opening on Fifth Avenue next month, promising to be a haven for music aficionados of all ages. Sterling Records, a passion project of owner Gary Giddens and backed by synth-pop legend Vince Clarke — one of the founding members of Depeche Mode, Yazoo and Erasure — is aiming to open its doors and have records spinning by May 19, just in time for the annual Fifth Avenue street fair. Giddens, also the owner of nearby bar Gowanus Gardens, was first encouraged to follow his teenage dream of opening a record store by Clarke, his long-time friend. He said Clarke’s decision to come on board early as an investor got the ball rolling on making Sterling Records a reality. “I’m really excited to be involved with Gary’s project, an opportunity to share our passion for music, history, vinyl and the art of audio,” Clarke said in a statement to Brooklyn Paper.

Abertillery , UK | Kenny’s Vinyl Vault to open vegan café in Abertillery: Owned by Jo and Kenny Kendrick, Kenny’s Vinyl Vault, is nothing short of a success story with the business expanding from 15 High Street to 21 Church Street. The new shop will see the addition of a vegan café alongside thousands of new and pre – loved vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs and Blu Rays. Mrs Kendrick will also continue her tarot readings where guests can also buy beautiful, responsibly sourced crystals and jewellery. In a true family affair, the couple’s three children Pippa, Carriad Kendrick and Tobey Kendrick are involved in the business. Mr Kendrick said: “The business will continue to be a vinyl shop and there will be a lot more music-based things in store such as record signings. Whilst Jo will continue to focus on the tarot readings and crystals. “We have built up a good following and are really excited about the addition of the café.”

Kansas City, MO | Manor Records settles into new home it hopes will be ‘anchor’ for Kansas City music scene: Manor Records, the nonprofit record label aimed at helping local musicians fund their work, is opening a new storefront on Troost Avenue. The record store will offer a small stage for concerts and a space for music lessons in the back. The foundation is celebrating its grand opening Friday with a concert. For the past month, a modest storefront next to an ice cream shop at 55th Street and Troost Avenue has been under wraps. Behind the brown paper, Shaun Crowley, the founder and president of Manor Records, has been hard at work creating his latest venture for the nonprofit record label that nurtures local talent. Crowley started the nonprofit in 2017, with concerts first in a rented house in Shawnee, then moving to a cafe in Strawberry Hill and later a basement space in the West Bottoms. On Troost, he’s doubled the retail space where he will sell used records. This time, Crowley thinks he has the right business model.

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Ellensberg, WA | A rare find in Ellensberg: An amazing used record shop. I promised you something special in Ellensburg and here it is. On my way home from my trip to Yakima last weekend I stopped in Ellensburg to visit a guitar shop that turned out to not be in business anymore. (At least not in Ellensburg.) and stumbled on a used record store. Old Skool’s. 308 N Main. The store has been in its current location for about 18 years. Moved. After moving from a previous location 7 years before. The proprietor is Carroll Cox. Music lover and collector. Before starting this business, she worked in social services, and one day she decided she needed a change. The first impression you get when you’re looking in from outside is “This is just a little bit trippy, let’s go take a peek.” Then when you walk in, the first thing you see is records everywhere, piled on the floor and racks, leaning against the wall. There’s a huge selection all used. (she can special order new for you as well). There is a stereo set up behind the counter playing something.

Asheville, NC | The Record Store: Neighborhood, Community, and Celebrations in the Blue Ridge Mountains: A profile of Harvest Records in Asheville, North Carolina. In the early 2000s, Matt Schnable and Mark Capon were pals attending James Madison University in Virginia. They knew they wanted to launch a venture after finishing school, and they decided on a record shop. “But we were also hoping to create a space beyond just selling records,” Capon recalls. “In college, we were involved with promoting shows and with the college radio station community. And community appealed to us as much as retail.” Schnable concurs. “Going against some preconceived notions of record stores, we wanted to create a comfortable environment where people could hang out, meet up, exchange, be a part of something.” They decided on Asheville, North Carolina, a hip city of under 100,000 in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Bowling Green, OH | Family dream comes true with the opening of Goat Records in downtown BG: A dream shared by a father and son has come to fruition in the opening of Goat Records in downtown Bowling Green. Radio professional Mark Gedert, 57, has spent a lot of time, and money, at record stores, since he first fell in love with music lying in front of his family hi fi console. His son, Alex Gedert, 27, picked up that love from his father, as a young teen scouring his father’s collections for audio treasures and accompanying on vinyl hunting trips. The younger Gedert worked for Allied Records for six years. Not surprisingly they’ve been spinning around the idea of opening their own used record store for about five years. …“It really comes down to a love of records,” Alex said. He’s the manager of the store. Family friend Phil Brice will also work in the store.

Scotland, UK | Record Store Day 2024 in Scotland: When is it, shops, available records, how to buy, and can you buy online Vinyl is now outselling CDs for the first time in over 35 years – meaning that this year’s event celebrating the reinvigorated music medium is likely to be more popular than ever. Record Store Day has become a major event for vinyl lovers since the inaugural event in the US in 2007 sold barely more than 10 different limited edition pressings by artists including Death Cab for Cutie, R.E.M. and Stephen Malkmus. Now over 200 independent record stores across the UK take part each year, selling thousands of copies of exclusive vinyl, from new releases to old classics. Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s event.

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Fort Myers, FL | Record Store Day in SWFL: What to expect and where to go. Get ready for exclusive vinyl and free stuff. Record Store Day is just around the corner. This music-centric holiday is an occasion to celebrate local music businesses and to be able to grab exclusive, one-of-a-kind records. April 20th will mark the event’s 17th birthday. How is Southwest Florida celebrating, you may ask? …Stellar Records is excited to celebrate its first Record Store Day. They plan to open at 8:30 a.m. and their event will contninue through 6:30 p.m. The store, located on Cleveland Avenue was established September 2023 during a vinyl emergence and within a strong local music scene. Owner Liz Cochran can’t wait for April 20. According to her, the first 30 customers will get a Stellar Records tote bag. Also… “We’re giving away a record player and a prize pack. That’s for everybody, anybody who comes in at any point during the day,” Cochran said.

London, UK | Record Store Day 2024: Where to celebrate in London. After two years of being a fairly subdued matter, Record Store Day is back in full force this Saturday (April 23) for the festival’s 15th anniversary, with more than 260 independent record shops getting in on the act. In addition to all the special-edition releases that are coming out to mark RSD, there will also be a whole programme of events taking place at the weekend: live music, day-parties, DJ sets, prizes, limited edition goodies, signed copies of records, and more. London is absolutely bursting with incredible record shops, so if you’re not sure where to start, check out our guide to the city’s best record shops. Then, here’s our breakdown of the best events taking place on Saturday. Bear in mind that queues are likely, and if you can book ahead, we’d advise you do so to avoid disappointment on the day.

Indianola, IA | West Wing Vinyls: Indianola’s “happy place.” Indianola has many things to offer: Beautiful parks, a great shopping center in the Indianola town square, and plenty of restaurants. One thing that Indianola local Suzanne Hack thought was missing was a vinyl and CD shop. Located on West 2nd Avenue in Indianola, Hack opened West Wing Vinyls, the first women-ran music shop in Iowa, in November of 2023. They wanted to make sure that they were open before the holiday season. Since opening, Hack has felt very welcomed by the community. “I knew it, and Indianola knew that we needed a record store,” she said. Prior to being a record store, it was a mechanical shop, and the biggest question Hack faced was: “How am I going to turn this into a music shop?” Hack knew that she wanted a smaller shop up front with more of a storage area in the back. She was able to use the old office space as the main part of the shop and has the rest of the vinyls, CDs and cassettes cataloged in the back so she is able to grab them for customers who ask.

Huntsville, AL | Record Store Day in Huntsville + 1 shop with exclusive sales: Record Store Day is coming up on Saturday, April 20th! This exciting holiday celebrates the staff, customers and artists at independent record stores across the country and internationally. The first Record Store Day was held on April 19, 2008. To celebrate, participating stores will be stocked with products like exclusively colored discs and never-pressed-before releases. Browse the list of titles and start making your shopping lists now—these releases will be selling fast! Keep in mind that not all titles are guaranteed to be held at all stores. Vertical House Records: Vertical House Records is located at Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment and is owned and operated by a husband-wife duo passionate about all things music. You can shop a popular range of LPs, cassettes, CDs, turntables, stereo equipment and, of course, Record Store Day exclusives…

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Liverpool, UK | Rough Trade confirms opening date of new Liverpool store: The owners want the store to reflect Liverpool’s “rich and diverse music scene.” An independent music shop will be opening its biggest UK store in Liverpool later this month. Rough Trade, which opened its first store in London in 1976, sells a wide range of vinyl records, including limited and rare editions, as well as music, books and merchandise. It also hosts gigs in-store. The new shop, located on Hanover Street, will comprise two floors, with the ground floor housing the record store and café, which will serve Dark Arts Coffee. The first floor will feature a dedicated venue space with a capacity of 290, as well as a bar stocked with a selection of Signature Brew beers on tap. As part of the staggered launch, the ground floor will open at 10am on April 18, with the first floor and venue space open fully from May, when it will kick off its live in-store events programme with a busy month of shows, including headline slots for Jordan Rakei, Villagers, Bess Atwell, Alfie Templeman, and Seasick Steve.

Macon, GA | Fresh Produce Records keeps Macon’s counter-cultural hub going strong. A brief stay in Portland, Oregon, left William Dantzler wanting to bring the amazing musical experience he had to his hometown of Macon. So he did — opening Fresh Produce Records downtown. “When I lived in Oregon I attended an experimental music show at a food co-op grocery store and had an epiphany about the importance of creativity in building community and decided to focus that intent in Macon, my hometown,” he said. “This energy was amplified by the Fresh Produce era of Riggonia and Macon Noise and the record store model proved to be the perfect vehicle to carry out the mission of establishing a countercultural hub that Macon could be proud of.” Opened in 2013 with business partner William Rutledge, the record store offers records, tapes, CDs, turntables, tape decks, CD players, speakers, guitar accessories, music books, concert DVDs, store merchandise, posters, memorabilia, vintage magazines and more.

Des Moines, IA | Owner of Highland Park’s Red Rooster Records blames rent hike for sudden closure: Highland Park’s Red Rooster Records—a staple of Des Moines’ music scene for almost 20 years—has closed. Matt Storms and Steve Moberg opened the store at 509 Euclid Ave. in 2005, their senior year in college, as vinyl records experienced a revival. In a Facebook post, Storms said the store had closed because the rent suddenly escalated. Storms pledged to keep selling records, cassettes and CDs online, including through Red Rooster Records’ Facebook and Instagram pages. Storms could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Outstanding gift certificates and store credit will still be honored, his post said. “I wish things would have resolved differently, but I had to make a quick decision and do what was best for myself and my family,” Storms wrote. “Thank you again to all my customers throughout the years. I couldn’t have made this dream a reality without you all and I’m looking forward to working with you again soon.”

Sydney, AU | Impressed Recordings To Launch Brick-And-Mortar Store In Sydney: Fittingly, the grand opening will take place on Record Store Day. Impressed Recordings—a boutique record label operating out of Sydney (Eora)—have announced the launch of a new brick-and-mortar record store, which they’ll open, fittingly, on this year’s Record Store Day (Saturday April 20). The shopfront and wide-spanning “music hub” will be held at Impressed Recordings’ HQ of 93 Bourke St, Woolloomooloo. In a press release, it’s said the concept comes from the label’s effort to embrace “the enduring appeal of physical music and community in the midst of a vinyl resurgence”. It’s declared the space will be “a curated haven to create experiences and a home to connect musicians with listeners”, and described boldly as “a new oasis for music enthusiasts.” In addition to “a curated selection of exclusive Impressed releases,” the shop will carry an assortment of second-hand vinyl and “a hand-picked selection of rare music books.”

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Tiffin, OH | Local record spot hosts live music: Local record store hosted a night full of food and live music, packed to the door, Friday. Under the Surface Records just celebrated its grand re-opening last month after owner Jacob Wheeler decided to move locations from E. Market Street, S. Washington Street. According to a social media post from Downtown Tiffin, Wheeler said “My goal is to build a community around music. I think being in Downtown Tiffin is the best way to connect with those who live and visit here.” Opening up for the night was the underground artist Lucius Fox, who traveled from Kalamazoo, Michigan. The band is a duo of Jeremy Cronk (guitar, synth) and Paul Drake Jr. (drums). …“I don’t know if this kind of thing happens often around here, but if it doesn’t it definitely feels like it could,” Bickel said. “Tiffin, we love you, thank you for having us. PLEASE keep supporting local record shops and artists.”

Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | D-FW celebrates Record Store Day: Dallas-Fort Worth will celebrate Record Store Day on April 20. The annual event recognizes independent, local record stores worldwide by promoting special vinyl releases by different artists. To see the complete list of records being released, head to recordstoreday.com. The Record Store Day website has a list of participating stores near you. Here are a few staff picks for record stores participating in Record Store Day: Good Records 9026 Garland Road Dallas, TX 75218, Josey Records 2821 Lyndon B. Johnson Fwy #100 Farmers Branch, TX 75234, and Spinster Records 408 N Bishop Ave #102 Dallas, TX 75208. Contact your favorite record stores to see what they will carry or if you must special order a record. Be sure to arrive early and be ready to wait in line if you have your heart set on a particular purchase.

Clacton, UK | Review of independent music shop Music Mania in Clacton: Independent music shops are hard to come by these days, in the age of online shopping, so I decided to visit one of the last of its kind. As an avid music fan and supporter of independent businesses, I decided to visit Music Mania, in Clacton’s High Street, which is one of the last independent music and record shops in Clacton and the whole of Essex. The store greets you with a yellow front and an eye-catching sign above. Inside, the venue boasts a nicely decorated interior, with all sorts of music memorabilia and posters on shelves and the walls, as well as t-shirts hanging from the ceiling. In the centre of the shop are hundreds of new and preloved CDs and records, which are all neatly displayed in alphabetical rows specified by genre. There are so many music and pop-culture-themed items available throughout the store in all sorts of forms.

Billie Eilish responds to backlash against her vinyl comments: “I wasn’t singling anyone out.” “Stop putting words into my mouth and actually read what I said.” Billie Eilish has responded to the backlash against her recent comments on artists releasing multiple vinyl variants. In an interview with Billboard discussing her climate activism, Eilish made headlines for criticising the practise of releasing multiple vinyl variants to boost album sales, calling it “wasteful”. “It’s irritating to me that we’re still at a point where you care that much about your numbers and you care that much about making money—and it’s all your favorite artists doing that sh-t,” she added. …Now, Eilish has commented on the response to her vinyl remarks, taking to Instagram stories by beginning: “Okay so it would be so awesome if people would stop putting words into my mouth and actually read what I said in that Billboard article.” “I wasn’t singling anyone out,” she continued, “these are industry-wide systemic issues. & when it comes to variants, so many artists release them—including ME! Which I clearly state in the article.”

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Carterville, MO | How records spun back to popularity over CDs: 1988 was a milestone year for the sale of compact disks. It’s the year CDs first outsold vinyl records. But that didn’t mark their end. They’re now back to outselling CDs. That’s thanks to a resurgence in recent years of the nostalgia — compounded with the fact CDs have become somewhat obsolete as a result of streaming services. We got reaction today from folks at “Dig It! Record Barn” in Carterville. “I definitely prefer vinyl a lot more just cause like when you watch I mean when you put the vinyl in and you start it, you get to kind of watch it spin and with CDs you don’t really get to see that sort of beauty that a lot of just watching it spin really produces you know,” said Spencer White, Kansas City Resident, said. “There’s more layers in a record than there is in compressed music of a stream so I think when you just listen to it and absorb the different layers you can it feels more like you’re present,” said Lynne Brennfoerder, Owner, Dig It Record Barn.

London, UK | Vinyl Addicts, Head To These Indie Record Shops In London: London is home to a vibrant indie music scene and shops specialising in vinyl records. Here are some of the best places to check out if you’re into retro music and indie record labels. London is a city that is known for its unique cultural experiences which attract both locals and tourists. You can explore the many free museums, experience the thrill of a bygone era with London’s clandestine 1920s-style speakeasies, discover retro finds at vintage shops and more. The city is also known for its indie music scene and shops selling vinyl. Here are some that you should head to, if you love collecting retro music and indie record labels. Banquet Records: Banquet Records is a popular music destination located in Kingston-upon-Thames. They offer a diverse selection of new music, ranging from Indie, Rock, and Punk to Hip Hop, Electronica…”

Indianapolis, IN | Indy’s guide to Record Store Day 2024: On April 20, Indy’s record shops will host daylong festivities to celebrate one of their biggest days of the year. Since its inception in 2007, Record Store Day has provided analog lovers with an excuse to get out to their local record store to try and snag exclusive releases from their favorite artists. For their part, record stores have worked to make a day out of it, from live music to food trucks to giveaways. There will be plenty to do. But after standing in line and shopping for the latest of the greatests, you’ll probably feel hungry or want to wet your beak, or maybe even just sit down for a little while—good thing each record store in Indy is surrounded by great places to do it all.

Worcester, UK | ‘Customers have offered to run shop for me’ says retiring Worcester record salesman: A retiring record salesman from Worcester says customers have offered to run the shop for him following his decision to retire. Nick Banks, a Worcester resident for all of his life, has run Market Hall Records at The Shambles in Worcester for a little over three decades. Having enjoyed a long run in the business, Mr Banks has decided now is the right time to step away from running the shop and enjoy the next stage in his life. “I have been in here 30 years actually last year, but it’s time to move on,” he said. “I still enjoy it but you have to move on at some point. I’ve enjoyed it but it’s time to do other stuff really.” Mr Banks, aged 66, admits he has sold “quite a lot of albums” during the last 30 years…

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