Author Archives: TVD HQ

Limerick, IE | New record store, Downbeat Records, opens in Limerick: “We want to provide that space to the local music community.” A new record store has opened in Limerick city, Ireland. Downbeat Records, a dance-focused record shop, opened over the weekend on Wickham Way in the middle of the city. Founded by former Idle Hands employee Frankie O’Mahoney, the shop will offer an eclectic mix of dance music vinyl, featuring an in-store listening deck to help customers in their digging. “We hope to welcome anyone with an interest in records and music to stop by and hang out, chat music, buy music and meet other people interested in a wide variety of sounds,” O’Mahoney said in an interview with Hot Press. “We want to provide that space to the local music community.”

Syracuse, NY | Vinyl revival hits Syracuse record stores: ‘It’s kind of a status symbol now’ Around 6 p.m. on a Wednesday in downtown Syracuse, 14-year-old Marshall Bindel searched through vinyls and CDs at The Sound Garden. Fluorescent bulbs lit the aisles. Posters of Charli XCX’s new “Brat” album, Frank Ocean’s “Blonde” and Lana Del Rey’s “Born to Die” lined the walls. Bindel began listening to records two years ago. His collection includes 15 vinyls. “I don’t like streaming services because you have to pay so much for everything, and you never own anything and there’s still ads,” said Bindel. “You just pay once for this, $7.99, and it’s like you’re going to have it forever.”

Cambridge, MA | 41 Years & Going Strong: Planet Records In Cambridge, MA Keeps On Spinning: Everyone is aware of the vinyl boom that has been happening over the past few years. Legions of music nerds are lining up to get their hands on a Frank Zappa original pressing or a rare variant of their favorite hip-hop release. For the good people over at Planet Records in Cambridge, MA, near Harward Square, the excitement and fandom of the recent boom never left. Since 1983, the shop has been adapting to the ever-changing vinyl world and climbing over steep hills to provide its community with the best selection it can curate. Their shelves are expansive and never empty, lining them with albums of all eras and genres. A music nerd never leaves Planet Records unsatisfied, and with over 40 years of experience, their mission has never wavered.

Brisbane, AU | Suitcase Records Open Voting For 2024 ‘Suitcase Showcase’ Compilation: The fan-voted collection of songs by independent artists will benefit Support Act, as well as the artists themselves. Suitcase Records – a family-run vinyl pressing plant in Brisbane (Meanjin) – have announced the second edition of its annual Suitcase Showcase project, highlighting independent artists in the Australian music scene (and for a good cause, to boot). At the heart of the initiative is a compilation album comprised of ten songs from up-and-coming Aussie artists – they all submitted their tracks directly to Suitcase, and now fans get to vote for the songs that make it onto the final lacquers. After it’s released, all proceeds earned from sales of the record are split between the ten winning artists and Australia’s premiere music industry charity, Support Act. Also, every fan that votes for their favourite artist’s song is entered into a competition to win a stacked prize pack from Suitcase.

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Sheffield, UK | 17 great pictures show loved Sheffield record stores from 60s to present: Sheffield has just seen the opening of a new record shop – but once the city was packed with popular stores selling vinyl. July saw the opening of Grub Records on Queens Road. But how many of Sheffield’s huge record stores from past decades do you recall? Back in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, and even the 2000s, the city was full of them, in the city centre and out in the suburbs. We have put together a picture gallery of some of the most fondly remembered – and are pleased to say that some of these great shops are still running today, including one in the same unit as it was in the 70s. Many of these were the places to go to buy records over the decades, whether that be The Beatles in the 60s, Abba in the 70s, Wham! in the 80s, or Oasis and Blur in the 90s. We have found pictures of as many of the city’s iconic shops as we could.

UK | Rough Trade bins Flip vinyl selling service after just two days: It was only launched on Friday last week, but Rough Trade has already suspended its new vinyl selling service. The scheme, a partnership with Flip Vinyl, reputedly the “fastest growing second hand vinyl buyers in Germany”, essentially replicated the service offered by second-hand record shops up and down the country. But even on the first day it appeared that Rough Trade had got this badly wrong, as social media reported stories of derisory amounts being offered for genuinely valuable records. One punter wrote on Twitter/X: “Absolutely disgraceful prices and you should be ashamed to have partnered with them. Just put my 10 most valuable records in there worth over 4k (median) and it’s not even offering me £100 for the lot. Grim profiteering.”

Ogden, UT | Local shop brings classic record back to life: Lavender Vinyl. This local shop is bring back the classic vinyl. FOX13’s Morgan Saxton recently toured Historic 25th Street in Ogden, UT with a stop inside a new record shop selling old vinyl’s. Lavender Vinyl (est. 2016) is located in an intimate store on the west end of Historic 25th. It’s all about bringing the independent record store experience back to the neighbor, according to store owners Blake Lundell and Kye Hallows. “We are passionate about music of all kinds and feel that it should be shared and experienced as part of the local culture,” the owners wrote. Shop in-store or online.

Designed for Success: Learning at 33 1/3 revolutions per minute: Local authors examine America through mid-century instructional vinyl records. Learning Morse code. Finding an effective yoga routine. Getting better at photography. Figuring out a game plan for getting into college. Mastering a foreign language. These days, no matter what you want to learn, help is only a Google search away. From blog posts to podcasts to YouTube instructional videos to cheap online masterclasses, it’s easier than ever to access knowledge and follow a path toward enlightenment and self-improvement, right from the comfort of your own home. Once upon a time, though, before the internet existed, you might have tried a different tactic for learning at home: You might have dropped the needle on a vinyl record. Among music fans, the vinyl format has seen a remarkable resurgence in recent years, with Americans buying nearly 50 million vinyl records in 2023 alone.

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Owasso, OK | Couple to open vinyl record, vintage goods store in Owasso: ‘A dream of ours for a long time.’ Local music lovers looking to discover new tunes are in luck. They can soon visit Ben and Rose Sloma’s record store, Screaming Earth Records & Vintage Goods, set to open in Owasso later this month. The Collinsville couple is currently renovating the space that formerly housed BlueGrace Logistics in Cornerstone Shopping Center off of 86th Street to accommodate the new storefront. “Opening a record store has been a dream of ours for a long time,” said Ben, an avid collector of vinyl over the last 10 years.

Petaluma, CA | Trivia night at Paradise Found: Downtown Petaluma’s Paradise Found records has started a monthly music-themed trivia night. Are you proud of your music knowledge and enjoy an opportunity to show off how much you know? Well, downtown Petaluma’s Paradise Found records has started a monthly trivia night and would love to give you a chance to test your know-how against other music nerds right there in the store. Taking place on the second Thursday of the every month, Paradise Found’s Trivia Night offers swag bag prizes (T-shirts, gift cards, stickers and key chains) for its winners, plus free snacks and 10% off record store purchases following the event, which lasts from 6-7:30 p.m. Bring your own chairs and beverages, and get ready to dig deep into the music centers of your brain.

Vinyl records’ role in shaping American ideologies explored: Janet Borgerson and Jonathan Schroeder have recently released a book, which is the final installment in a trilogy devoted to the history of vinyl records. This publication focuses on their role in shaping ideologies of success and the American Dream, using personal development and immersive experiences as a lens. In their profound exploration of the vinyl records era, the authors have recognized themes that include idealized depictions of home, family, romance, and even the assertions of Cold War victories in everyday life and outer space scenarios. These themes are portrayed not only in the music itself but are diligently woven into the album cover art as well. One fascinating observation in their research was the correlation between the color scheme on album covers and the melancholic or uplifting mood expressed in the album. Darker hues were associated with melancholic content, while brighter tones reflected a more joyful mood.

One of the Best Affordable Turntables Gets Its First Real Upgrade in Years: The Audio-Technica AT-LP70X is an upgraded version of one of our favorite entry-level turntables. Audio-Technica’s turntables are pretty unmistakable. They have a modern industrial design — typically in silver and black — that seems to pay homage to the Technics’s iconic SL-1200. Honestly, they just look cool. For the last several years, the company’s AT-LP60X — released in early 2019 — has been one of our favorite entry-level turntables. It looked sleek, was extremely affordable (under $150) and was surprisingly upgradable. Now, Audio-Technica has released a new version, the AT-LP70X, that improves on its predecessor in a few key ways. The Audio-Technica AT-LP70X shares a lot in common with the AT-LP60X. … The phono preamp is switchable, meaning you can turn it off and use an external preamp instead. This is neat for those who may want to upgrade the AT-LP70X sometime in the future.

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Limerick City, IE | New dance-focused record shop opening in Limerick City: Downbeat Records, which opens on August 3rd, will stock dance music records of all varieties. Ireland’s Limerick City is getting a new, dance-focused record shop this Saturday (8/3). Downbeat Records, which opens its Wickham Way store front on August 3rd, is a new endeavor from former Idle Hands employee Frankie O’Mahoney. In addition to stocking a diverse range of genres, the store will feature a dedicated listening deck for customer use. “We hope to welcome anyone with an interest in records and music to stop by and hang out, chat music, buy music and meet other people interested in a wide variety of sounds,” Mahoney told Hot Press earlier this month. “We want to provide that space to the local music community.”

Minneapolis, MN | Hymie’s Records, a famed spot for vinyl in Minneapolis, is for sale: The owners are pledging to sell it only to someone who wants to keep the music spinning there. One of the Twin Cities’ best-loved record stores is for sale, but the owners are pledging to sell it only to someone who wants to keep the music spinning there. Dave and Laura Hoenack, who bought Hymie’s Records in Minneapolis nine years ago, want to spend more time with their two kids. So they are fielding offers to sell their vinyl specialty store, located on a revived stretch of East Lake Street in south Minneapolis. They are not interested in just liquidating their stock of vinyl records, however. “I want to still be able to go to a neighborhood record store in my own neighborhood,” Dave Hoenack said. In 2010, the Hoenacks moved the shop five blocks east, from its crumbling original location to the current site at 3820 E. Lake St.

Grand Haven, MI | Grand Haven record store packed as people support cancer patients: A fundraiser on Thursday night was held in memory of Angie Stone, who co-owned Off The Record with her husband Benji. Angie recently passed away of cancer. A record store called “Off The Record” was packed on Thursday night with people enjoying music. The man at the center of it all was owner Benji Stone who sang and played guitar for dozens in attendance. We first introduced you to Benji and his wife Angie back in February when the couple bought the record store. Since then, Angie has passed away after a battle with stage four breast cancer. Thursday night’s event was for Angie, and it benefitted “Bucs Pride.” The organization works with Grand Haven High School, hosting Bucs Pride games for every sport at the school. They sell “Bucs Pride” shirts every year and that helps them make a great deal of their money.

The Stories Behind Six Iconic Album Cover Shots Taken in America—and Where to Recreate Them: These picture-perfect album covers have turned unassuming street corners, empty beach stretches and looming buildings into musical monuments. In the early days of vinyl records, album covers were nothing more than a safety feature, blank paper jackets meant to protect the fragile content inside. That is, until, designer Alex Steinweiss at Columbia Records decided to photograph the Imperial Theater in New York City to fill the blank canvas encompassing the 1940 album Smash Hits by Rodgers & Hart—and permanently altered the face of music consumption. Since then, countless cover shots—the visual identities of formative albums—have been photographed across the United States. The country’s dynamic cityscapes and diverse terrain adorn records and the galleries of music populating streaming platforms. Whether decorated with a photo of a bustling subway stop or a striking Andy Warhol painting, album cover designs can constitute masterpieces in their own right, amplifying the artistry of the music they envelop.

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Pharr, TX | Made in the 956: Pharr Out Records, where past meets present: There’s a shop in Pharr where the past meets the present in perfect harmony. In a world dominated by digital music, there’s a place in Pharr where vinyl reigns supreme. “Something that we like to specialize in is Tejano music. I would say it competes with 80s rock and pop as being our bestsellers,” Pharr Out Records owner Isaac Herrera said. Pharr Out Records opened its doors in 2023. It began as a venture between four friends who share a passion for music. “Me, my husband Isaac, Zach and Rebecca, we all love music, different genres completely, but it kind of started off as collecting and one day there was this super cool collection available on Craigslist, and we were all like yeah why don’t we buy that and see what we can do with,” owner Jade Herrera said. Before opening shop, the four friends spent several years taking their collection on the road, selling records at pop-up events across the Rio Grande Valley and Texas. “In those years, in doing our pop-ups, we were essentially testing the waters. Is there an audience for records?” owner Zachary Myers said.

How TikTok Is Turning Record Stores Into Tourist Destinations: Mom ‘n’ pop shops are going viral and drawing visitors from around the globe. Ask anyone from Austin, Nashville, or even Cleveland, and they’ll tell you that music is a great reason to travel. It’s pretty common these days to plan a trip around catching a concert (just ask everyone who went to Europe around the Eras Tour dates), and it’s not even that outlandish to plan a trip around checking out venues or a hall of fame, but record stores have always seemed sort of ancillary to the tourism experience. Record-loving visitors to Los Angeles should definitely spend an afternoon at Amoeba Music, and if you’re in Seattle, it’s practically de rigueur to check out either Sub Pop’s 7th Avenue store or the label’s spot at the airport, but almost no one is planning a trip to those cities just for those stores. But that’s not true for spots like Macon, Georgia’s Vertigo Vinyl, Dover, New Jersey’s Factory Records, and Easton, Pennsylvania’s Spin Me Round Records, all of which have started to draw travelers to their relatively out-of-the-way locations purely because of how popular they’ve become on social media.

New Ulm, MN | Record store faces closure: Construction blocks traffic. Vintage & Vinyl, a record store that takes you through time, is struggling with business after construction on Center and German Street blocked traffic and parking to its location. “I cannot get people in it’s becoming a problem for me to get my regulars in or anyone else who just wants to be in here in general, I can’t. There’s nowhere to park, it’s kind of a mess” Vintage and Vinyl Owner Danielle Sowers said. …“We’ve turned had to turn away so much business not by choice just because of the confusion and lack of access. So people are calling like, ‘oh, with all the trucks on there it doesn’t look open we’ll stop back next week,’” James Sowers said. The Sowers said they attempted to work with the city of New Ulm over a month ago to work out a plan for the construction. “We were all under the impression that yes, there would be access to our store. And that’s not the case for whatever reason,” James Sowers said.

Cloverdale, BC | Cloverdale’s Elevated Music turns 4; record shop to hold big sale: Elevated Music Recordings to release first single. It’s been four years since Bill and Jenn Haggerty opened Elevated Music in Cloverdale. Over the years, the Haggertys have enjoyed much success. The store was able to find its feet as it opened at the height of COVID, Bill won a Clovie Award for Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2021, they moved locations in 2023, and now Bill is releasing a single in 2024. He said he is nothing but thankful as he and Jenn reflect on the past few years ahead of Elevated’s four-year anniversary. “We are blown away at the entire journey,” Bill told the Cloverdale Reporter. “It has been an absolute dream come true to be doing anything music related and making a living. It’s just a real joy and a labour of true love that we do not take for granted.” Many businesses were smacked pretty hard over the past few years with COVID-related problems, rampant inflation, and skyrocketing rents. Yet Elevated has managed to navigate some of these once-in-a-lifetime problems. Just being himself has helped to create loyal customers that respect Elevated and come back to support them.

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Detroit, MI | Detroit bar and record shop named one of the best in the country: A Detroit bar that got its start in an abandoned house on the city’s east side before moving downtown is one of the best in the country, according to USA Today. Food writers for the outlet from around the country picked their favorite spots for a drink and entertainment, including Paramita Sound. The live music bar opened in 2014 in a West Village house. After three years, the bar moved to its current spot on Broadway, just a couple blocks away from Grand Circus Park. The Black-owned business regularly features a record store, local and national DJs, and artists spanning genres. “From a quaint space in downtown Detroit, Paramita Sound is a place that shines not solely for its bar program or its selection of wines, but for its ability to bring communities together,” Detroit Free Press restaurant critic Lyndsay C. Green wrote of Paramita.

Cheshire, UK | Three independent Mid Cheshire businesses you voted top of the shops: The Vinyl Cafe. Independent traders are at the heart of Mid Cheshire’s local communities and with the ongoing cost of living crisis they’re struggling. It’s not easy running your own business, juggling increasing overheads, big company competition and a move away from town and city centre high streets and local communities to online shopping. As part of our Best of 2024 competition, earlier this month we wanted to show Mid Cheshire’s small business owners some love and celebrate the best the town has to offer. “…The Vinyl Café is a record store as well as a café. It’s a unique space much like a community for music and coffee lovers. It has brought people together over the past two years who have become friends who now meet at The Vinyl Café. There are many Vinyl Cafés around the UK who offer the same but we are the only one in this area.”

Essex, UK | Stone Rock Records sets up permanent shop in Earls Colne: A record enthusiast has opened his own shop fewer than 12 months after he started selling his wares at pop-up events. Stone Rock Records was started in late 2023 by Jonathan Stoneman, 22, who began opening pop-up shops after beginning his record collection. This week, Jonathan is officially opening Stone Rock Records’ permanent residence in Earls Colne Recreation Club. He said: “The very first pop-up was in December 2023 at Two Brews in Colchester. “It was very positive. That was the start of it being something that needed to be done every week.” “I had to keep the fire stoked after that,” he added. Since then, Stone Rock Records has regularly appeared across Essex in Braintree, Southend, and Chelmsford, building a community of music enthusiasts with each appearance. Jonathan continued: “I’ve been building it up slowly, and it’s very fun. “I can’t do it on my own because it’s so difficult, so I’ve had lots of support, especially from my dad.”

VA | Visit 7 rockin’ Virginia record and music stores: Virginia is for music lovers—and the commonwealth’s craving for vinyl is apparent in the many record stores throughout the state. From the capital city to the shore, here are some of Virginia’s best record and music stores. Deep Groove (Richmond) Deep Groove has served the Richmond area for 15 years, and it remains a go-to for new and used vinyl. This small store packs a big punch with its wide selection of records. If you are looking to make some cash for records you don’t use anymore, they’ll buy it; so be sure to stop by and check out their new releases. Wax Moon (Richmond) Visiting Wax Moon Records is an experience in itself. Wax Moon buys, sells, and trades records and DVDs, so if you’re looking for an old movie you watched as a child, chances are they have it. While Wax Moon’s records and videos are the store’s main draw, many stay for the arcade games in the back of the shop.

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