Category Archives: A morning mix of news for the vinyl inclined

Asheville, NC | Record-pressing facility Citizen Vinyl opens in downtown Asheville: This year is proving a difficult time to run most businesses, let alone launch a new enterprise. But the team behind Citizen Vinyl — a collaboratively envisioned vinyl-pressing plant, performance space, record store, craft cocktail bar and eatery — is moving forward with plans to debut the facility on the ground floor and mezzanine of the Asheville Citizen Times building. Its opening is set for Thursday, Oct. 8. “I’m quite hopeful and excited about the opportunities [of] the project,” says local producer Gar Ragland, the company’s founder and CEO. The Citizen Vinyl team is “very interested to position ourselves to be a post-pandemic community resource. We can work closely with the independent musicians in town to give them some opportunities, when it’s responsible to do so: to perform, to get their records pressed and to partner with them to promote those recordings.”

Record Store Day: 10 of the best vinyl albums to tell someone you love them: Telling somebody you love them can be most daunting. Quickly you come to realise there’s only really one positive response, and you in particular are unlikely to hear it. Because, let’s face it, you’re no poet. You’ll probably mess the whole thing up and push them away, and then you’ll be alone like you always knew you would be. But there is music, the great communicator, conveying the grandest messages, often in the simplest terms. Sharing music is an exhibition of love in itself, a display of thought and understanding of the recipient, and channeling the verses of this planet’s finest lyricists can help us convey those emotions more readily. Here, we’ve made it so you don’t even have to go to the effort of finding that somebody else to express your affections on your behalf, by selecting ten albums with loving titles readily available to buy on vinyl. All you’re left to do is figure out whether in that case you ever really loved them at all.

UK | Idles Announce Intimate Record Store Tour For Spring: Idles have announced an intimate UK instore tour for spring. The Bristol band will head to small venues next April in association with record stores in the corresponding cities. The run kicks off on April 12 with a show presented by Vinilo Records at the 1865 in Southampton and wraps up with a brace of hometown performances at the Louisiana for Friendly Records. Tickets are on sale now, priced from £12. The announcement comes ahead of the release of Idles’ third LP, ‘Ultra Mono’, due out this Friday (September 25). The dates will precede the band’s massive UK and European summer tour, which includes four nights at London’s O2 Academy Brixton. Tickets for these dates are already on sale.

Empire Records Style Is Still So Relevant 25 Years Later: The cult classic might be over two decades old, but the style is all we want to wear this fall. What would ’90s nostalgia be without the beloved coming-of-age flick? From Clueless to Cruel Intentions, the decade informed wardrobes, triggered sexual awakenings, and catapulted the careers of Hollywood mainstays like Brittany Murphy and Reese Witherspoon—but few teen classics were well-received by critics. Empire Records was nothing short of a flop when it hit theaters in 1995 (exactly 25 years ago on September 22—feel old yet?), but it soon grew into a cult hit—and what the movie lacked in critical merit, it more than made up for in the costume department. Despite spanning just one day of teenage dirtbags’ misadventures working at an independent record store, the film’s sartorial influence has now spanned over two decades, with no signs of slowing.

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UK | Vinyl sales increase year on year in the UK despite pandemic: Sales are expected to increase further ahead of two Record Store Day ‘drops’ in September and October. UK vinyl sales have continued to climb in the UK despite the dramatic impact of COVID-19 on the music industry. New figures from the Entertainment Retailers Association – who manage Record Store Day in the UK – reveal that last month’s RSD ‘drop’ on August 29 saw vinyl sales rise 3% year on year with 2.7 million units sold so far in 2020. Vinyl sales have been steadily increasing in recent years, but this increase is a particularly impressive feat for the format after the pandemic caused Record Shops to close for several months. The pandemic also meant adjusting this year’s Record Store Day – usually a one-day event in April – to a series of three ‘drop’ dates, the next of which is on Saturday, September 26. Over 200 record stores will take part in ‘Drop 2’, selling limited edition vinyl releases from artists such as Paul McCartney, Fleetwood Mac and Declan McKenna.

Minneapolis & St. Paul, MN | Twin Cities record stores gear up for vinyl event of the year: The second of three drops celebrating this year’s annual Record Store Day is coming up this Saturday, Sept. 26. Record players find themselves at home on dorm side tables and in apartment living rooms. They’re best enjoyed on solemn evenings or during study hours. Whether it’s grandma’s record of Lionel Richie or a vinyl of Harry Styles you found on sale at Urban Outfitters, listening to your favorite music on vinyl sets a mood that Spotify can’t replicate. Record Store Day (RSD), which began in 2008, is the one day a year that indie record stores get a moment in the spotlight. This year’s original RSD was postponed back in April and then again in June due to COVID-19 concerns. Now, RSD has been broken up into three separate days: Aug. 29, Sept. 26 and Oct. 24. This Saturday, Sept. 26, will be the second day of RSD special vinyl drops. To prepare for the upcoming drops, Twin Cities record stores are gearing up with hot vinyl finds and rare music couture.

Arlington, TX | A Record Store in Arlington Digs Through Dallas DJs’ Vinyl Collections: A new and used record store, Growl, is blossoming in downtown Arlington along Abrams Street. This retail space has cycled through different phases over the last few years, trying to figure out what it wants to really be when it grows up. With low ceilings, a cement floor, bars on the windows, and a hint of patchouli in the air, it certainly gives off an old soul-rocker vibe. A few years ago when Division Brewing moved into the building behind it, it was a vintage tchotchke shop. The store eventually packed up and left, so the owner of Division Brewing, Wade Wadlington, snagged the space. Since the store and brewery shared a common courtyard, it made sense to envelop the space. For a while, they sold comic books and collectibles. However, when the brewery started hosting live music in the courtyard, rain, cold winters and hot summer days demanded a climate-controlled area for the bands. So it started to serve as more of a music venue.

Grand Junction, CO | Record Store Days is a celebration of music and vinyl: Record stores are like few other businesses, but the industry was just as affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus closed down stores and forced the annual celebration of collecting music — Record Store Day — to evolve from one day to three over as many months. Aug. 29 was the first installment of Record Store Day 2020 for Triple Play Records at 530 Main St. Even with the looming threat of the virus, people stood in line outside the store, socially distanced and wearing masks, waiting for their chance to be let in and get their hands on some exclusive releases. “We do our best to make sure everyone gets what they want. It’s a fun time. You support local business, and there’s a rush when you get the only copy of a record,” said Matthew Cesario, general manager of Triple Play Records. “This year, they delayed (Record Store Day) to three days over three separate months. We didn’t have to cover the costs of the releases in one week, rather we can split it up. I think that’s going to help us out a lot.”

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Dubai, UAE | Where to buy vinyl records in Dubai: Sales of vinyl are outstripping that of CDs. Gone all hipster and got yourself a turntable but not sure where to get vinyl to play on it? We hear you. But with news that records are outselling CDs in the USA for the first time since the 1980s it’s getting easier to find records everywhere. Here in Dubai it’s no different, with more and more places selling the 12-inch discs of joy. …Raw Music Store: A real treasure trove of music – with everything from Turkish folk music of the 1950s to the latest Radiohead release available, and loads in between. There are second hand and new vinyl available, as well as turntables and all kinds of accessories. The Flip Side: Perhaps the only true record shop on this list – this Alserkal Avenue hangout is where the cool kids go to get their music. The focus is mainly on electronic, world and funk music, with a side order of jazz and rock thrown in. There are often live sets here, too…

Winnipeg, CA | The vinyl countdown… Planet of Sound is in its own orbit around the world of music: Planet of Sound owner Dave Wright holds the Pixies album Trompe le Monde that has the Henderson Highway store’s namesake song on it. Wright says ‘vinyl is definitely on the upswing and has been for a while.’ According to a press release issued last week by the Recording Industry Association of America, for the first time since 1986 — the year songs such as Madonna’s Papa Don’t Preach, Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer and Falco’s Rock Me Amadeus were topping charts all over the globe — sales of vinyl records outstripped sales of compact discs for the initial six months of the year. Hey, Mr. Mister, it wasn’t even close. The RIAA report stated that between January and June, audiophiles doled out US$232.1 million on vinyl albums as compared with just less than US$130 million on their digital counterparts. And while that bit of news was music to the ears of Planet of Sound owner Dave Wright, it certainly didn’t come as some big surprise. “Vinyl is definitely on the upswing and has been for a while…”

Edinburgh, UK | Taylor Swift helps out Edinburgh record store with exclusive signed CDs: Edinburgh record store sells out of exclusive signed copies of Taylor Swift’s new album in less than two hours. An Edinburgh record store received a helping hand from global superstar Taylor Swift after a limited number of signed CDs showed up at their shop on Thursday. Assai Records on Grindlay Street received a surprise when they got a ‘very finite’ amount of the singer’s latest chart-topper Folklore, which was a surprise release from the artist during lockdown. After announcing the shop had stock of the limited signed CD, copies of the album had sold out in less than two hours. The ‘Record Store Folklore’ deliveries have been sent to various independent record shops, notably in the United States but more recently the UK, reportedly to help local music shops who have lost business due to the coronavirus pandemic. The album, signed by Taylor Swift herself, retailed for £16.99 and those lucky enough to grab a copy could not reserve it or order it by paying over the phone or online and had to physically visit Assai Records to purchase.

Edinburgh, UK | ‘It just went absolutely crazy’: Dundee record store ‘blown away’ after Taylor Swift sends signed albums: A Dundee record store has received a shock delivery of signed album sleeves from one of the world’s biggest pop stars. …Assai owner Keith Ingram said the delivery came as a complete shock. “We were not expecting it at all. We heard about signed CDs being sent to independent record stores in America but didn’t give it much thought. “On Wednesday morning a woman phoned us — I’m not even sure who she was — and she asked if we wanted any. Assai, which specialises in vinyl, does not usually cell CDs, let alone pop albums. Keith praised multi-Grammy award winner Swift for the “amazing” gesture. “For such a huge star to do something like this is really amazing. “She’s made a point of supporting stores like ours which is really nice. The response has blown me away. “We’ve had messages from across the world saying they wish they lived in the UK to come in and buy one.” “I’m still not sure why we were chosen by her team — maybe they chose the first store in the alphabet!”

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ZZ Top releasing limited-edition white-vinyl ‘Live from Texas’ reissue next week: ZZ Top will reissue its 2008 concert album Live from Texas on Friday, September 25, as a limited-edition two-LP set pressed on white vinyl. Only 1000 copies of the colored-vinyl edition of the record will be available. Live from Texas was recorded at the Nokia Theatre in Grand Prairie, Texas, in November 2007, and initially was released on CD, DVD and Blu-ray the following year. A standard vinyl edition was issued in 2010. The 17-track collection features renditions of ZZ Top’s biggest hits and most popular tunes, including “Got Me Under Pressure,” “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide,” “Cheap Sunglasses,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Legs,” “La Grange” and, of course, “Tush.” You can check out a video of the band performing its 1975 tune “Heard It on the X” from the Live from Texas concert now at the Eagle Rock YouTube channel.

Pixies Announces Limited Edition Vinyl Single Featuring Unreleased Songs “Hear Me Out” and Cover of T. Rex’s “Mambo Sun” Pioneering alternative rock outfit The Pixies have announced that they will be releasing a new 12″ record featuring the tracks “Hear Me Out” and a cover of the T. Rex song (originally from their 1971 album Electric Warrior) “Mambo Sun.” This special edition record will be pressed on yellow vinyl. According to a press release “Hear Me Out” will feature vocals from bassist Paz Lenchantin. “‘Hear Me Out’ is about things not turning out the way we hoped, but knowing that it’s going to be ok regardless,” Lenchantin said in a press release. “Black started the melody phrases on an old organ. I loved it right away, so he asked me to take a pass at the lyrics. The song has an evocative melody that inspired the lyrics to come out straight away.” The group released three unearthed demos from their Beneath The Eyrie LP, “The Good Works of Cyrus,” “Please Don’t Go” and “Chapel Hill.” This LP was released last year and saw the group achieve moderate critical praise, with some outlets considering it their best record since their reformation back in 2004.

Ryuichi Sakamoto’s third album, Hidari Ude No Yume, to be reissued with unreleased instrumentals: It’s the first wide release of the Yellow Magic Orchestra member’s third solo album. Ryuichi Sakamoto’s third solo album, Hidari Ude No Yume, is being reissued by WeWantSounds this fall. Translating to “Left-handed Dream,” Sakamoto co-produced the record with British producer Robin Scott in Japan’s Alfa Studio in 1981. The intent behind the record was to create something pop-focused, following the experimental B-2 Unit and the seminal 1978 album Thousand Knives. After the LP’s 1981 release in Japan, Epic Records released it a year later, but not without significant alterations. Two tracks, “Sara No Le” and “Living In The Dark,” were omitted on that edition, while “Relâché,” “Tell ‘Em To Me” and “Venezia” were given English lyrics. An additional English track was also written specifically for the European edition, “The Arrangement.”

Nine Inch Nails’ ‘Quake’ Score Gets Its First Vinyl Pressing: As reported by Game Informer, the original Quake soundtrack just got its first-ever release on vinyl. Composer and Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor announced the news in a tweet on Wednesday. “Just when you thought 2020 couldn’t get any weirder,” Reznor said. “The Social Network and Quake are available on vinyl and shipping now! Who had that on their 2020 bingo card?” The $35 package comes with two LPs, with three “sides” containing 10 tracks. The listing says the record has been remastered and pressed on 180-gram vinyl. According to a 1996 write-up in Billboard magazine, Reznor became involved in Quake when he sent tickets and backstage passes to the devs at id Software. “He’s a big Doom-er,” said Mike Wilson, id’s VP of marketing at the time. “We designed this reissue to include a booklet containing essays from id Software’s John Carmack and American McGee,” the store listing says.

Boris To Reissue Two Albums Via Third Man: ‘Absolutego’ from 1996 and ‘Amplifier Worship’ from 1998 are being released digitally for the first time. Boris are physically and digitally reissuing two of their early albums: 1996’s Absolutego and 1998’s Amplifier Worship. The remastered reissues, which are coming via Jack White’s Third Man Records, mark the first time that either album has been made available digitally, while both albums will also be pressed on limited edition coloured vinyl (opaque red for Absolutego and lime green for Amplifier Worship). Absolutego, Boris’ debut album, was originally released as a continuous 60-minute piece, and was later given an additional vinyl and CD release via Southern Lord in 2010. This reissue on Third Man will include updated album art and the full record spread across one-and-a-half LPs, with 1997 recording ‘Dronevil 2′ filling out the other side of the second vinyl. First released in 1998, Boris’ second album proper, Amplifier Worship, will see its first-ever reissue in this round of releases. It will come with minimalistic album art from the first-press Japanese CD. Third Man will release Absolutego and Amplifier Worship on November 13, 2020.

Dundee, UK | Former Groucho’s staff to keep the music playing with new Dundee record store: Tayside’s music loving public has received a much-needed boost with news a new second-hand record store is to open in the city centre. The new business has been set up by three former staff members at Groucho’s – Frank Mills, Morag “Moog” Rogers and Lee Scott – who have been working for the past few weeks to prepare the Union Street shop for opening. Their former boss and close friend Alastair “Breeks” Brodie passed away just over a year ago and the staff had kept his store running until the lockdown in March.’ After becoming jobless in the summer, Moog, Frank and Lee got together and decided they all wanted to continue in the trade and maintain a second-hand record store presence in the city centre. While their new shop is a completely independent venture, Moog revealed they might have been working in the same shop two years ago. “When the lease for Groucho’s was running out in 2018, this place came up and Breeks looked at it but his illness was such that he just felt he couldn’t do the big move. His lease got extended so we stayed there until lockdown.” When the vacant premises at 13 Union Street became available they seized the opportunity.

Wooster, OH | As one record store spins out, another is poised to fill the void: Just as the city’s only dedicated record store closes its doors in less than two weeks, another is poised to fill the void. Josh Lehman, owner of Operation: Fandom and Blackbird Records, will open a combination of those two Wooster stores next month along East Fourth Street, sandwiched between The Clubhouse and City Grille & Bar. Operation: Fandom, launched in 2018, specializes in toys, collectibles and pop-culture merchandise. Lehman took over Lucky Records earlier this year, changing the name to Blackbird. In addition to toys, sought-after collectibles, movie merchandise and autographs, the newest addition to the historic Carrousel District will have turntables, CDs, cassettes, and both new and used vinyl. “Almost everybody that’s into records has that Beatles or that Pink Floyd because it’s been around for 50 years, but these other newer, trendier things, we try to carry too,” Lehman said. “So, we just try to do it all, really, and make sure somebody that comes in finds something they enjoy.”

Houston, TX | Memo’s Record Shop has collection of Latin music and memorabilia that you can’t find anywhere else: Guillermo “Memo” Villarreal grew up with a love for music and has spent the last 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. You 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. Memo said, “If we don’t have it, it doesn’t exist anymore.” 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.

Singapore, SG | The new Singapore restaurant with 3,000 vinyl records and the most dangerous wine in the world: Nestled directly above Michelin-starred restaurant Nouri’s Chinatown shophouse is the inventive multi-concept space called Appetite complete with a kitchen, art gallery and living room where you feel like you’re at home but you’re not. Imagine having a good dinner with friends while chilling out on sofas, drinking some incredible wine, and admiring art on the walls and the crackle of some cool vintage records playing in the background. Then imagine you’re not actually at home but on the second floor of a plush shophouse in Chinatown. That’s the concept behind Appetite, the innovative new offshoot of Michelin-starred restaurant Nouri which is located right above the latter’s premises on Amoy Street. Appetite was first conceived as the restaurant’s research and development arm back in 2018, a mere year after chef-owner Ivan Brehm opened award-winning Nouri’s doors. Now it’s a multi-concept space, Brehm tells CNA Lifestyle, for “people to reconnect with things like knowledge, food, music, art and each other in a more direct, less transactional way.”

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Phoenix, AZ | The 12 Best Record Stores in Metro Phoenix: Like with any industry, record stores tend to come and go. Beloved vinyl emporiums may close, but over time, new shops will open up where entrepreneurial record collectors see a need while older chains expand as they refine their successful habits. Selling records in the age of digital streaming, when even the practice of buying entire albums digitally has decreased, is not as easy of a job as it used to be. The chain music stores of the past are long gone and CD sales continue to decrease annually, yet the demand for vinyl records continues to increase each year. Thankfully, here in the Valley, there are plenty of independent record shops where record collectors can shop for new and used records as well as record equipment. Of course, every record shop is different and has its own particular audience in mind. Some shops specialize in high-quality, audiophile releases in particular genres, whereas other shops tend to focus on stocking newer and current releases. Figuring out which record shop carry the records you like can be a time-consuming task, so we’ve put together a list of 12 of the best record shops across metro Phoenix.

Phoenix, AZ | From A to Zia: An Oral History of Arizona’s Iconic Record Store Chain: Properly organized, the 16,000-square-foot building at 16th Street and Indianola Avenue in midtown Phoenix could serve as a kind of museum — a collection of pop-culture memorabilia and music artifacts from the last 40 years. For now, though, it’s the headquarters and warehouse of Arizona’s most essential independent record store chain: Zia Records. Framed gold records — recognition for selling unholy amounts of Incubus and Linkin Park CDs — hang above the doors to the offices. A giant black Against Me! poster, used for previous in-store appearances at local Zia stores and autographed by the members of the band, adorns one wall; on the other side of the room, an old refrigerator door covered in 2000s-era Zia stickers leans against another. Dig around and you’ll find recent collectibles (Baby Yoda Chia Pets!) located near guitar-shaped pizza cutters. A stack of locals-only compilations, released by Zia. Architectural plans for Zia’s first Chandler store. A whole bunch of Best of Phoenix awards from the publication you’re currently reading. “We need to get everything into an actual archive someday,” says Jason Woodbury, Zia’s marketing director, “but we haven’t gotten around to it, ’cause we’re constantly busy.”

Sydney, AU | Five Sydney Record Store Owners Give Us Their Classic Album Picks: Hear from the enthusiasts about what makes a classic record — and where to buy it. How do you define a classic album? Is it sales figures, popularity over time, how influential it is, or something completely indefinable? We’ve all got our personal favourites, but with countless great LPs throughout the history of music, at some point you need to ask the experts. Luckily, Sydney has a number of peerless record stores, all staffed by helpful and knowledgeable enthusiasts keen to share the sounds they love with you. In partnership with LEGO Art, which has paid tribute to The Beatles’ The White Album in its latest range, we spoke with five record store owners about the albums that make them tick and what, in their own personal view, makes a record worthy of the term ‘classic’. Read on to find out what made the cut.

Dallas, TX | Women in Dallas record stores are reshaping the male-heavy space. With The Opening Of Red Zeppelin in McKinney, Women Leading Some Local Record Stores Share Why We Need More Women In The Booming Industry. In the middle of Downtown McKinney sits a new hole-in-the-wall record store with an atmosphere that feels like you’re being transported to New York City in the ’70s. Red Zeppelin Records, a reference to iconic English rock band Led Zeppelin and the store owner’s firetruck-red hair, is equipped with not only used CDs and vinyl favorites, but obscure gifts and vintage merchandise. In July, Red Zeppelin opened its doors as one of the few female-owned and run record stores in Texas, and it’s here to take down stereotypes. The need for independent record stores have become vital as the number of vinyl album sales continue to rise each year, but Dallas record stores have also seen a shift in the traditionally male-dominated industry — more women are becoming avid music collectors and filling the stores. Inspired by Molly Ringwald in Pretty In Pink, in which the actress played a teen working at a new-wave record store, owner Katie Scott says she wants to represent more of a strong female role in the industry with Red Zeppelin. “I feel like it’s an area that needs to be expanded upon,” Scott says. “Squash that whole thought that men are more knowledgeable…”

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Belfast, IE | Best places to get vinyl records in Belfast: There’s plenty of shops to choose from if you’re digging for vinyl records in the city. It was once an outmoded, over-sized and obsolete way to listen to music, but vinyl records have had a massive resurgence in recent years. With streaming services making music more and more virtual and immediate, many people have been pining for the physical aesthetic of vinyl records – not to mention enjoying the unique sound qualities of these records. Now, according to industry website The Vinyl Factory, sales of vinyl records have been growing year on year for the past 12 years in the UK, with many people turning to classic albums like Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, but also to newer releases such as Billie Eilish’s When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go. In light of that, we thought we’d take a rundown of the top places in Belfast to go poking around for vinyl records. Here’s our list:

Oxford, UK | Narrowboat in Oxford is a floating record shop: A floating record shop has arrived in Oxford. Luke Guilford runs The Record Deck UK and travels the waterways selling vinyl along the way. The 45-year-old set up shop today from his 60ft narrowboat moored on the Thames in East Street, Osney Island, near The Punter pub. He said: “I’ve had a good welcome – I’ve been coming to Oxford once a year for about six years – some customers come back every year. “I’ve been doing this for about seven years – before that I was working in the library at Hackney College.” Mr Guilford, who lives on the boat, said trade has been hit this year as there are fewer festivals he can attend. He added: “I usually carry about 1,200 albums and a few hundred singles – you can’t carry too many on the boat.” Mr Guilford’s love of vinyl started when he was a teenager. He said: “My friend and I used to go to Leicester record fair and spend all our paper round money.”

Dundee, UK | Customers of Groucho’s pay homage to city ‘institution’ as closure confirmed by family after five decades: Music fans have paid tribute to iconic record store Groucho’s after The Tele broke the news the shop has closed for good. It marks a sad end to a difficult period for the shop after its owner Alastair “Breeks” Brodie died last year. The long-term future of Groucho’s had been hanging in the balance in recent weeks after the premises closed due to Covid-19. And after serving thousands of shoppers over the last five decades removal trucks were spotted outside the Nethergate store yesterday. Customers took to social media to thank the store and its staff after sharing their own memories of crossing over the threshold. Frances Thompson, was a regular customer in her teenage years in the 1990s. She said: “I’m absolutely gutted that Groucho’s has gone forever. “I used to go there five times a week in the 90s as a teenager and loved digging about and seeing what hidden gems I could find. “It’s the end of an era, such a shame, a Dundee institution that’ll never be forgotten – going to miss it so much.”

Kensington, PA | New Kensington record store reopened over Labor Day weekend at new location: A New Kensington record store will reopen in a new location designed with social distancing in mind. AJ Rassau, owner of Preserving Underground with his wife, Sarah, is spreading his store’s grand reopening over the Labor Day weekend to keep the crowd from becoming overwhelming. Preserving Underground is now located in New Ken Social, a former Presbyterian church on Fifth Avenue that until recently had been used by the Salvation Army as its worship and service center. Preserving Underground opened as Preserving Hardcore in April 2019 in the basement of District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr.’s building. Rassau said he changed the name within six months to better suit customer interests. “We primarily focused on hardcore, metal, punk and the likes,” Rassau said. “We currently specialize in almost all forms of underground music ranging from hip-hop to alternative to indie rock.”

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Vinyl Sales Top CDs For The First Time Since 1986: The Recording Industry Association of America just released its report on the first half of 2020, and as Bloomberg points out, it contains a hell of a stat: For the first time since 1986, vinyl records are outselling CDs. According to the RIAA’s report, vinyl sales accounted for $232.1 million in the first six months of the year, compared to only $129.9 in CD sales. The latter total represents a 48% decline, perhaps due to people staying home during the ongoing pandemic. Presumably for related reasons, physical sales are down overall by 23%. However, as Billboard points out, the first of several Record Store Day “drops” recently resulted in the biggest vinyl sales week of the year, with 802,000 records sold in the week ending Sept. 3, so perhaps with some COVID restrictions lifted, physical media is bouncing back slightly in the second half of 2020.

U.S. Vinyl Album Sales Hit Biggest Week in 2020 After First Record Store Day Drop: Plus: Industry album sales up 26% for the week, physical album sales at indie stores see largest week in over a year & Billie Eilish’s “Live at Third Man Records” leads Record Store Day sales parade. Thanks to Record Store Day 2020’s first drop on Aug. 29, U.S. vinyl album sales surged to a new weekly high in 2020, as 802,000 copies were sold in the week ending Sept. 3, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. That’s a 63% increase compared to the previous week’s sales. That 802,000 haul is also the largest week for vinyl album sales since the week ending Dec. 26, 2019, when 1.243 million copies were sold. Further, the 802,000 sum is the biggest week for vinyl albums outside of the Christmas shopping season since the week ending April 18, 2019, when 848,000 were sold. That week included Record Store Day 2019 festivities. …The biggest-selling album at indie and small chain record stores in the week ending Sept. 3 – as reflected on the weekly Tastemakers albums chart (dated Sept. 12) – was Billie Eilish’s Record Store Day release Live at Third Man Records, with 13,000 copies sold.

UK | Record Store Day co-ordinator Megan Page reflects on the success of RSD 2020 Pt.1: Record Store Day co-ordinator Megan Page has told Music Week that the first installment of RSD UK 2020 “exceeded the majority of stores’ expectations”. After the original April 18 date was pushed back to June 20 due to Covid-19, it was elected that the revised 2020 edition would be split over three dates: August 29, September 26 and October 24. The first RSD Drop took place on August 29 with more than 200 participating indie record shops. In a one-off move for 2020, indie record stores put remaining product online at 6pm – an official press release stated that “many releases sold out across the UK within the hour.” Using OCC data, Music Week can confirm that despite the limitations imposed by Covid-19, Record Store Day saw week-on-week vinyl units soar, with total vinyl sales up 113% from 78,957 in week 35 to 167,890 in week 36. Within this, total vinyl album sales increased by 85% (75,532 vs 139,886), while the total vinyl singles sales grew a staggering 718% (3,425 vs 28,004).

Dundee, UK | Legendary Dundee record store Groucho’s officially closes as stock cleared from shop: A removal van has been spotted at the Nethergate shop today, clearing the records and other stock. The goods are being moved into storage and will be sold at auction at a later date. The shop was founded in 1976 by Alastair ‘Breeks’ Brodie, who died last year. His widow Stella then took over responsibility for the store. It is understood some of the staff are setting up a new business on Union Street named Thirteen Records. Concerns were previously raised that the music haven would close down when it did not reopen despite lockdown restrictions being lifted on much of the retail sector. A family source has now confirmed the business is shutting down, marking an end of a decades’ long Dundee institution. Groucho’s had faced closure for a time in late 2018 after the landlord announced his intention to sell the premises.

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Walla Walla, WA | Record Store Day at Hot Poop: Three record release dates extend the fun. Record Store Day (RSD) comes around just once a year. This past Saturday, August 29, Hot Poop celebrated the thirteenth annual event with a somewhat demure version of its usual festivities. Record store day is all about getting music lovers inside brick and mortar record stores, connecting listeners with the establishments that keep music and musicians alive. To participate, store owners sign contracts attesting that they will not sell any of the select RSD merchandise online for at least three years. Even without live performances and spaced six feet apart, audiophiles were able to find limited editions, re-releases of classics, and special pressings by artists new and old. Though there were never more than 12 people in the shop at once, the day was highly successful. “We broke a record, no pun intended,” the store reported.

Sarnia, ON | Record Store Day draws long line at Cheeky Monkey: Cheeky Monkey’s first of three 2020 International Record Store Day events was by all accounts a success. Scores of mask-wearing vinyl fans formed a socially-distant line-up outside the Christina Street record store before Cheeky Monkey opened their doors at 8:50 a.m. on Aug. 29. Record Store Day is a celebration of the spirit of independent music stores and artists from a variety of genres release an array of hard-to-find and rare records and CDs to mark the occasion. With COVID-19 postponing this year’s annual record fete – which normally happens in the spring – Record Store Day was split into three separate celebrations to reduce the number of people gathering at the same place at the same time. At Cheeky Monkey’s, safety precautions were taken during their first of three events. They included social distance markers on the sidewalk, a greeter providing hand-sanitizer for customers and no more than 15 people inside the store at any time.

Toronto, CA | Kops Records Explains the Importance of Keeping Sales Local: “It was the GTA that kept us going through the early to late 2000s, when records were at their low point.” Throughout the pandemic, record stores across Canada have understandably turned to the internet to keep business flowing, transforming their brick-and-mortar stores into Discogs pages during the long lulls without foot traffic. The Greater Toronto Area’s Kops Records, on the other hand, is taking a different approach. Not only did the store recently move two of its three locations into new, bigger spaces, Kops is focused on keeping its stock of vintage records off the internet and within the Toronto and Oshawa region. “It’s kind of our way of rewarding our local customers for their support,” owner Martin Koppel tells Exclaim! “It was the GTA that kept us going through the early to late 2000s, when records were at their low point.” …This isn’t to say that Kops doesn’t ever sell records on the internet; the store has a Discogs page, full of new records and reissues. You may notice, however, that their local rarities and vintage records largely aren’t available online, since the owners are keen to keep those within the GTA.

Dundee, UK | Fears for future as legendary Dundee record store Groucho’s closed ‘until further notice.’ Legendary Dundee record store Groucho’s will remain closed “until further notice”, sparking fears it may never reopen. The store has been run by Stella Brodie since the death of her husband, Groucho’s founder Alastair ‘Breeks’ Brodie, last year. The shop has failed to reopen after lockdown, despite most of the retail sector being allowed to welcome customers again. Stella confirmed the shop will remain closed “until further notice” but could not provide more information. Alastair founded the shop in 1976 and it has had several homes across Dundee, most recently on Nethergate. His daughter Jenny described her heartbreak at the prospect of Groucho’s closing for good. Jenny used to work in the shop but has not been directly involved in the day-to-day operations for some time. She said: “I am incredibly saddened to see the potential closure of the shop and the end of such a legendary focal point for music fans in Dundee.

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Corbin, KY | Downtown Corbin thriving despite pandemic, vinyl record store opens: Despite several challenging months, the streets of Corbin are coming back to life. “We really do live work and play here and so I knew we were gonna come back and we’re doing great,” said Corbin Mayor Suzie Razmus. The city recently held a dedication for its new splash pad. Razmus says Corbin wanted to give the kids something new. “You don’t want to just be a destination for a certain demographic right. We want to be something for everybody and so this is gonna be a great place for families to come,” said Razmus. After an inspection next month, Razmus says they hope to open the splash pad until sometime in October. The splash pad is not the only thing opening in Corbin. Tuesday, White Rabbit Records opened its doors. “I love vinyl records I’m a child of the 70s so I’m going to be in there finding some new tunes to spin I’m really excited,” said Razmus. The shop has 6,000 vinyl records and owner Zach Hensley says he hopes to triple that by December.

Penticton, BC | Iconic record shop turns 30: Iconic Penticton record shop celebrates 30 years in business. It’s not always easy being a record shop in 2020, but Penticton’s iconic store The Grooveyard on Main Street has been growing and adapting for 30 years, maintaining a place in the hearts of locals and visitors alike. What started as a music store selling vinyl records has come full circle as LP records become popular again. Founder LeAnne Jakubeit remembers the origins of the shop. “Back in 1987 after being the music department assistant manager at Kelly’s Stereo Mart and when they closed an opportunity came up for me to start my own business,” LeAnne said. “It was a little scary because I was a single mother with two kids and had never ventured out on my own. I started sub-letting a small space within a stereo shop and after two years moved to my own standalone store. Being a store within a store was the inspiration for the name – The Grooveyard. I also considered SoundGarden but there was a band by that name starting to get popular.” Soon, she and her now-husband Andrew Jakubeit, former mayor of Penticton, struck up a partnership in the business.

St. Louis, MO | For the record: PBS special spotlights Vintage Vinyl’s cultural impact: When it comes to St. Louis treasures, few places rank much higher than Vintage Vinyl in the Delmar Loop, especially if you are a music lover. Seems as if Nine PBS (Channel 9) agrees, too, because Thursday, Sept. 3 at 8 p.m. it is airing “Papa Ray’s Vintage Vinyl Roadshow” (with encore presentations on Sept. 5 at 6:30 p.m., and Sept. 8 at 8 p.m.) as part of its fall membership drive. This hour-long documentary tells the history of the independent record store, with archival footage and videos from in-store performances and signing events. It includes the history of the man who has owned and operated it for decades, Tom “Papa” Ray. So what, exactly, is Jewish about all of this. That’s where Ray’s wife, Laura, comes in. After two marriages and divorces from the same man, Laura Roodman-Ray, whose Jewish grandparents, father, and two uncles (the late Louis, Essie, Jerry, Harvey, and Herman “Muni” Roodman) owned and operated Roodman’s Delicatessen on Easton Avenue (currently Martin Luther King Drive), had pretty much given up on finding love again. Luckily her good friend thought otherwise…

Cape Town, ZA | Covid-19 lockdown impact: A tale of two streets – Long Street and Vilakazi Street: Cape Town’s famed ‘party’ street, Long Street, usually bustles with vibrant nightlife, and is home to bars, clubs and restaurants. But when the lockdown was implemented on 26 March, Long Street became eerily quiet overnight. …Jacques Vosloo, co-owner of famous record-shop Mabu Vinyl, also made fewer sales during lockdown, but survived through local clients and reduced rent. Mabu Vinyl also branched out to deliveries. “We weren’t selling via post, anywhere. But then from the lockdown we started selling to other parts of South Africa,” said Vosloo. The curfew and alcohol ban hit clubs and restaurants hardest. Outside Blue Bar was a sign advertising coffee and other hot drinks. “We maybe get three to four customers for coffee a day,” said Victor Moyo, an employee. They filled the profit gap by beefing up their gambling section. Beerhouse manager, Prince Gapare, said bar turnover fell from roughly 90% to 15% after the alcohol ban was introduced. They had survived by selling food on apps such as Mr Delivery and Uber Eats.

New online record store Objects & Sounds sorts music by moods: Releases from labels like RVNG Intl., Music From Memory and Efficient Space are filtered by feelings. Objects & Sounds, a newly opened online shop, claims to be the world’s first mood-based record store. Started by two music fans in Ghent, Belgium, the site filters its stock into sections like “a sense of melancholy,” “lost in dreams,” “having a blast” and “calm & collected.” The store’s catalogue exclusively features independent labels like RVNG Intl., Efficient Space, Smalltown Supersound, Music From Memory, Beats In Space, Running Back and Erased Tapes. “We don’t come from a music background,” says says co-founder Alec Seynaeve. “I am a web developer and my partner Aimee is into branding and storytelling. Not coming from a music background gives us a somewhat different perspective on things. Instead of classifying music according to genres, we feel it’s more natural to classify music into moods, so we defined eight moods where we often feel ourselves to be in.”

eBay Partners with Record Store Day to Spotlight Independent Record Stores Across the Country: In a time unlike any other, the organizations are partnering to support small businesses by bringing their offerings to music-lovers worldwide. eBay, one of the world’s largest and most dynamic marketplaces, is coming together with Record Store Day (RSD), the organization behind the country’s largest annual celebration of independent record stores, to uplift thousands of record shops across the country at a time when it matters most. Normally a single-day music event, RSD has instead created a series of drops between now and the end of October, each of which featuring a curation of musical legends and shining new stars sourced directly from expert record stores with deep knowledge of the industry. Starting today, shoppers can explore the first drop and know their patronage is supporting a small business.

Physical music sales have surged online during pandemic, says Discogs: The online music marketplace says physical sales on the platform have increased nearly 30 per cent in the last six months. Online music marketplace Discogs says global sales on the platform in the first half of 2020 have increased dramatically during lockdown, with vinyl, CD and cassette sales seeing a surge. According to their mid-year report released last Friday (August 28), physical sales on the Discogs Marketplace rose 29.69 per cent – 4,228,270 orders – between January and June this year, compared to the same period last year. A dramatic spike in sales can be seen from April, shortly after the coronavirus pandemic forced many record stores to shut their physical shopfronts. The report attributes the rise in sales partially to a larger number of users as lockdown saw more shoppers turning online, along with “a desire to support small business”. The report also cites independent music retailers making their catalogues available online as a significant contributing factor, prompted by lockdown measures around the world forcing stores to close their physical stores, at least temporarily.

Review: Vinyl Nation: Vinyl records, for many of us they bring back lots of memories. Not just of the music, but of what we were doing while it was playing. But, as with so many things, time and technology have relegated them to the history books. Or has it? Vinyl Nation takes a look at those who still cling to the format, be they collectors, musicians or anything in between. Directors Kevin Smokler and Christopher Boone use Record Store Day as the jumping off point for their film. Starting with interviews of collectors at Mills Record Co. to pick up this year’s exclusives we start to get a feel for just how wide a range of people still buy vinyl records. Perhaps that range is best exemplified by the little girl talking about the Disney album she’s getting. And right behind her is an album by British punk band The Damned. Indeed, Vinyl Nation acknowledges the image of record collectors as either old folk who refuse to change with the times or indie band obsessed hipsters. It also does its best to dispel it. Sure there are plenty of them but there are also hip hop DJs, soul music fans and the previously mentioned young Disney fan among many others.

Kansas City, MO | Mills Record Company featured in a new documentary on vinyl resurgence: After the creation of CDs and then later digital streaming devices many thought that the vinyl industry was going to die. The revival of the record industry may be puzzling to some who view vinyl as outdated but the documentary, Vinyl Nation, hopes to explain the value of this old technology. The film begins by featuring the beloved Mills Record Company of Kansas City. Opening the movie is a shot of music lovers waiting in line at 5:30 am outside in Westport on Record Store Day. As many vinyl fans know the annual April event, Record Store Day, has been postponed. This year the celebration has been divided into three days and begins this Saturday, August 29. People wait in lines for hours in hopes to get exclusive drops of their favorite records on this day but the novel coronavirus has caused it to proceed differently this year. For example, Mills Record Company encourages the audiophiles attending to print off their wishlist and bring it with them so the store’s personal shoppers can safely gather the albums.

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Gainesville, FL | Hear Again Records participates in first Record Store Day of the year: A light murk cast on about a 30-person queue along Hear Again Records Saturday morning as the shop braced for the first Record Store Day event of the year. What was once a yearly April promise to vinyl collectors has diverged into a three-time crawl as Record Store Day has been split into the alternative Record Store Day Drops to increase safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Having started Aug. 29 and set to be continued Sept. 26 and Oct. 24, Record Store Day Drops allowed Gainesville melophiles to see the color of exclusive wax that unearths for typically one day only. Downtown Gainesville’s Hear Again Records opened in 1994 and current owner Andrew Schaer took over in 2006 before moving the location downtown in 2009. Around the same time, Record Store Day began its grasp on both new-found and long-time vinyl listeners worldwide looking for a day of recognition toward the medium. Experiencing a phoenix rebirth in terms of sales and cultural relevance (18.8 million LPs were sold in 2019 according to Nielsen), Schaer said he has noted the upward trend for Record Store Day’s popularity.

Tallinn, EE | Tallinn record stores celebrate first Record Store Day: Tallinn record stores World Clinic, Biit Me and Terminal celebrated the first of this year’s three Record Store Days on Saturday. The international Record Store Day was initially scheduled to take place on April 18 this year but was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic to June 20 and then again to take place over three days. This year’s first Record Store Day special releases include David Bowie’s LP “I’m Only Dancing” the artist recorded during his 1974 The Soul tour, a picture disc of The Cure’s second studio album “Seventeen Seconds”, Robyn’s 2005 debut album, as well as releases from artists like Billie Eilish, Brian Eno, Gorillaz, Guided By Voices, Jethro Tull, John Prine, Mac DeMarco, Ravi Shankar, Spoon, The The, The Weekend, The Fall, Elton John, Morrissey, Manic Street Preachers, Primal Scream et al. The next Record Store Days will take place on September 26 and October 24, with special releases from Britney Spears, The Doors, Fleetwood Mac, Nas, Beck, St. Vincent, Eminem, Suede, Lou Reed, The Rolling Stones etc. in the pipeline.

Rochester, MN | Record Store Day: Music fans shop rare finds at three-part event: Vintage music lovers were supposed to celebrate Record Store Day this April. Like many other things, it had to be re-imagined. Record Store Day Day is a time for independent record stores to get rare and special vinyls that cannot be found elsewhere. Record stores do a lot of business and collectors do a lot of finding. Everyone was happy when Record Store Day got turned into three different events. “Today, one in September, one in October. They split that up so we don’t have a big group. Normally, it’s extremely busy in here,” said Hussein Esmailzadeh, owner of Rochester Records. A busy store would normally be a welcome sight for the record store owners, who had to shut down for three months. “We’re a pretty small operation so it wasn’t bad for us,” said Vy Thorng, owner of Hidden World Vinyl Records. “We were worried about other people.” Others were kept afloat by repeat buyers. “The collectors. The demand is there,” Esmailzadeh said. “We’re just here to fill that demand.”

UK | Vinyl countdown: indie stores bank on one big day to claw back buyers: Record Store Day offered welcome relief for retailers as customers queued up across the country. he queue outside Sister Ray Records for Saturday’s much-hyped annual Record Store Day began in earnest on Friday evening. “We had a regular camp out here at around 5pm last night, two hours before we closed,” said Rachel Jacob, 27, at the shop in Soho, central London. Thirteen hours later, masked up and hands lathered in sanitiser, that customer was the first through the door, picking up a limited edition David Bowie LP. “He was so excited, and that gives me a proper smile,” said Jacob, who moved from Manchester to work in London. “I started my job here a month before lockdown! It’s a relief to be back.” Every year, for the last dozen years, music fans have crammed into record stores to get their hands on one of the exclusive releases made available for one day only. This year the day is especially significant for the 230 participating record stores up and down the country, who are each desperately hoping it will help them claw back some revenue from the financial disaster inflicted by Covid-19.

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Bournemouth, UK | Vinyl enthusiasts queue for more than 24 hours on Record Store Day: Vinyl enthusiasts waited more than 24 hours to snap up rare and collectable releases on Record Store Day. At Square Records in Wimborne two customers set up camp just after 7am on Friday – and the sale didn’t even start until this morning. And at The Vault in Christchurch a customer arrived at 3am yesterday to ensure he got his hands on the latest release from U2, pictured below. The annual event usually takes place in April but it has been cancelled twice due to the coronavirus pandemic. This year it is taking place in three stages, the first of which was today. Alan Rowett at The Vault said: “We weren’t sure how many people were going to turn up because of all the changes but it went very well.

UK | Record Store Day 2020: ‘We’ve all been starved of music’: Like every event everywhere, Record Store Day 2020 is no stranger to rescheduling due to coronavirus. For the first time in its 12-year history, there’ll be no in-store parties or live gigs. Instead, the annual celebration will be socially-distanced with pre-booked buying slots for collectors. But at a time when the music industry has been virtually silenced, this year’s edition is seen as vitally important for stores struggling to stay open. “We were all so relieved when they said it was going ahead,” says Hannah Tinker from Wilderness record store. Based in Withington, a small village on the outskirts of Manchester, Wilderness opened on 13 April 2019 (which happened to be the date of last year’s Record Store Day). “Our first year’s been an odd one,” she says.

Rochester, NY | Record Archive Celebrates Record Store Day: Due to the pandemic, Record Store Day is being celebrated on three separate days this year instead of one. With Saturday being the first, record archive in Rochester was packed with eager customers. The backroom lounge was dedicated solely to the celebration. There was a variety of music on vinyl for sale, featuring artists ranging from The Weekend to Glass Animals. Record Archive staffers say this year was different with the pandemic, but say their customers had a good time. “Everybody in some way is happier because they realize that we’re taking their safety first, and we can still execute this smoothly and completely and they’re all still getting what they’re looking for, so it’s a win for everybody,” said Alayna Alderman, vice president and co-owner of Record Archive. Record Store Day will also be celebrated on 9/26 and 10/24.

San Francisco, CA | Bay Area record stores ‘fight the good fight’ as pandemic drags on: For most of the Bay Area’s independent record stores, Record Store Day typically means long lines at the door and tight aisles packed with rabid music fans. Everything is different this year. As many Bay Area businesses remain shuttered due to the coronavirus pandemic, local record stores are struggling to stay afloat. Even Record Store Day, the annual promotional event that started in 2008 to draw attention to independent music retailers by providing them with exclusive vinyl-only releases, has changed. What used to take place on one day in April is now divided across three monthly events starting Saturday, Aug. 29. The staggered dates are an effort to help stores ease back into the market when it is safe to once again tap their fan base. 1-2-3-4 Go Records in Oakland is one of the few Bay Area shops that will open its doors for the first event, called RSD Drops 2020.

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West Chester, PA | Rock Music Menu: Record Store Day 2020 finally kicks off this weekend: Like just about every event set to take place around the world in recent months, plans for Record Store Day 2020 came to a screeching halt when the coronavirus pandemic hit. Now, four months after it was originally scheduled, the vinyl-centric holiday is finally happening this Saturday. Typically occurring the third Saturday in April each year, organizers hit pause due to Covid-19, initially electing to postpone until late June. When it became clear things were going to get worse before they got better, the decision was made not just hold to off a bit longer but spread the event across three weekends in the name of social distancing, retooled with the name Record Store Day Drops and concurrent hashtag #RSDDrops. “In 2020, that world is different, so Record Store Day will be too,” organizers said in a statement. “RSD is now scheduled to be celebrated with special, properly distanced release dates on Saturdays in August, September and October.”

Greenslopes, AU | Back in the groove: A hole new spin on Record Store Day: Independent record stores are expecting to do a roaring trade this weekend, with the first of three separate drops of limited-edition vinyl hitting shelves on Saturday as part of a reimagined version of Record Store Day. Record Store Day – which is normally held in April but was cancelled this year due to the global coronavirus pandemic – was conceived in 2007 at a gathering of independent US record store owners and employees to drive business for indie retailers that had experienced a downturn in trade with the rise of digital devices. The first Record Store Day was held on April 19, 2008 and was an immediate success, with hundreds of stores across the US and the UK taking part, and artists including R.E.M., Vampire Weekend and Death Cab for Cutie issuing limited-edition releases to mark the event. The event quickly spread throughout the rest of the world and has become the biggest day of trade of the year for independent record stores but due to social distancing, this year’s event has been split into three separate days, which will take place this Saturday and the final Saturdays of September and October.

Bridport, UK | Record Store Day at Clocktower Music and Bridport Music Centre: Music fans have not been let down as the popular Record Store Day (RSD) will still go ahead despite coronavirus – although a little differently this year. The event, which celebrates independent record shops across the UK, is having three dates rather than one, with the first taking place this Saturday. Each of the three days, the others on September 26 and October 24, will release certain special vinyl releases that would have come out together had there been just one day. To check which records are released when, visit recordstoreday.co.uk Both Clocktower Music at St Michael’s Trading Estate and Bridport Music Centre in South Street will be taking part. Clocktower Music is running an appointment system for those collectors who are not able to queue or are travelling some distance to find RSD releases. There will be no queuing with five people allowed in at one time and a separate area in the store for the limited edition RSD releases.

Washington, DC | Here’s How Local Stores Are Celebrating A Socially Distant Record Store Day: Record Store Day, like so many events, will look very different this year. The annual event usually brings out music fans to record stores nationwide to score special releases and rare vinyl. After being postponed from its usual April date due to COVID-19, it will now take the form of three separate drops in August, September, and October. The first of those begins this Saturday, August 29. In addition to the day’s special releases, including a John Prine box set, a 50th anniversary edition of Al Green’s Green Is Blues, and more, many local stores are stocking up on hand sanitizer and latex gloves, and taking new safety precautions. We’ve rounded up the stores that are participating this year in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. All stores are requiring face masks while shopping, and their plans are subject to change for the September and October drops.

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Glasgow, UK | Glasgow show explains how Record Store Day is being celebrated this year: Record stores worldwide are getting prepared for the new normal at this year’s Record Store Day and Glasgow’s shops are no different. After the initial date of April 18 was postponed twice, this year will see three different ‘drop’ dates with select vinyl releasing on Saturday August 29, September 26 and October 24. There’s no doubting the importance of the event to small, independent stores and stores across Glasgow are taking all the steps to ensure that, despite Covid-19 regulations, this year’s event is still a success. Love Music will celebrate their 25th anniversary next year and were involved in the first Record Store Day (RSD) back in 2008. Sandy Mclean, the store’s owner, is looking forward to another great event. “I’m very, very, very excited, very busy, nervous, anxious, optimistic,” Sandy said. “A big part of Record Store Day has been the first-come first-serve aspect of it, where people can’t just sit on their arse and have it delivered to their home.

Islington, UK | Find out where to celebrate Record Store Day 2020 in Hackney and Islington: Record shops around Hackney and Islington are gearing up for their annual celebration of vinyl despite the coronavirus pandemic. Since 2008, on a date in April, music-lovers have flocked to record shops on Record Store Day in order to come together, buy exclusive releases and attend special events. This year, amid the coronavirus pandemic, Record Store Day is being held across three months – August 29, September 26 and October 24. So which shops in Hackney and Islington are taking part? Check out the Gazette’s list below. Flashback Records, on Essex Road in Islington, is a long-time seller of vinyl and records – it has been “recycling music since 1997.” It has three stores across London, in Islington, Crouch End and Bethnal Green. The Essex Road branch spans two floors, with CDs, DVDs, and new vinyl as well as a large selection of second-hand products. Staff are knowledgeable about different types of music styles and are always on-hand to help. It will be open from 8am on Record Store Day, with social-distancing measures in place such as masks and sanitation.

DownBeat Dozen: A Shopper’s Guide To RSD 2020: This year, Record Store Day will be presented as three shopping events on Aug. 29, Sept. 26 and Oct. 24, which organizers have called “drops.” On each date, there will releases that fall into three categories; vinyl titles exclusive to RSD; ultra-rare pressings available in a limited geographic region; and RSD First titles, which initially are sold only at indie retailers and then widely available at a later date. Below is a guide to a dozen titles that will be available on the three dates. In addition to the artists cited below, shoppers will also be scooping up titles by the Allman Brothers Band, Booker T. & The M.G.’s, Canned Heat & John Lee Hooker, Suzanne Ciani, Brittany Howard, Gary Clark Jr., Dr. John, Bill Evans, Fleetwood Mac, Ellie Goulding, the Grateful Dead and the Tom Tom Club. Below are titles, sorted by release date.

Milwaukee, WI | A Record Store Day unlike any other is coming. Here’s what Milwaukee shops have planned. Every April for the past decade, Record Store Day has meant huge business for local shops, with vinyl lovers lining up outside the doors of the Exclusive Company in Milwaukee as early as 4 a.m. to get their hands on rare new releases. That didn’t happen this April, when the country was in the early stages of the coronavirus crisis. But Record Store Day is still a go. Or rather, days. With shops, including in Milwaukee, reducing capacity to mitigate the spread of the virus, organizers have split up the bounty of Record Store Day-exclusive releases into three separate dates: Aug. 29, Sept. 26 and Oct. 24. Combined with Black Friday — which will also feature exclusive releases — local shopkeepers are hoping to make up for months of slow sales. “It’s going to be a big help,” said Brian Kirk, manager of the Exclusive Company location in Milwaukee. “We were closed down for at least six weeks. … We did a lot of sales (online), but it was a fraction of our normal sales. … Like many stores, (revenue is) down considerably.”

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