UAE | UAE vinyl collectors tell how they ‘love the process of discovery’ To appreciate the way the vinyl record market is booming, look no further than the growth of Dubai’s Raw Music Store. Launched online in 2019 with nearly 5,000 records, the shop moved to a brick-and-mortar location in DIFC two years later. To accommodate an increasing demand from UAE record collectors, the store is relocating again, to its biggest premises yet, in Al Quoz. Opening on Saturday in celebration of Record Store Day on April 22, the airy warehouse will be stocked with 7,000 new and vintage records. Tunisian manager and co-founder Yassine Hakimi says the expansion echoes the fortunes of the international market. “Vinyl record collecting and purchases have been on the rise everywhere over the past few years and that has partly moved many of us to open up businesses to accommodate it,” he tells The National. “But I have to say that it remains a very niche business and it’s all about passion.
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | The 12 Best Record Stores in Dallas-Fort Worth: Keep these North Texas record stores in constant rotation—you never know what vinyl gems you’re going to find. As Record Store Day approaches on April 22, you’re going to want to keep some of Dallas-Fort Worth’s best vinyl shops on your docket. Vinyls are all the rage right now, as listeners find themselves trapped inside the smooth grooves and nostalgic sounds. Sure, we may be in an era when we can stream our favorite music anytime we want, but nothing beats being able to physically touch and hold your favorite album. So skip Target and Urban Outfitters, check out our favorite vinyl shops and keep these stores on rotation. Spinster Records: This is a staple for crate diggers in Dallas. Spinster Records is always stocked with the latest vinyl releases, as well as DJ singles, B-sides, rarities, and record-playing systems. Not to mention, you can get an early listen at some of the most anticipated new releases at Spinster’s listening parties, which often take place just days before the album’s release date. While this may be a little shop, you can easily spend hours sifting through boxes, and you may just leave discovering your new favorite record.
Memphis, TN | Vinyl Revival: Memphis Record Pressing opens second location: Long before streaming music and CDs, there were vinyl records. But today, they’re making a major comeback and are more popular than ever thanks to a Mid-South company. At Memphis Record Pressing on Appling Center Drive in Bartlett, there was a ribbon cutting for a vinyl company whose spin on a once-dying format has it on record to become one of the largest pressing plants in North America. “We never thought that we would get to this size and we were going to be one of the major players in the global market,” said Mark Yoshida, Co-founder and COO of Memphis Record Pressing. This is the company’s second of its two expansion facilities and to the overall tune of $30 million. The expansion includes a new 33,000-square-foot pressing plant floor at the Brother Boulevard headquarters as well as the new 100,000-square-foot packaging and shipping facility at Appling Center. “The size of our packaging facility here is about 108,000 square feet. It allows us to package more records. A year ago, we were producing about 28.000 records a day. Today we’re producing about 65,000 records a day and by June we’ll be producing 120,000 records a day,” Yoshida explained.
Manchester, UK | Seven best record shops in Manchester city centre for stocking up on vinyl: Vinyl collectors flock to Manchester from all over the country to stock up on LPs and singles in the city centre. Some things just go together. Fish and chips. Ant and Dec. Batman and Robin. Manchester and record shops seem to be one of those things that just make sense. And for vinyl enthusiasts – whether collectors or hobbyists – the city’s vibrant Northern Quarter is a treasure trove of shiny plastic discs with a record store on nearly every corner. …Vinyl records are still seeing a huge resurgence, outselling CDs for the first time in 35 years last year – but Manchester has always had love for the humble medium. If you’re wondering where the best place to head to stock up on your LPs and singles are, you won’t have to look too far. Here are some of our favourite record stores in Manchester city centre, all of which are just a short walk from one another, making for the ultimate musical trail with plenty of coffee shops nearby for a pitstop.