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

Chepstow, UK | Tortoise shop and record store opening in Chepstow: Two new shops look to be coming to Chepstow town centre – with one slightly more out of the ordinary. The two new businesses – a record store and an exotic pet store – will occupy adjacent premises on Bank Street in the town centre. The as-yet-unnamed record store is, according to signs in the window, to open in November. However, people can ring the number in the window to sell their unwanted records already. It will take the place of the tattoo parlour which was previously on the site. There have been calls for a shop of this kind in the town for a while, with nowhere dedicated to selling physical music in Chepstow for some time. Next door and ‘opening soon’ will be the more unusually named Tortoises4you.shop.

VN | Reintroducing The Vinyl Culture To Vietnam’s New Generation: In recent years, the global music scene has seen the comeback of vinyl, a late-1880s invention known for its rich, high-quality sound. And Vietnam is not the one to ignore the trend. Music producers and artists in the country are exerting efforts to bring back vinyl records, and reintroduce this musical sophistication to the new generation of music enthusiasts. For Minh, having worked in a vinyl record shop owned by his father, the appreciation towards this musical culture is somewhat innate. But he also noticed how, with the music industry’s digital transformation, vinyl remains unfamiliar, almost disregarded. This was when he and his three close friends Huy, Dũng and Vũ, decided to open their own vinyl records brand called Vọc Records. Vọc Records was born from the desire to expand and spread a seemingly forgotten culture as systematically as possible to the Vietnamese youth.

London, UK | Jack White performs surprise set atop Damien Hirst’s balcony at Third Man Records store grand opening: The London streets were raucously serenaded by a cherry-picked set of tracks from White’s formidable repertoire, conjured up via his awe-inspiring pedalboard. Jack White performed a surprise two-pronged set to celebrate the grand opening of a new Third Man Records store in London, England, which saw him serenade attendees from Damien Hirst’s balcony on Saturday (25 September). The White Stripes frontman – who established Third Man in 2001 – was marking the opening of the label’s third physical outlet, located at 1 Marshall Street, Soho, which joins up with existing stores in Nashville and Detroit. And, to celebrate the occasion in style, the blue hair-dyed White performed not one, but two sets – one in the store’s Blue Basement and one out in the open on top of Hirst’s personal balcony. Bassist Dominic Davis and drummer Daru Jones completed the lineup, who hundreds of people flocked to the streets or their windows to see in action.

dublab Shares Historic decades (in space) Vinyl Record Featuring Suzanne Ciani, Dntel, Randy Randall and More: While some might say through radio stations are a thing from the past, pioneer radio station dublab shows the world that radio station are here to stay and they are always forward thinking. This is proven once more with dublab’s new release decades (in space), an album of 10 songs by 20 different artists, released on quadraphonic vinyl. It’s a perfect mixture of classic music elements and the future, then the packaging of the vinyl is so much more, because of the of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory UX Designer Marijke Jorritsma, Experience Designer Daniel Perlin, Architectural Designer John Vieweg & Arts Technologist KamranV, who is also album’s producer, the packaging is also a new piece of art/ furniture. The project was funded through a grant of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Seattle, WA | Effort to give financial assistance to emerging Seattle artists underway: The Seattle World Tour foundation was formed in 2017 in an effort to build a more equitable and healthy community. The Seattle World Tour foundation was formed in 2017 in an effort to build a more equitable and healthy community by helping to provide funding and programing to underserved communities. The foundation unites artists, businesses and community members through events, programs and concerts such as an annual Seattle World Tour concert series. The yearly concert series raised more than $10,000 for Mary’s Place — which helps women and families transition out of homelessness. …Rain City Relief is a new effort to raise money to provide financial assistance to 10 emerging Seattle artists and establish a long-term relief fund for Washington State musicians in need. Rain City Relief is producing a vinyl compilation featuring the selected artists, as well as 10 video performances that filmed one year to the day the venues closed.

Montreal, CA | Montrealers are still getting Cheap Thrills at this downtown record shop 50 years later: Owner Gary Worsley says there’s a market for vinyl as records make a comeback among youth. While it might seem like the whole world has gone digital, there’s a tiny shop in the heart of downtown Montreal that has been keeping it old school for 50 years. “One thing that’s really cool is when I discovered this store in 1985, it looked like it does now, said Gary Worsley, the owner of Cheap Thrills. But the store opened more than a decade before Worsley discovered the often-crowded record store, almost hidden in an attic-like space on Metcalfe Street. It opened in 1971 on Bishop Street, before moving to the Metcalfe location in 1984. Since then, not much has changed. The store features an inventory of more than 10,000 titles of vinyl records. “We have music from all genres; metal, punk, rap, experimental, jazz, blues, rock, soul, international and more,” the shop’s website touts.

Reading, UK | Reading Sound Machine on surviving the pandemic: ‘Vinyl never goes off.’ The town centre institution thrives because “people love to collect things.” A Reading record store got through the pandemic because “vinyl never goes off” and “people love to collect things”. The Sound Machine, in Harris Arcade, off Friar Street, has been in town for more than 20 years, selling music fans second-hand records. It offers a wide range of vinyl from the well-known to the thoroughly obscure. Adrian Maulton, a former musician who was in the band The Complaints, who were “big in Reading”, is now a salesman at the shop. He said: “The great thing about vinyl is it never goes off. That meant when we inevitably had to close, it could all just be put away rather than thrown out like so many other places.” He told BerkshireLive the much-loved shop closed on three separate occasions during the various lockdowns but was inundated with customers when it reopened.

Berwick, PA | Grand opening for Berwick record store: WaxPax Records in Berwick hosted its grand opening Saturday. Music lovers in Columbia County are rejoicing over the grand opening for a new record store. WaxPax Records in Berwick hosted its grand opening Saturday. The owner Mark Collier decided to open up a permanent shop after having success with a pop-up vinyl record sale over the supper. WaxPax is in the same building as Collier’s wife’s chiropractor office. She traded out some extra office space to make his dream a reality. The owner says he will be updating his inventory every few weeks and selling local art at WaxPax Records in Berwick.

La Boite Concept Unveils Two New Stunning Creations Designed For Vinyl Enthusiasts: Luxury French audio brand La Boite Concept has unveiled two beautiful new creations designed for modern living and evolving lifestyles where music and design take up increasing space in our homes. The first creation from La Boite Concept is Lines, a hi-fi stand designed by Stephan Lanez. This is a modular piece of furniture that can be used to house audio equipment such as a turntable, amplifier, loudspeakers or a record collection. The designer’s intention of Lines is to ensure optimal sound without vibrations or edge effects. La Boite Concept has blended its expertise in audio with the design genius of Stephan Lanez to create this modular piece of furniture that can adapt to all types of listening equipment. It’s a flexible arrangement that can be used horizontally or vertically, It can even be combined into a custom shaped by lashing several of the structures together.

North Yorkshire, UK | Skipton Sound Bar plans Ponden Home move: The former Ponden Home store in Skipton could become the new home of an independent record shop and bar. Skipton Sound Bar, currently based in Swadford Street, has revealed plans to move into the vacant interiors store which is located in Keighley Road and has been sitting empty since the company collapsed into administration last year. The building forms part of the Westgate Shopping Centre and has previously been a gift and food store, and before that a Co-operative Travel. Planning documents submitted to Craven District Council said Skipton Sound Bar has seen “a growth in demand” since opening in 2014 and needs a larger premises to “accommodate the increase in popularity.” The documents added: “The extent of fit out will be typical of a music/bar venue and will follow the current format of the existing sound bar on Swadford Street with areas to accommodate customer seating, bar, event stage and retail zone.

Los Angeles, CA | LA’s Rockaway Records Goes All In On Vinyl, Rare Tees and an Alternative Retail Strategy: During the pandemic, the famed record shop ditched its CD stock and focused on the booming vinyl and memorabilia markets. Wayne Johnson is announcing an unusual change today for Rockaway Records, the indie record store in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood that he’s owned with brother and business partner Gary Johnson since 1982. Johnson is reopening the famed record shop, but no longer accepting walk-ins. Shoppers will need to call in advance and make an appointment. Second, the stacks and stacks of compact discs that used to fill the store are gone. In their place will be vintage vinyl, collectibles and high-end rock memorabilia. For the customers who spent hours hunting for cheap CDs at the indie record store — the largest in LA during the 1990s — these changes aren’t personal, Johnson, an easy-going extrovert and gifted communicator, will explain. Rockaway Records just isn’t making money selling CDs. The money these days is serving the online collectibles market and from now on, that will be Rockaway’s focus.

New York, NY | A Music Obsession That’s Adventurous and Soothing: ‘The trick to crate digging is to simply go at it: Dive into the sections, flip through the jackets and trust your gut.’ I was stuck trying to write in my Brooklyn apartment, overthinking a sentence as usual. In these moments I turn to my records. For inspiration, I tend to need music from some faraway place and time. Perhaps an underground spiritual jazz reissue from 1974 or an Afro-disco record from ’80. Something with noticeable ringwear and audible crackles. Maybe even a pop or two. I’ve learned that this is the music that people come back to decades later. These are the songs you hear in a bar or a film and try to Shazam before the final note fades. On this day I also needed some air, so that meant walking 15 minutes to Head Sounds Records in Fort Greene to plow through the stacks. I went right for the jazz section, and that’s when I saw it: Pharoah Sanders, “Live at the East,” released on Impulse! Records in 1972 — nine years before I was born. I had to snatch it before some other crate digger scooped it up.

Oklahoma City, OK | Still in the groove: After nearly 20 years, Guestroom Records still buying and selling vinyl: Justin Sowers and Travis Searle tossed around more than dough when they were working through college at a Norman fast-food staple. “At the Pizza Shuttle where Travis and I both worked, we (spent) many, many days making pizzas and subs, talking about what we’re going to do at our record store,” Sowers recalled. “We had a Rubbermaid tub full of records, and we had a list of people around Norman that liked records. … We would just call up people and see if they had any money, and we’d run over to their house and hang out for a while, maybe sell some records.” Almost 20 years later, they’ve turned their Guestroom Records into a music staple, with owner-operated, independent brick-and-mortar record stores in Norman since 2003, Oklahoma City since 2007 and Louisville, Kentucky, since 2013. “I don’t think either of us really had any clue that this would be our careers,” said Searle, who started the Louisville store when he and his partner, Kentucky native Lisa Foster, decided to relocate.

South Bend, IN | South Bend Record Show returns Oct. 3: The South Bend Record Show spins into the area once again on Oct. 3 from 11 am to 5 pm at the Ramada by Wyndham. Nearly 40 record dealers from the Midwest and beyond will be filling 87 tables with tens of thousands of items. While the most popular item for sale is pre-loved vinyl records, new releases, CDs, cassettes, posters, memorabilia and vintage stereo gear will also be up for sale. Records have an emphasis on rock, pop, metal and punk music from the 1960s to today. However, jazz, country and movie soundtracks are all set to be at the show too. Admission into the event is free at 11 am, but record lovers can get in at 9 am for $5. Door prizes will be held at noon, 1:30 pm and 3:00 pm. Food and beverages will be available to purchase from 11 am to 2 pm. Cash is the preferred method of payment by all vendors, but some are taking Venmo and credit cards.

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Stroudsburg, PA | Vinyl records turning profits in 2021: What’s old is new again and vinyl record stores are seeing customers coming in for all kinds of music. Some of the greatest musical hits were first heard on vinyl. Oldies but goodies and today’s hits, you’ll find something to get your toes tapping inside Main Street Jukebox in Stroudsburg. “I saw he had Ike and Tina Turner online. I messaged him to come and pick it up,” said Scholl Hammer, Mount Bethel. This vinyl record store has been around for some time in the Poconos. Owner Tom LeFevre has experienced the ups and downs of the vinyl record industry. More recently, sales have been on the up and up. “Just over the last couple of years, vinyl has really started to take off more. Sales have just been getting better and better, which is a great thing,” said LeFevre.

Los Angeles, CA | Some of the Best Places to Pick Up Used Records in L.A.: Need to scratch that itch for old-fashioned vinyl? Here’s where the needle hits the groove. You Don’t Have to be a Nick Hornby-style audiophile to collect vinyl—these days a lot of folks are rediscovering the joys of record albums (mostly as wall decoration, but still). The Record Parlour (6408 Selma Ave.) looks a bit like the store in Hornby’s High Fidelity, complete with racks of old wood packing crates stuffed with albums (punk, jazz, and folk are big sellers) as well as historic concert posters lining the walls. All it’s missing is Jack Black crooning Marvin Gaye. Another store with classic record shop ambiance is Freakbeat in Sherman Oaks (13616 Ventura Blvd.), which prides itself on an “old-fashioned” approach to reselling albums, keeping the prices “fair and cheap,” according to owner Bob Say. (Translation: most are $15 or less, and there’s always a rack of 99-cent specials.) But Freakbeat also offers expensive rarities like the 1994 promo copy of Prince’s The Black Album that recently sold for $499.

Isle of Man | New shop for Island record store: Sound Records relocates to Wellington Street. An island record store is opening its new shop today. Sound Records, which had been located in the basement of the former Peter Luis building, has moved to Wellington Street. The new shop beside M&S will be open Tuesday to Saturday, 10-4. In a social media post, the team behind the shop has thanked its customers for the part they’ve played in building a community.

Stirling, UK | TOP OF THE PAWPS: Squirrel invades Scots record shop store leaving staff in a spin: Record shop staff were left in a spin for nearly three hours after a squirrel invaded their store. The rodent gave shoppers at Europa Music, in Stirling, the runaround after sneaking into the store on Monday morning. Staff, customers and even dogs were roped in to wrangle the rampant rodent, who shop owner Ewen Duncan dubbed ‘Simon’, with Holly the Tibetan terrier eventually helping to spot the pest. The critter was eventually cornered by a customer using a box and an LP shortly before 12pm on Monday bringing the shop’s walk on the wild side to a close. Europa worker Paul Steadman said: “One of the customers threw a box over it and blocked it in with a 12-inch album. “I’d love to say it was an Alvin and the Chipmunks LP but I’d be lying. “We took it outside and released it into the street at which point Holly chased it off.” [Big news day. —Ed.]

Celt Iwan’s fresh identity for Sain, the iconic record label for Welsh language music: London-based designer Celt Iwan is behind the brand refresh for Sain, an iconic record label for Welsh language music, founded in 1969. The brief was to “celebrate its illustrious heritage while looking forward to a new age of music.” Just like many other small record labels in recent years, Sain has suffered from the streaming-boom and fierce competition from tech giants such as Spotify and Apple. But it luckily has a niche, finding success in Welsh language music. On much stabler ground than others in the industry, Sain wanted to strengthen its brand moving forward. It appointed Celt who crafted a new logo that reimagines the iteration from its 1975 branding, which evokes a vinyl record, split up to suggest the letter ‘S’. Celt added ‘sound-wave’ patterns to reinforce the musical core of the brand and applied colours inspired by classic albums from the company.

Berwick, PA | New record store coming to Berwick this weekend: The unique shop will have something for everyone, with an emphasis on vintage horror. A new record store is coming to Berwick this weekend. It’s called WaxPax Records, and it opens this Saturday at 10 a.m. “This is something that I have been planning my whole life, and I didn’t even really know it, I guess,” said Mark Collier, Berwick. Collier spent Tuesday afternoon adding some finishing touches to his new shop, including last-minute alphabetizing and organizing. He says he cannot help but be proud of what he created. He got the idea after hosting a successful pop-up vinyl record sale over the summer; he decided then that this is what he wanted to do forever. “It got the wheels turning, and I talked to my wife. And I said, ‘let’s just do it, let’s open.’ Really quickly, it came together. If you have a dream and you push hard enough, it can happen,” Collier said.

Los Angeles, LA | L.A.’s The Comedy Store Launching New Record Label: The venture will issue hourlong albums, EPs and specialty projects to be distributed via physical and digital media. The Comedy Store is looking to tap into its past and future with the launch of Comedy Store Records. The new venture, which kicks off Oct. 13 with Launch Label Night at the iconic Los Angeles club, will be a full-service record label that will mine the Comedy Store’s rich vault to issue hourlong albums, EPs and specialty projects to be distributed via physical and digital media. Alternative Distribution Alliance will distribute content from the label, which will also be a home for original video content, a podcast network and a merchandising. The label will be headed by former Warner Music Group exec Jon Sosis, who serves as president of Comedy Store Records. Comedy Store CEO Peter Shore will also co-run the label alongside Sosis, who also hopes to publish material from new comics who come in through the club. “We’re envisioning this a step toward honoring the rich tradition of comedy albums from back in the Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Lenny Bruce era — when listening to a vinyl was a time of wonderment and joy,” said Shore.

Sega and iam8bit team up for Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania vinyl: Super Monkey Ball has an undeniably catchy and mood-lifting soundtrack, and it seems like the upcoming Banana Mania isn’t moving away from those vibes. If you’re a fan of physical releases and those tunes then you’ll want to keep an eye on iam8bit’s latest collab… That’s right, Sega is teaming with iam8bit for a vinyl record release of the new game’s soundtrack. Two variants will be released – the first will make the two records look like the Monkey Balls themselves, while the more common variant will be banana yellow (with some being painted to resemble a bruised banana at random.) The gatefold on every edition also features a peelable static cling sticker of a banana, hiding a hidden AiAi beneath.

UK | Abba’s Bjorn Ulvaeus launches campaign to fix £500m music royalty problem: Abba star Bjorn Ulvaeus has launched a campaign to ensure musicians don’t miss out on millions of pounds in royalties. Called Credits Due, the scheme aims to ensure all songwriters and musicians are correctly identified when a song is recorded. At present, missing and incomplete data means that about £500m is unallocated or misallocated globally every year. “It happens frequently,” Ulvaeus told the BBC. “Which means that streaming services don’t know who to pay.” The scheme will also ensure fans see the correct credits for songs – from the writers and producers to the session musicians and engineers. “We want to get back to that experience we had when we opened a double-sleeved LP and listened to the songs while reading the liner notes,” Ulvaeus explained. “I think that’s a very valuable experience that young listeners today are missing.”

Split Enz To Release Forenzics Project In 2022: Tim Finn has confirmed a new Split Enz project Forenzics is being worked on for 2022. Forenzics will feature Finn, Noel Crombie, Eddie Rayner with Roxy Music’s Phil Manzanera playing guitar on 10 tracks. Phil produced Split Enz second album ‘Second Thoughts’ in 1976. …Forenzics was planned for 2021 but will now be released in 2022. “It is an album that Warners will release next year now,” Tim says. “It was going to be this year but because of Covid there is a huge worldwide queue on vinyl and we want to put it out on vinyl as well as digital so we are waiting. There will be CD version with 16 tracks and a vinyl version with 11 songs”.

Vinyl records are selling at twice the clip of a year ago with no signs of slowing down: Sales of vinyl records have been rebounding for years, but during the first half of this year, they went to a whole other level: up 94% over the same period last year, when they happened to top CD sales for the first time since 1986, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumors” is one of the top-selling albums of all time. These days, Fabio Roberti is having a hard time finding vinyl copies. “It’s unavailable for months and months and months. It’s crazy. I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. Roberti owns a record store in Brooklyn called Earwax Records. Buyers don’t just covet classics like The Beatles and David Bowie, he said. Artists from the ’90s and early 2000s are hard to find. …“Folks are often surprised that a lot of it is driven by younger people who don’t have any experience at all with physical music consumption,” said Marc Hogan, a staff writer at the music site Pitchfork. Gen Z has mostly grown up with streaming, he said, so vinyl has novelty value.

New York, NY | New York record store Superior Elevation launches Gofundme after suffering flood damage: “They are still determined to bring the shop back to life,”said co-founder Ellen Kanamori. …Brooklyn store Superior Elevation have started a GoFundMe page after it suffered major damage as a result of Hurricane Ida. Ellen Kanamori, who co-founded the store with Tom Noble in 2015, wrote, “During the heavy rains from Hurricane Ida the building’s sewage drainage system gave out and it released about 4 feet of water into the store. After help arrived, they managed to pump all of the water out. They did manage to salvage a small portion of the records, but at least 75% was destroyed in the flood, if not more, it was too late. “They do have insurance at the shop, however there is no guarantee of any funds at this point. And even if funds do come in, it will never match the incalculable losses from some of those unknown and hyper rare records that were lost…”

Redlands, CA | Redlands Vinyl Records: A glimpse into film history and old movie presentations: Redlands Vinyl Records made it on the list of “A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful and Obscure” in the Inland Empire, a book recently written by author and Riverside resident Larry Burns. Owner of the store, Dave Bernal, spoke enthusiastically about his lifelong passion project. “We are insane. Who would do this? Somebody crazy. So, we are doing that.” Bernal hung out at a local record store in the 1970s and from there began a career of buying and selling music and movies paraphernalia that has now spanned four decades. He owned a movie theater for 15 years in Hemet as well. Today, he’s the owner of two specialty record stores, one in Redlands and one in Palm Springs. “Initially we just wanted to open one store,” he said last year on The Create Podcast, which can be found on YouTube. “I wanted to be in either a tourist area or an established area that had foot traffic. Here we have the university and a lot of things going on, and I live here. It makes it easy,” Bernal described of the Redlands location.

Brighton, UK | Tom Odell performs live in Brighton record shop: Tom Odell was appearing at Resident music in Brighton this evening on the first of an intimate seven date UK record store live appearance and signing session in support of his latest album ‘Monsters’, which is his fourth long player and coincidentally it reached No.4 in the UK Official Album charts. Thirty year old singer-songwriter Tom, is a Sussex boy who was born in Chichester on 24th November 1990. He was ‘discovered’ by Lily Allen, who remarked that “his energy onstage reminded me of David Bowie”. Tom released his debut extended play, ‘Songs From Another Love’ in October 2012 and luckily made his television debut the following month on BBC2’s ‘Later… with Jools Holland’. His previous three albums prior to ‘Monsters’ have also been hits; with debut ‘Long Way Down’ hitting the top spot in 2013, and 2016 follow-up ‘Wrong Crowd’ peaking at No.2 and 2018’s ‘Jubilee Road’ just breaking into the Top 5.

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Salina, KS | Bygone Record Store Still Echoes in Heart of Kansas: House Of Sight And Sound Was A Hippie Outpost On The High Plains. Every year, retailers face a dreaded task: inventory. At the House of Sight and Sound in Salina, though, this was a hallowed time. Loyal customers would flock to help count records, CDs and packages of incense. It wasn’t considered tedious work so much as an opportunity for hours of conversation, laughter and memories with owner Tom Headlee and his equally charismatic employees. This was the atmosphere Headlee cultivated in his store every day for the almost 40 years it was in business. The shop closed in 2011, but dedicated customers and former employees keep its memory alive. One loyal record buyer created a tribute song to the store. Someone else started a Facebook page in the store’s honor, where former customers still wax nostalgic about the hippie outpost on the High Plains, which some dubbed the “House of Song and Bong”…

New York, NY | This Under The Radar, Black-Owned Business Is NYC’s First-Ever Vinyl Record Craft Beer Bar: Where music and beer connoisseurs unite! Looking for a new weekend spot? Head to Prospect Heights for NYC’s first-ever vinyl record craft beer bar. Upon envisioning the bar’s creation, owner Chris Maestro had discovered that a similar concept had already existed in Japan called jazu kissa (jazz cafes), according to Blackownedbklyn. Maestro knew that this type of space was needed in NYC and went on to establish his very own shop in 2017—being the first vinyl record craft beer bar across the boroughs! The establishment has over 5,000 vinyls on-site ranging from hip-hop, funk, soul and jazz. On top of their wide music collection, the bar offers an extensive, yet carefully curated tap-list with a large portion of their beers sourced from local breweries found in North Fork, LI or in upstate New York.

Boise, ID | My Idaho: Record Exchange keeps spinning on: It’s all in the family at the Record Exchange in downtown Boise. The long-time owners have decided it’s time to retire, but not before working out a deal with four of their employees to keep the records spinning, so customers can continue making musical memories. Michael Bunnell says when it comes to the nostalgia of records, everyone fell in love with the romance of the ritual. “You take out the sleeve, you’ve got album notes to read, big artwork on the cover. If you’re going to the problem of putting vinyl on your focused on music, it’s not background noise.” So, it’s bittersweet for Bunnell and his business partner Jill Sevy that it’s time to hang up the records. Glen Newkirk, Catherine Merrick and two other new owners believe it’s good for them and Boise. “The alternative for us wasn’t something we wanted. We didn’t want somebody else who wasn’t from the community, who didn’t understand the culture of the store to take over. That was really our motivation. We want this to remain in the hands of people who love it.”

“It’s unmanageable”: How the vinyl industry reached breaking point: When Colin Morrison founded his independent record label Castles in space in 2015, it took three to four months to make a vinyl record. He placed an order at the press plant, the trial presses came back within a month, and once they were approved, he waited another 10-12 weeks for the production run to be completed and delivered. His artists were releasing their recordings according to the schedule they had planned, and Morrison, with prepaid production costs, quickly recouped his investment. “Since then, things have gotten worse as demand rises,” said Morrison, who now expects to wait almost a year for his vinyl records to be produced. In particular, over the past 18 months – since the start of the pandemic – “it just became unmanageable.” Even an influential artist like Taylor Swift had to wait months for the release of her vinyl: her album Forever was made available digitally on December 11, 2020; it was released on vinyl on May 28, 2021.

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UK | Gen Z buy more vinyl than millennials, new study finds: It comes after sales of vinyl records in the UK in 2020 were the highest on record since the early 1990s. According to a survey conducted by MRC Data, 4,041 people aged 13 and over were questioned over the course of two weeks about their musical influences, inspirations and purchases, with 15 percent of Generation Z respondents – people commonly identified as being born roughly between 1997 and 2012 – claiming to have purchased vinyl albums in the previous 12 months. This compared with only 11 percent of millennials who said that they purchased vinyl over the last year. It comes after sales of vinyl records in the UK in 2020 were the highest on record since the early 1990s. The figures by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) revealed that nearly one in five (18 per cent) of all albums purchased last year were vinyl, with 4.8 million LPs being purchased. The new numbers were up on 2019’s figures, and the highest since the Britpop boom of the early 1990s.

London, UK | UK’s ‘best record shop’ is tucked away in this corner of South London: The famous Banquet Records is owned by a local councillor. A London record shop has been awarded best independent retailer in the UK for the second year in a row – and it’s owned by a local councillor. Banquet Records on Kingston’s Eden Street is owned by Cllr Jon Tolley, who was awarded the prestigious Music Week award on September 14. Big names such as The Who, Stormzy, Bastille and Vampire Weekend have all played gigs organised by Banquet Records at venues in Kingston over the years. With more than 61,000 followers on Twitter, 59,200 on Instagram and over 22,000 on TikTok – it’s no wonder the store is a winner. Craig Austin, a Kingston local who has been visiting the shop for 13 years, said Banquet Records is “at the heart of Kingston and it’s what makes Kingston a little bit different.”

Pittsburgh, PA | Paved Paradise, a vinyl pop-up expo, is coming to Pittsburgh this month: Pittsburgh is a city for music lovers, and as more live music shows return to the city, so do opportunities to buy music. Now the city, which already offers plenty of opportunities to dig through vinyl treasures at places like Jerry’s Records, will welcome even more opportunities to find pressed gems with Paved Paradise. Described in an email as “equal parts pop-up shop, block party and roadside fruit stand,” Paved Paradise will stop in Pittsburgh on Wed., Sept. 22 as part of a nationwide, 15-city tour. The folks at PP will be setting up at Allegheny City Brewing and will sell vinyl from the back of a 24-foot truck and two on-site tents. This pop-up shop, a collaboration between Ghostly International, Numero Group, and Secretly Group record labels Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar, and Secretly Canadian, will feature local collaborations as well as exclusives from some of your favorite music acts. There will also be live DJ sets from DJ GUVVY, Ali Berger, and more.

New York, NY | Ergot Records is a new record store and venue in the East Village, New York: Ergot Records, a New York-based label run by artist Adrian Rew, is entering the record store business. The Ergot Records shop opens this Friday, September 17th, at 32 East 2nd Street in Manhattan’s East Village. The store’s stock is currently comprised of predominately used vinyl and cassettes, but an expanded selection of new releases, books and other print material are expected soon. To celebrate, the shop is hosting DJ sets all weekend from Whitney Claflin, DatKat, Davide Gualandi, Brandon Ndife, Bob Nickas and Brian Turner. Future in-store events will be announced soon. In a press statement, Rew, a Lot Radio resident and former curator at art gallery Blank Forms, explained how the pandemic impacted his decision to venture into retail. “The events of the last year and a half have brought about the unfortunate closure of crucial downtown hubs of sonic gathering and information transfer such as 2 Bridges Music Arts, the Pyramid Club and Max Fish,” he said.

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UK | Vinyl is still winning: sales are up 94% in 2021 with $467m revenue Stateside: The humble record’s remarkable resurgence continues apace. After a largely locked-down 2020, it seems vinyl is back on course and continuing its extraordinary winning streak in 2021. The Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) has just posted its mid-year music revenue report, with a key finding being that in the first half of 2021, revenues from vinyl albums grew 94 per cent to $467 million in the US. Although this comparison (ie. versus the prior year) includes the period in which retail stores were significantly impacted by Covid-19 – and Record Store Day 2020 was delayed, eventually taking the the form of three virtual RSD drops – it is certainly more evidence of the humble record’s continued resurgence. The RIAA report also found, for example, that revenues from CDs increased by just 44 per cent in the first half of 2021, to $205 million. Yes, it’s an increase on 2020, but what it really means is that revenues from our once beloved compact disc still remain 19 per cent lower than they were in the first half of 2019.

NY | Find your groove at these 12 upstate used record stores: Vinyl is back. In a very big way. Although most new releases now come out on vinyl, all of us have had those great, memorable old records in a box in our house somewhere. Those wonderful long lost musical memories from back in the day. Now used vinyl record stores are the hottest thing going. Here is a list of 12 of the best Upstate used vinyl stores where you can find those old memories once again. They won’t cost you $1.99-cents anymore, but what price can you put on your favorite old record album that you haven’t heard in years? Go and check these out! Poughkeepsie: Darkside Records: A vinyl; lovers dream. Thousands of records, CDs, and even cassettes. Remember cassettes? Give yourself plenty of time when visiting here. They even have old turntables. Lots of related items too, like rock T-shirts, posters, DVD movies, music magazines and more. A multi-winner as “Best Record Store in the Hudson Valley

Houston, TX | Memo Record Shop has one of the most eclectic Latino music collections in the country: Guillermo “Memo” Villarreal grew up with a love for music and has spent 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. Customers 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. “If we don’t have it, it doesn’t exist anymore,” Memo said. 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.

Alexandria, MN | In the groove: Local collectors wax rhapsodic about vinyl records: While most people are satisfied downloading a song or album onto their phone or iPod, the record collector wants a physical copy of that music. Almost everybody likes music, but some people take it a little more seriously than most. These would be the record collectors. While most people are satisfied downloading a song or album onto their phone or iPod, the record collector wants a physical copy of that music. And they want to do this for every album or song that they like, their collections swelling into the hundreds, sometimes even the thousands. “I would say I probably have a smaller collection than most,” said Rexford Sweetwater. “I have about 300 or so. I know people that have up to 2,000. Those are the kind of people that collect everything. And who listens to 2,000 albums? There’s no time in your life to do that. “I don’t buy anything, and I never have, that I would just buy for the sake of having it. It doesn’t make sense. It’s very important to get exactly what you want and take care of it. All of the albums that I had from when I was a teenager I still have in great condition. … No scratches, perfectly taken care of, because I love albums,” he said.

Barrow, UK | TNT record shop, Barrow get a surprise visit from Indie Dutch band, Pip Blom: Pip Blom paid a surprise visit to TNT records, Barrow. The popular Dutch group called in on the owner of TNT records, Dave Turner after it was recommended they pay a visit. Unfortunately the band had to postpone some dates of their tour due to a band member falling sick, but the band still came to Barrow to check out the Duke Street vinyl specialists. TNT records, owner, Dave Turner said it was an absolutely brilliant experience. He said: “When I saw them come into the store I was like ‘I recognise them, that’s Pip Blom.’ “I knew they were planning on doing a gig in the town but didn’t know they’d turn up at the store so it was a nice surprise. “They were blown away by the off chance that we were blasting out one of their tracks just as they walked into the shop!

Billie Eilish And Charlie Parker Headline Slate Of Record Store Day Releases: Record Store Day’s 2021 Black Friday event takes place on November 26. Record Store Day has announced the official lineup of 150 exclusive titles set to be released on November 26 for Black Friday. The roster of mostly vinyl releases includes limited-edition albums, EPs, or singles by artists such as Billie Eilish, Jason Isbell, Aerosmith, Trippie Redd, U2, John Legend, Jimi Hendrix, Lana Del Rey, Fleetwood Mac, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Mobb Deep, Leonard Cohen, Tank and the Bangas, Motorhead, Bill Evans and Blackberry Smoke. Record Store Day organizers are cautioning this year that it’s possible a few of the titles being announced today could fall out, due to severe backlogs at vinyl manufacturing plants. A few releases planned for Black Friday are also being held back from this lineup so the artists can announce them themselves. Releases from Craft Recordings include a brand-new Sam Cooke compilation, The First Mile of the Way, which highlights the singer’s formative years—including his gospel recordings with the Soul Stirrers and his early forays into pop music.

Boise, ID | The Record Exchange: New Owners, Same Style: The Record Exchange has been around for almost 45 years and it’s become an institution of downtown Boise. Employees tend to work there for decades and it’s a kind of home away from home for music lovers in the community. Founders Michael Bunnell and Jil Sevy worked hard over the years to create an inclusive space. They cobbled together a store that does it all — employs a knowledgeable and diverse staff; sells all types of music products, coffee and gifts; and hosts in-store shows with huge stars — all the while keeping the store welcoming and open to people. Fortunately for Idaho the two have left behind a place that many people see as more than just a store. “For years our hope was that when we were ready to sell employees would step up,” said Bunnell. “We’ve built something special here and I can’t imagine Boise without it. We couldn’t be happier.”

Durham, NC | Paved Paradise brings ‘vinyl wonderland’ to downtown Durham: Paved Paradise, the “part pop-up shop, part block party, and part roadside fruit stand,” made its way to Durham on Tuesday as part of a 15-city tour. Although the sun was beating down on this hot September afternoon, wooden bins were filled to the brim with colorful vinyls, and niche t-shirts lined two tents. Ken Shipley, co-founder of the Numero Group, was seen buzzing around the stacks of vinyls and taking a minute to chat with customers. All in all, five record labels were represented at Paved Paradise: Dead Oceans, Ghostly International, Jagjaguwar, Numero Group and Secretly Canadian. “We started thinking about how we can bring a record store to a bunch of different places and do it outside and do it COVID-safe and have a good vibe,” Shipley said. The result is a series of pop-up shops largely in the southeastern United States. Paved Paradise began in Bloomington, Indiana on Sept. 9 and will end in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Sept. 26. Although Raleigh is sadly missing from the lineup this year, it’s hard to imagine a more perfect spot as you browse through records than outside of Motorco Music Hall in Durham.

Middlesbrough, UK | Press-On Vinyl plant in Middlesbrough to start production this autumn: Press-On Vinyl, a vinyl record pressing plant located at Middlesbrough’s Tees Advanced Manufacturing Park (TeesAMP), was first announced back in April, and today (14 September) it’s been announced that the pressing plant will begin production this autumn after they secured investment from Futuresound Group. News of their launch comes amid vinyl delays experienced across the independent music industry, which is due to Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic as most of the vinyl pressing plants are based in Europe. Where possible, Press-On Vinyl will source raw materials as locally as possible to reduce carbon footprint, and when production begins in autumn it’ll be open to a selection of record labels, independent artists and partners. Futuresound Group MD Colin Oliver said, “Though the recent restrictions put a lot of our activities on hold we have been working hard in a number of areas, and when Press-On vinyl came onto my radar having two record labels as part of the group I could see the issues with the UK vinyl supply and had to get involved.”

Indianapolis, IN | The Butler Collegian: Vinyl revival: The introduction of other technologies by 1990 had seemed to make the once popular vinyl record obsolete. However, a recent revival in vinyl album sales calls this assumption into question. Statista reported that vinyl album sales in the United States have grown for the fifteenth year in a row, while other physical album sales, such as CDs, are declining. Last year, vinyl records also accounted for 62% of all physical music product sales. With so many different and more convenient ways to listen to music, one question remains: why have vinyl sales increased in the past years. The comeback of vinyls has coincided with the popularity of “vintage” inspired trends in fashion and design. The rise of vinyls could be seen as a product of these vintage trends; however, vinyl collectors and listeners point to other reasons for the popularity of vinyl records. Bennett Lang, sophomore music performance major, expressed why he chooses to collect vinyl records.

Recorded-Music Revenues Climbed 27% — And Vinyl Sales Skyrocketed 94% — in First Half of 2021, Per RIAA: …Vinyl sales skyrocketed 94% to $467 million, although that number was also dramatically skewed by store closures during the pandemic and severely impacted last year’s Record Store Day, which is traditionally the biggest sales day of the year. Revenues from CDs increased 44% to $205 million, but still remain 19% lower than they were in in the same period in 2019. CDs only accounted for 30% of physical revenues, while vinyl accounted for more than 2/3 of physical format revenues. Digital download sales revenue continued to drop, down 6% to $319 million, as did digital track sales revenue (down 12%) and digital album sales revenue (down 4%). Looking at the overall pie chart, streaming comprised 84% of revenues, physical sales 10%, digital download sales 5% and synch 2%.

Record Store Day reveals full list of exclusive Black Friday vinyl releases: More exclusive vinyl albums coming in November. Black Friday isn’t all about the best TV deals. OK, so it is mostly about that, but it’s also a chance to grab some limited-edition, rare and exclusive vinyl releases thanks to Record Store Day’s participation in the global shopping event. The organisation behind the biggest annual celebration of the beloved vinyl format has just announced its full list of releases for this Black Friday. The list includes anniversary editions, rarities and reissues from Ghostpoet, Hall & Oates, Fleetwood Mac, Lana Del Rey, U2, Tricky and John Carpenter, to name a few. These (and others, listed below) will only be available in independent record stores on Black Friday, which this year takes place on Friday 26th November. You can see a full list of those participating record stores in the UK here. So, while you’re trying to bag a deal on speakers, TVs and headphones, or anything else for that matter, don’t forget to take some time out to pick up some new vinyl. Here’s the full list of releases for this year’s Black Friday…

Derbyshire, UK | Derbyshire music fans with a vintage vinyl collection could pick up a small fortune: Music memorabilia is big business and it reaches out to everyone. We’re not all lucky enough to own a rare antique, Chinese vase or diamond ring but countless people have a musical item tucked away, possibly valuable, that may be forgotten. For example, if you reached your formative years before CDs and digital downloads became the norm you may own a vintage vinyl collection. Roxy Music, The Police, David Bowie, The Jam, Oasis, Blur, Madonna … the list of rock and pop stars who inspired us to head to the nearest record shop is endless. And if you missed out on buying a record back in the day, auctions offer a route to source rarities and classics. Right now, vinyl from the 1980s and 90s is often desirable because people in their 40s and 50s with disposable incomes are collecting the music they loved in their youth. Keen to find out what your vinyl collection might be worth? On September 22, Hansons’ music memorabilia consultant Claire Howell will be offering free valuation appointments at Hansons’ Etwall Auction Centre in Derbyshire.

Bangkok, TH | Where to find Bangkok’s best record stores and vinyl bars: Get in the groove with this primer to vinyl culture in Bangkok. The debate between analog and digital music will never end. Even if today’s technology enables you to listen to music effortlessly, many believe it will never replicate the concert-like experience you get from listening to vinyl. It’s no wonder we’re seeing a resurgence in analog music appreciation in Bangkok. From old-school record shops to swanky vinyl bars, these places will help you build your collection, upgrade your gear, and join the vinyl revolution. Tonchabab Record Shop: Teeming with old and new records covering genres from Thailand and all over the world, Tonchabab is the kind of classic family-run vinyl shop that your father might’ve frequent- ed when he was young. It has two branches. Both are goldmines for seasoned and beginner crate-diggers alike. Think rare world music finds, from luk thung to ’60s and ’70s stalwarts like Diana Ross and The Carpenters.

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US | US recorded music revenues grew 27% year-on-year in first half of 2021: …Streaming may be 84% of the recorded music market in the US, but there’s also a good-news story in physical sales, with both vinyl AND CD sales up considerably year-on-year – 43.9% and 94% respectively. How much is this merely a bounceback from Covid-related issues around retail and distribution in the first half of 2020? The RIAA pointed out that CD sales were still 19% down on their revenues two years ago, in the first half of 2019, so there is an ongoing decline for that sector. However, vinyl sales were $467.4m in the first half of this year, well over double the $205.3m for CDs. Crucially, in the non-Covid-afflicted first half of 2019, vinyl sales in the US were $232.1m, so for this format there absolutely is sharp organic growth. Americans listened to more than 840bn on-demand streams in the first half of 2021.

Kent, UK | Eil.com: Behind the scenes of the world’s biggest online rare records store, based in Meopham, near Gravesend: Hidden away on an unassuming industrial estate, to the south of Gravesend, lies the home of the world’s biggest online record store; a haven for rare and collectible items spanning the generations. While it may not look up to much from the outside – trains trundle along the railway tracks to nearby Meopham station just yards away – inside it is, to many, a palace of dreams – with row upon row of bulging shelves containing more than a quarter of a million sought-after items from the world’s biggest names. It is to an avid record collector what Willy Wonka’s factory was to a chocolate aficionado. This is the home of Eil.com; a company which has long boasted a global customer base and one which it has carefully cultivated over the years. If you’re after a rare Beatles first edition album in tip-top condition, or perhaps a Madonna picture disc, then the chances are this is where you’ll look. After a tour programme, platinum disk, signed album? Then step right up.

Cleveland, OH | Clevelander Franklin Fantini Is Archiving and Sharing Country Music’s Odd and Forgotten Past With ‘Dollar Country WTFC’ Radio Show: From a makeshift studio in his suburban Cleveland basement filled with a collection of 1,500 .45 RPM vinyl records, Franklin Fantini — a self-made, DIY purveyor of ten-cent wax — has for the last five years been broadcasting Dollar Country WTFC every week. The hour-long online radio show hosted by Frank — Frank the Drifter, as he introduces himself — features a curated tracklist of 18 songs handpicked from his shelves. Most of Fantini’s selections are obscure country recordings by unknown artists released by now-defunct labels, and his listeners range from fellow collectors to reformed metalheads and punks who now embrace the country genre in adulthood. The name Dollar Country comes from Fantini’s time working at Love Garden Sounds, a record store in his hometown of Lawrence, Kansas, where he spent hours watching customers pick over the bargain offerings. “I just saw people going through the dollar bin of .45s, and I always thought that seemed really stupid,” Fantini says. “But then, after a while, I would find these weird country things.

Every Picture Tells A Story, Or, How I Recreated My Record Collection, and Then Some: Today’s renaissance of vinyl as a chosen physical music format represents an opportunity for baby boomers to recapture their collective youth. In the 1970s, record stores were the place to hang out and learn about music and life. I foolishly sold most of my 4,000-LP collection in 2010, and within two years realized what a colossal mistake I had made. I’ve spent the past eight years rebuilding much of what I previously owned, and then some. About three quarters of the records came from the used bins of about a dozen stores in and around Long Island, although most were culled from Record Reserve in Northport, NY, where Jack Kerouac once spent time drinking at the still-operating local watering hole Gunther’s Tap Room. From 2015 to 2019, I’d spell Record Reserve’s proprietor Tim Clair occasionally. When I was a teenager I always wanted to work in a record store, and instead was delegated to the dairy department of the Big Apple supermarket in Commack. Never too late, indeed.

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Manchester, UK | UK’s last cassette shop reels in nostalgic music lovers: Tucked away in a corner of the top floor of an indoor market in Manchester, northwest England, is the last shop in Britain dedicated to selling cassettes. Mars Tapes crams around 1,000 cassettes, a Coca-Cola radio, boom boxes, vintage editions of the Walkman cassette player and other tape-related accessories in a compact retail unit smaller than one of the city’s tram carriages. Hits by stars including Elvis Presley, Florence and the Machine, and Lewis Capaldi line its shelves, as classic tracks provide a musical backdrop, taking customers back in time. The shop was set up in 2019 by an eclectic group of people united by a love of music, explained co-founder Giorgio Carbone. Spanish sound engineer Borja Regueira, 28, and his girlfriend Moira Lorenzo, 27, initially proposed starting a cassette-only shop.

Nashville, TN | Nashville record stores: Where to find used vinyl in Music City. Nashville is Music City, so it’s no surprise the city has some of the best record shops around. From massive used music warehouses to a former church building to hole-in-the-wall shops decorated only by 12-inch record sleeves, here’s where to go record hunting in Nashville. Alison’s Record Shop: What you’ll find: vintage rock, jazz and country albums. Alison’s Record Shop, located near the Nashville West shopping center, stocks mostly used records curated by shop owner Alison Warford. There’s an emphasis on vintage rock records, which are organized into subgenres such as new wave, hard rock, punk and so on. Ernest Tubb Record Shop: What you’ll find: classic country records. Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame member Ernest Tubb founded his record shop on Lower Broadway in 1947. Music City has grown up around the shop since then, which still sells old-school country albums within walking distance of the Ryman Auditorium.

VinyGo Stereo Vinyl Recorder Will Put You In The Groove: A long time ago, there were these vinyl recording booths. You could go in there and cut a 45PM record as easily as getting a strip of four pictures of yourself in the next booth along the boardwalk. With their 2021 Hackaday Prize entry called VinyGo, [mras2an] seeks to reinvigorate this concept for private use by musicians, artists, or anyone else who has always wanted to cut their own vinyl. VinyGo is for people looking to make a few dozen copies or fewer. Apparently there’s a polymer shortage right now on top of everything else, and smaller clients are getting the shaft from record-pressing companies. This way, people can cut their own records for about $4 a unit on top of the cost of building VinyGo, which is meant to be both affordable and accessible.

War Child re-release four classic albums 1 Love, Hope, Help! A Day In The Life and War Child Presents Heroes: The four classic albums, which were released for War Child between 2002 and 2009 feature the likes of Muse, Stereophonics, Oasis, Lily Allen, Radiohead and more. War Child have re-released four of their classic albums today (Friday 10 September). The charity – which strives to protect, educate and stand up for the rights of children caught up in war – has released 1 Love, Hope, Help! A Day In The Life and War Child Presents Heroes via their recently launched independent record label, War Child Records- their recently launched independent record label. The four classic albums were released by the charity between 2002 and 2009 and feature the likes of Muse, Stereophonics, Oasis, George Michael, Avril Lavigne, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Coldplay, Radiohead, Gorillaz, Manic Street Preachers, Beck, Keane, Lily Allen, Elbow and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

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Boise, ID | The Record Exchange changing hands: A staple of downtown Boise is changing hands. The founders and owners of The Record Exchange are stepping down after more than 40 years. Michael Bunnell and his then-business partner Al Benton opened The Record Exchange on the Boise Bench in 1977, moving to the Hitchcock Building at the corner of 11th and Idaho the next year. The downtown location has expanded many times over the year and Bunnell and his wife and partner, Jil Sevy, bought the building in 1996. “My vision for the store from the beginning was to create a place where people of all ages and musical tastes could discover and share their passion for music,” Bunnell said. “I wanted the store to be an ‘experience,’ and I hope on some level we’ve succeeded in that goal. It was always my hope that when Jil and I were ready to retire, the store would continue in the hands of employees who care about the culture we’ve created. I couldn’t be happier about the employees who have stepped up to take the helm and guide the store into the future.”

Benton, AR | Go, go, Retro Rose: Record store in Benton sprung up during a pandemic surge: For anyone growing up in Benton, Hastings was the place to go to for vintage vinyl. When the ’90s mainstay finally closed in 2016, it drove fellow music buffs and me to look elsewhere in Saline County for record players, stacks of vinyl, stickers and band tees. Enter Retro Rose owner and UA-Little Rock alum Audra McAnally. McAnally graduated from Bryant High School in 2014 and from UA Little Rock’s School of Business in May 2018. She put her experience and skills to work in real estate with her own property preservation business. But when the pandemic closed down the world for a while, McAnally decided to try something new. “I’m a young lady with a big dream,” she said. That dream? To use her passion for collecting and selling vinyl records to “create an environment where everyone can feel welcome” in downtown Benton. Having already rented a space for the property business, McAnally and her boyfriend Brandon converted her office to a vinyl record store.

Marquette, MI | Record show goes on at Ore Dock: A record show will be held in the second floor community room of Ore Dock Brewing Company, at 114 W. Spring Street in downtown Marquette from noon today through Sunday. Thousands of new and used vinyl records, CDs, posters, cassettes, books, and T-shirts will be available. Talk with organizers about trading old records and tapes for new favorites, or finding an unused media collection a new home. For more information, to post requests and RSVP for this event, visit the Facebook event page. All are welcome at this free, all-ages event, co-presented by the NMU Vinyl Record Club.

Tucson, AZ | U-Turn Audio + Luz de Vida benefit / auction today (9/10): Join Homicide Survivors Inc., JFCS of Southern Arizona, and producers of the All Souls Procession on September 10, 2021 for Luz de Vida, a Pop-Up Gallery Event. There will be a live performance by Gabriel Naïm Amor, MSA Annex vendors, and an online auction. The auction will feature handmade turntables with sound systems, each designed by a local artist, as well as fine art donated from DeGrazia Gallery and Daniel Martin Diaz. All proceeds benefit families impacted by homicide in our community. This is a free event open to the public.

Physical music sales actually went up in 2021: In what is perhaps an unexpected twist for many in the music biz, sales of physical music were actually up, in what was otherwise a fairly challenging year for the industry. It may be hard for skeptics to believe, but physical albums were up a robust 37.5 percent compared to this time last year, from almost 28 million units to over 38 million units. Twice a year, the good folks at MRC Data, which owns Billboard Magazine, publish a report on how the record industry is doing. And it’s well-known by now that the music industry at large has been growing at double-digit rates for at least the past five years due to the rapid growth of streaming adoption. Today, I want to talk about what they are saying specifically about how physical media is doing and how albums are doing for the first six months of 2021. Why do I want to talk about physical and albums? Well, for one, I run a physical media manufacturing company, so it is a topic near and dear to my heart. But, more importantly, we know that for monetizing our music, physical media remains one of the best ways to go, in addition to concert tickets and merch sales. And for physical media to sell, you need to put out albums.

Boise, ID | Boise’s Record Exchange to transition to new owners after 44 years: The Record Exchange used to end its ads on the radio with a simple promise: The Record Exchange… As long as there’s music. For the last 43 years, the store stood at the corner of 11th St. and Idaho St. in Boise, owned by Michael Bunnell and later partner Jill Sevy. From the namesake records to tapes to compact discs – even an expansion for a time to West Boise and more… the Record Exchange has served the music needs of Boiseans. Maybe not for as long as music has been around… but long enough that anyone who purchased their favorite tune on physical media in Boise can remember at this point. Music is still going strong — and so is the Record Exchange. Now, with new owners. Starting Wednesday, Exchange employees Catherine Merrick, Glenn Newkirk, and Chad Dryden will take over the store – along with Dryden’s wife, Erica.

Mondo Celebrates 10 Years of Music With Ultra-Rare ‘Full Metal Jacket’ Vinyl Release: Mondo is known for producing the rare and the extraordinary. From T-shirts to limited-edition movie prints to remastered vinyl movie soundtracks, there is no facet of nostalgia or fandom this brand hasn’t investigated in the hopes of creating something truly unique. In fact, the ravenous demand for even more elaborate and secretive artistic collaborations inspired the several-day celebration MondoCon back in 2015. And Tuesday marks another Mondo milestone, Mondo Music and Death Waltz Recording Company are celebrating 10 years of creating music with a 10-week celebration that will include new music, book releases, retrospectives and other yet-to-be-announced surprises. The first surprise is this vinyl release from Stanley Kubrick’s war drama “Full Metal Jacket.” The packages design was created by artist Alan Hynes. Tracks includes iconic songs from Nancy Sinatra, The Trashmen and The Dixie Cups, along with the brooding score from Abigail Mead (Kubrick’s daughter Vivian), which was controversially barred from Academy Award nominations back in 1988.

Radiohead Reissuing ‘Kid A,’ ‘Amnesiac’ With Previously Unreleased Music: Radiohead have finally detailed their upcoming reissue focusing on the sessions that birthed the band’s dual masterpieces, 2000’s Kid A and 2001’s Amnesiac. Kid A Mnesia — which celebrates the 20th/21st anniversary of the two albums — arrives November 5th via XL Recording. Like the stocked OK Computer 20th anniversary reissue OKNOTOK, Kid A Mnesia includes the original two LPs — Kid A, Rolling Stone’s Number One album of the 2000s, and Amnesiac — as well as a third disc, dubbed Kid Amnesiae, that features outtakes, alternate versions and unreleased music from the albums’ fruitful studio sessions. Radiohead shared one of Kid Amnesiae’s more tantalizing selection Tuesday, the never-before-heard outtake “If You Say the Word,” previously known amongst fans as the fabled “C Minor Song” that guitarist Ed O’Brien wrote about in his Kid A-era online production journals…

10 Best Movies Like High Fidelity: From romantic comedies with flawed protagonists to movies jam-packed with music, these are 10 great movies to watch if you like High Fidelity. Adapted from Nick Hornby’s novel of the same name but translated from London to Chicago, High Fidelity features Jack Black’s breakout role and several other hilarious performances. The movie has a great soundtrack, tons of obscure music references, fourth-wall breaks, romantic moments, and scenes about friendship. Yet this 2000 Stephen Frears film isn’t the only movie to combine romance with great music. From the lovestruck teens in Empire Records to the cynical adults in This is 40, these films share High Fidelity’s expert blend of comedy and drama.