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

Yuma, AZ | Local musician opens record shop in Yuma: It’s been nearly 10 years since Yuma had a local record shop. But now the tune is changing. “Music is very great for the soul and it’s good to communicate with other people and bring people together and quite frankly it’s a beautiful thing all the way around,” said the owner of Blue Big Records Steven Larose. Steven Larose is a local musician with a passion for music and of course vinyl records. “I started collecting since I was about 16 and again getting into hip-hop and records in such you do what’s called sampling and you take little bits and pieces from each record and make your own sound,” said Larose. Larose started selling records at his apartment but finally decided to open Blue Bug Records. “That collection grew and over time one thing led to another and just decided to open that collection up and give it up for sale you know no reason to hold onto it all for oneself and help the community and develop a culture here…”

Suffolk, UK | Suffolk town becoming a vinyl haven as stores open side-by-side: A twist of fate has resulted in vinyl record stores opening next door to each other in a seaside town. Grooveyard Records has opened next door to Onion Vinyl in Orwell Road, Felixstowe and the town is becoming a haven for record stores with other businesses, including Nick Barber Auctions in Hamilton Road, also in the trade. However, Grooveyard owner Garry O’Malley said it was ‘pure coincidence’ that he had opened next door to Onion Vinyl and he was good friends with his neighbouring store owner, Steve Kendall. Mr Kendall told him that he was going to be opening his store in the former Age UK premises, which was by chance right next door to Mr O’Malley. He said: “I can’t think of any town this size that has record stores side-by-side. It is a pure coincidence, that is all it is.”

Cloverdales, BC | Record Store Day resounding success at Elevated Music: Record Store Day was another resounding success at Elevated Music, according to store owner Bill Haggerty. “RSD was insane,” Haggerty told the Cloverdale Reporter via email. Haggerty said it was first-come, first-served at his shop as eager patrons lined up to get in. RSD, as Record Store Day is also known, attracts large crowds seeking hard-to-get titles. RSD was held April 23. The event was created several years ago with the goal of supporting and promoting independent records stores (like Cloverdale’s Elevated Music). Many new records and limited-edition pressings are released exclusively on Record Store Day, making the sales day an eagerly anticipated event. This year Haggerty infused a little Easter spirit into his Record Store Day sale after he decided to hide Easter Eggs around Cloverdale. Elevated Music’s Easter Egg hunt rewarded egg finders with limited-edition tickets for a chance to win limited-edition records. The highly-sought-after tickets were hidden inside eggs around the downtown area and Haggerty released clues to their location prior to RSD.

Austin, TX | A Universe of Music at Your Fingertips Inside the Austin Record Convention: ARC runs Friday through Sunday at the Palmer Events Center: Pandemic takeaway No. 33⅓: VINYL. Pandemic reality No. 3: complete and total supply chain abandonment. “Recently at the Austin Record Convention, we’ve seen an uptick in indie labels signing up as vendors and selling their catalog,” relays Nathan Hanners, son and partner of Doug Hanners, who first staged Austin’s all-music swap meet in 1981. “If new inventory isn’t being produced to sell, [the vinyl logjam] will dampen that trend. I saw that Jack White called on the major labels to invest in building their own vinyl pressing plants again. I hope they do.” Four decades in, music freaks far and wide trek to mecca to trawl two of the best ballrooms in town, packed with every conceivable form of music memorabilia known to humankind. That the Hanners bounced back last May from 2020 canceling both the spring and fall conventions felt like a furlough from the COVID psych ward.

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Discogs to Boost Brick-and-Mortar Record Stores With New Initiative: During its inaugural Independent Record Store Month in June, the online music database will launch an online directory highlighting physical record shops around the world. In the wake of this year’s Record Store Day on April 23, Discogs is spinning up its own initiative to assist brick-and-mortar music sellers. The online physical music database announced Tuesday (May 3) that it’s set to launch its first annual Independent Record Store Month in June 2022. By connecting music fans and indie record stores across the globe, the initiative hopes to highlight the importance of physical record shops and their contribution to vinyl culture.

Athens, OH | Record Store Day was a ROARing Success: Nestled behind Standard Salon, Republic of Athens Records, or ROAR, located at 79 ½ E. State St., is easy to miss by outsiders. Nevertheless, Athens locals know this small business is one of the many gems the city has to offer. What started as a pop-up shop in a bookstore is now a must-go for vinyl and record lovers. In light of ROAR’s success, the store participated in Record Store Day. According to Record Store Day, the holiday began in 2008. The idea originated in 2007 from record store owners who wanted to provide an opportunity to celebrate the unique, eclectic style that encapsulates independent record store culture. Since it was ROAR’s first Record Store Day with a storefront, the business hosted a variety of events leading up to the special day: Saturday, April 23. On Thursday, ROAR sponsored the ACRN show and Friday they organized a movie showing at the Athena Cinema.

Bristol, UK | New Bristol record store Disk Frisk is opening this month: Disk Frisk has announced that the shop will open its doors on 14 May. Bristol’s newest record store will be located at 4 Sommerville Road, just off Gloucester Road. To celebrate their launch they’ll be holding a free entry event throughout the day, with the store founders Disk Frisk on the decks alongside Noods Radio residents Millie McKee and Tim Lawson. plus a special guest. In February local DJs Kane Orchard and Corey Miller – under their DJ aliases Kayne the Hermit and Morey Ciller – announced plans to open a physical shop space. Disk Frisk will specialise in second-hand vinyl from the 1970s through to the early 2000s. Sharing the news of their official opening in a couple of weeks time, they wrote: “We’ve been working hard on getting the space ready and can’t wait to welcome you all here!”

Whangārei, NZ | Northland news in brief: Record fair back: Vinyl records have always been in demand and Northland vinyl junkies can get their fix at the next Whangārei Record Collectors Fair later this month. Organised by Indigo Records, with support from Creative Northland, the fair will be held again at 116 Bank St on May 21, from 10am. There will be the usual crates of second hand vinyl on offer covering virtually all musical genres. DJs from Radio Beagle will also be spinning the discs on live sets during the day. Mask rules apply.

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Guelph, ON | Guelph record store raffles off exclusive Taylor Swift release: May 7 draw will support the Bench’s downtown outreach activities. Taylor Swift fans have an opportunity to win a coveted limited-release record while helping people in need in Guelph this week. Royal Cat Records has acquired two copies of Swift’s “the lakes,” which it is raffling off in support of the Bench, a downtown outreach project that provides food, personal care items and more to people in need. In an email, Royal Cat owners Kara and Bryan Munn said Swift released a limited run of the song in honour of Record Store Day on April 23, but none of the 10,000 copies reached Canada before that date. “We received a deluge of calls from fans desperate to buy the record,” the Munns wrote, adding that copies are selling for more than $100 online. The seven-inch record features two versions of “the lakes,” a song from Swift’s Grammy-winning album folklore. According to the RSD website, it is the first time “the lakes (original version)” is available on vinyl.

Bordentown, NJ | Randy Now’s Man Cave Leaving Bordentown, Here’s Where He’s Going: Randy Ellis, better known as Randy Now, a former U.S. Postal Service employee who knows how to rock the house, is moving his niche record store Randy Now’s Mancave from Bordentown to Hightstown. Ellis, the former promoter at the legendary New Jersey punk and underground club City Gardens in the 80s and 90s, eventually went on to open a subculture-themed record and collector’s shop in downtown Bordentown. Now, as records are becoming more popular and coming back into style among young and old music fans alike, Ellis announced he is moving his store on June first a bit further north. …Randy Now’s Man Cave is scheduled to open at its new location in June. Until then you can catch up and relive old memories with Randy at his Bordentown shop and check out his huge collection.

Partisan’s Jeff Bell on Fontaines DC and why indie retail is key for reaching No.1 …Fontaines DC also made No.1 in the vinyl albums chart with Skinty Fia, which opened with total sales of 19,983, including 12,387 vinyl copies, 4,262 CDs, 788 cassettes, 919 downloads and 1,626 from streams. It marks another independent LP triumph on the weekly albums rundown, following No.1s from acts including Wet Leg, Don Broco, Central Cee, Stereophonics and The Wombats. “…“Indie retail has always been the lifeblood of the independent sector, and will always be part of the story for artists like Fontaines DC and their fans. Being able to partner with stores to allow those fans to experience the band in smaller settings just brings that back to the forefront. That level of interaction is also something that has obviously been missed over the last few years…”

Washington, DC | The Untold Story of the White House’s Weirdly Hip Record Collection: Jimmy Carter’s grandson is unlocking its mysteries. One of the perks of being Jimmy Carter’s grandson is that you get to attend the family’s annual trip, a gathering for the whole extended Carter clan that’s organized by the former President and First Lady. John Chuldenko—whose stepfather is Carter’s son Jack—loves to attend these events, which might involve fishing in the Gulf of Mexico or lounging on a beach in Panama. Much of the time is passed just hanging out, chatting, exchanging old stories. It was during one such sojourn that Chuldenko first heard about the record collection. His uncle Jeff was talking about an incident that happened during a White House party back during the Carter administration. Jeff—Jimmy Carter’s youngest son, who was in his twenties at the time—was hanging out upstairs in the residence with some friends, blasting a Rolling Stones album. Suddenly, the door flew open and there stood Rosalynn Carter and Second Lady Joan Mondale, who reacted to the music with— “Wait, what do you mean there were records there?” Chuldenko wanted to know.

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Isle of Man, UK | Continuing to break records: Last weekend saw the return of Record Store Day for analog music lovers the world over. And once again, the Isle of Man’s music community showed up for Sound Records by coming out in their droves. One keen customer was queuing outside the shop from 5.30am on Saturday to get his hands on the RSD exclusive 7” pressing of ‘the lakes’ and ‘the lakes (original version)’ by Taylor Swift. The song is a bonus track taken from her Grammy award-winning album, folklore, and it was so fiercely sought after that the pressing has already hit resale sites worldwide. Jack Doyle, owner of the shop said: ‘We were blown away, once again, by the support the island showed us for Record Store Day on Saturday. ‘The whole thing was a resounding success, and we’ve been overwhelmed by the reaction. ‘It’s just so wonderful to see our shop full and thriving, queues round the corner, with everyone excited and chatting about music!

Suffolk, UK | Cheerful pre-loved record shop reopens in Felixstowe after funky refurbishment: “It’s big and bright -even if you don’t find something you want, you’ll still walk out thinking ‘yeah that was a cool place to come and visit'” A second-hand vinyl shop has opened its doors again with a brand new look and some cool vibes, after a turbulent few years during the Covid pandemic. Grooveyard Records in Felixstowe had its first weekend of business during the Easter bank holiday and owner Garry O’Malley was blown away by the “phenomenal” reception it had. The 53-year-old has always had a love for music and built up a record collection numbering in the thousands, however, in the 90s he got fed up of carting them from home to home as he moved around frequently. As CDs took over the music business he did what most other fans did at the time and sold the entire collection – something he kicks himself about knowing how much they’d be worth now.

Bristol, UK | Much loved record shop opens in new location: A record shop that had spent the last dozen years in St Nick’s Market has reopened in a new location just a few hundred yards away. Wanted Records now has more racks of vinyl and two listening decks as well as DJ sessions during late opening evenings. “We’ve been hording a fine selection of rare jazz, African, reggae and lots more so don’t miss out,” say the Wanted Records team. “We love it, we think you will too, see you soon.” They added on social media: “For those who don’t know (we haven’t really spread the word, but these things always leak), Wanted Records is moving. “After 12 years, we’re leaving the cosy environment of St Nicholas Market and braving the outside world. “The new shop is bigger and better and, according to Google Maps, approximately 70 metres from the old shop.”

Wilkes-Barre, PA | Downtown WB’s Musical Energi a must-see for vinyl connoisseurs: There’s a reason for the resurgence of the vinyl market: You just can’t beat that pop and hiss, perhaps a little static as your favorite A or B side starts spinning. For purists and audiophiles, this is common knowledge, though it’s not far-fetched to imagine the average enthusiast taking a listen and immediately agreeing. Luckily for downtown Wilkes-Barre, Musical Energi has been providing vinyl records (among many other lifestyle accoutrements) for nearly 37 years. Owner and dedicated vinyl enthusiast, Jay Notartomaso, 61, of West Wyoming (by way of Clarks Summit) has been passionate for his entire life. “I’ve been obsessed with records since I was four years old,” he said. “Like, most kids have a blanket at that age, but my hand was like, on the player.” Notartomaso said his father’s love of music inspired him and he ran with it. “Music is like my God,” he said.

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UK | Vinyl sales continue to soar with Britons now even turning back to CASSETTES: Britian’s love affair with vinyl records shows little sign of fizzling out, with sales rising for a 14th consecutive year, and by more than 10 per cent, a new analysis has revealed. Meanwhile it is not just vintage records by David Bowie and The Beatles which are fuelling the retro renaissance – new records by the likes of ABBA, Adele and Ed Sheeran accounted for almost 43 per cent of vinyl LP purchases. Meanwhile it is not just vintage records by David Bowie and The Beatles which are fuelling the retro renaissance – new records by the likes of ABBA, Adele and Ed Sheeran accounted for almost 43 per cent of vinyl LP purchases. The facts and figures are revealed in All About The Music 2022, the 43rd edition of the British Phonographic Association’s annual yearbook. In terms of being 2021’s top-selling vinyl artist, Bowie, who died in 2016, was top of the pile, with the Fab Four coming in second. However, Voyage, ABBA’s first record in 40 years, 30, Adele’s first in five, and Sheeran’s latest offering, have also proved popular for collectors, accounting for 100,000 vinyl purchases. As a result new vinyl album sales surged to 42.9 percent of the overall total, compared with 30 percent in 2020.

Madison, WI | B-Side’s mercifully short move: In the past few months, bad news about Madison record stores has somehow directly turned into good news! Twice! B-Side, as we reported in February, is being forced to relocate while another large-scale, small-business-sweeping development bears down on State Street. But this week, owner Steve Manley announced that the store has already figured out a new location—and that, perhaps miraculously, it won’t be going far, just scooching down to 514 State St. in September. “I thought about going elsewhere and looked around but my preference and intuition said stay downtown, despite the highest lease rates in town,” Manley says. “It’s a tradeoff for proximity to UW students and general high foot traffic.” (Full disclosure: B-Side is a Tone Madison sponsor.) This happy development follows last week’s news that Atwood Avenue’s Sugar Shack Records will live on in some sense as Madison musician and artist Maggie Denman takes over the now-closed store’s inventory and opens her own place, Boneset Records, at 2565 E. Johnson St. This, of course, still leaves B-Side as the only record store in downtown Madison.

Minneapolis, MN | With Outta Wax, Minneapolis Will Get a Record Pressing Plant of Its Own: Minnesota is about to be home to not one but TWO vinyl record-making facilities. Hot on the heels of last week’s news that Copycats Media will soon open a Maple Grove record pressing facility, we’re just tickled to tell ya that Minneapolis is getting a vinyl production factory, too. Outta Wax has already secured space in a northeast Minneapolis arts building, just a handful of blocks from Grumpy’s. Cofounder Sara Pette tells us that the machines have been ordered and should ship out soon—if all goes according to plan, they’ll be testing the presses later this year. “I’m actually pretty surprised that the Twin Cities area [doesn’t] have a pressing plant yet!” she says. Pette plays in the garage pop band Lutheran Heat (great name) and is the owner of Pette’s Hounds Dogwalking & Pet Care (GREAT NAME). Both of those things were thrown into flux during the pandemic, which is right around the time Pette started talking about hosting a podcast with her brother John. The two avid collectors soon had a tangential idea: What if they got a loan to open a record pressing plant?

Perth, AU | Astral Weeks: Perth’s first hi-fi listening bar opens in Northbridge’s China Precinct: It won’t just be the wine you’ll be raving about after visiting new Perth bar Astral Weeks but also the quality of sound produced by its state-of-the-art hi-fi system. Tucked away in an unassuming space down an alleyway in Northbridge’s China Precinct is Perth’s first listening bar — a 60-person cosy space fitted out with acoustic carpeting and a bookshelf stacked with an eclectic mix of vinyl records. Listening bar culture is all the rage in Japan, where small venues with unique sound systems offer visitors an opportunity to listen to music. Astral Weeks co-owner Sean O’Neill said listening bars around the world had inspired him to open one in Perth. “I thought Perth needed something like this,” he said.

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London, UK | London’s Rat Records is closing down: The Camberwell shop will shut its doors in June. Second-hand treasure trove Rat Records is set to close this summer. Its current owners are looking for someone to keep the shop running. Opened by Tom Fisher in 1999, Rat Records focused on selling rare reggae, funk, soul, punk and more, entertaining a faithful crowd of regulars who would queue up to flick through the new stock added to the racks each Saturday morning. The shop will close in the third week of June, with the final day of trading planned for Saturday the 18th, after which the current lease expires. Fisher will continue to buy and sell records online, however he’s keen for the space to remain as a record store, and is urging anyone interested in purchasing the name and assets to contact him. Head to the Rat Records site for more info.

Queensland, AU | Iconic Bris Record Store Unleashes On Govt, Police After Closure Announcement: “You have to leave for your sanity and safety.” The team behind beloved Queensland record store Butter Beats has announced the closure of the Fortitude Valley location. A haven for collectable records, Butter Beats has been a mainstay of the Brisbane music scene since 1998, specialising in rare Australian releases. “After a crazy 23 years working in the Fortitude Valley, we are shutting the Valley Store,” reads a statement on Butter Beats’ Facebook, with owner Jason Woodward stating that “dealing with the problems of the Valley has been trying.” “All three forms of government, both parties, has tested my patience and financial stability/ ability especially over the last two years, and like all abusive relationship, you have to leave for your sanity and safety,” the post says. “Twenty three years of seeing millions wasted and all forms of government destroying the character of the Valley and small business in general. The refusual to help those folks that are on the streets, preferring to ignore the ‘too hard basket.’

Berkley, MI | Block party planned to welcome Flipside Records to Berkley: The Berkley Downtown Development Authority is planning a block party from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 1, to welcome Flipside Records to its new home in the city’s downtown. Formerly in Clawson, the independent record store is now located at 3099 Coolidge Hwy. The Fam Jam Block Party will take place in the store’s parking lot, and will feature live music, a variety of food trucks and family-friendly games, crafts and activities. There will also be a special performance by the Norup International school band, a family martial arts session presented by MKG Detroit and photo opportunities with a Stormtrooper.

Madison, WI | B-Side Records announces new location after facing permanent closure: The 39-year-old downtown record store will move less than a block down State Street in September. B-Side Records has announced plans to move down to the 500 block of State Street in September, as the shop’s original location faces demolition to make way for a five-story multi-use structure. One of downtown Madison’s only remaining record shops had faced permanent closure after nearly 40 years on the 400 block of State Street due to the JD McCormick development. “It’s heartwarming to know we have this much community goodwill after nearly 40 years,” B-Side Owner Steve Manley said in a Facebook post. “It all feels like a fairy tale, this turning of the tide, after dire times in the 2000s, before the vinyl resurgence rescued us from the brink.” The new space will be bigger than the original store, and will see B-Side move back next door to its old neighbor, Freedom Skate Shop, which reopened in a new spot at 512 State St. in March.

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Houston, TX | Cactus Music, Houston’s oldest independent record store: Cactus Music Co-Owner, Quinn Bishop, discusses the history of Houston’s oldest independent record store and its special place in Houston’s music scene. Cactus Music is Houston’s oldest independent record store. Its origins trace back to Harold “Pappy” Daily’s outpost, Daily’s Record Ranch, which opened in 1946. His sons, Bud and Don Daily, opened Cactus Music and Record Ranch in 1975. Great Day Houston spoke with Co-Owner, Quinn Bishop, about the history of Cactus Music and its special place in Houston’s music scene. Known for its extensive collection of music, customers can purchase anything from vintage LPs to cassette tapes and CDs. The record store invites shoppers to explore as well, with music memorabilia, concert posters, and autographs covering the walls. Music fans can also enjoy special in-store events including album release parties, artist meet and greets, and live music performances.

Levittown, PA | After midnight, vinyl lovers crowd Levittown indie record store: As midnight approached, but before Jacky BamBam arrived to groove it up, a hundred people waited in the chill on the sidewalk outside Positively Records on Woerner Avenue in Levittown. It was Record Store Day, and to each person in line, vinyl records rule. “We’re here for Taylor Swift,” said Tina Cuddy, who had been outside the store since 9 a.m., with her daughter, Rachel, 18. Taylor Swift issued a special release of a clear vinyl 45 rpm disc of “The Lakes” (the B-side is another version of the same tune). Just 10,000 were pressed and only indie record joints like Positively Records received a copy or two. “Maybe they have two, maybe four, you can’t be sure except that it’s not very many,” Rachel said. To increase their chances of snagging the record, they waited 15-hours outside. “They’re just aren’t a lot of places like this, so when there’s a Taylor Swift release, you just expect a crazy line of fans…”

Milwaukee, WI | Punk Vinyl, Vintage Clothing and Hanging Out at Blast Radius: If it weren’t for the graffiti on the walls and the not-so-distant upbeat music growing ever louder as you ascend the stairs, you probably wouldn’t realize that you were about to step inside of a little slice of punk-rock heaven. Blast Radius is Milwaukee’s newest independent record shop, an unassuming DIY storefront run by three local musicians out of a studio space in Walker’s Point. Located at 536 W. National Ave., there are no signs out front indicating that you’ve come to the right place—a feeling reminiscent of DIY punk basement shows, where addresses are seldomly given out on show fliers. Instead, customers will check the shop’s Instagram page—@blastradiusmke‑for the store hours. A buzzer on the front door of the building will alert whoever happens to be working, and you’ll be let inside.

Erie, PA | Treasures of Erie: From antiques to vinyl records, see what people are collecting in the area: …Spinning records is not just a nostalgic way to listen to music. It hasn’t been for years. The popularity of vinyl records truly never went away for lovers of the analog music storage format. “It’s always felt more intimate. You couldn’t really take it on the go and you had to commit to it,” said Millcreek resident Larry Wheaton, a musician and longtime vinyl aficionado. “I always enjoy playing them and turning them over. For somebody who loves music, it’s a better way of doing it than making it just background noise.” Vinyl has been making noise now for more than a decade in Erie and throughout the world with a resurgence back into the mainstream. A once-dominant way of playing music, records saw fewer spins on turntables in the 1980s before the vinyl format dropped out of popularity in the ’90s. But it’s climbed back to relevance with collectors and casual fans.

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Austin, TX | Record Store Day sales spike amid soaring U.S. vinyl sales: Waterloo Records sales rebounded to pre-pandemic levels for Saturday’s “Record Store Day,” a global event filled with vinyl and CD releases. Why it matters: Record Store Day usually marks the biggest sales day of the year for Waterloo and other stores, and after a two-year decline, owner John Kunz said 2022 Waterloo sales topped pre-pandemic 2019 figures. The big picture: Kunz estimated 200 music fans were in line by the time the store opened at 7am, hoping to get their hands on exclusive releases from their favorite artists. Some of that interest was driven by Taylor Swift’s exclusive—and very limited—7″ release of “the lakes,” which led Waterloo and other Austin record stores to create a drawing for customers to meet the surge in demand.

Los Angeles, CA | The Vinyl Frontier: Record Shopping in Los Angeles: Record store owners across the city weigh in on the changing landscape of brick-and-mortar locations in the online era. The target audience for Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza probably never shopped in the record store chain that lends the movie its title, which populated Southern California from 1969 until the mid-1980s. With a flagship kitty-corner from the Whisky a Go Go, Licorice Pizza stood out for its name—coined by the comedy music duo Bud & Travis as slang for an LP—against the competition of Tower Records, The Wherehouse, and the mall chains. Each location carved out a niche, Licorice Pizza founder James Greenwood told Gary Calamar and me a decade ago, when we were writing Record Store Days: From Vinyl to Digital and Back Again. “We went for service and convenience,” he recalled. “In some instances, price, too—we were truly thinking about satisfying the senses.” That meant providing couches and hangout areas in the store along with free licorice and, at times, pizza as well.

Brussels, BE | Belgian music sales skyrocket to highest level in years: After a tumultuous period due to the pandemic, music sales in Belgium reached the highest level in years in 2021, mostly driven by streaming, but also as a result of the revival of vinyl and record shops. In 2021, the Belgian music industry’s turnover was almost €91 million – up by 16% from 2020 while also beating the figures for 2019, according to figures from the Belgian Recorded Music Association (BRMA), the federation that represents music distributors and producers. Since 2017, the number of digital music sales has increased from under 50% to as high as 78% in 2021. “More and more music lovers and fans are finding their way to their favourite artists and the immense offer of music because the music industry succeeded years ago in bringing together its entire all music offerings into one streaming service,” Patrick Guns, Chair of BRMA, said.

Nashville, TN | Historical Commissioner Talks Ernest Tubb Record Shop Preservation: …Ever since the announcement, concerned individuals have been trying to figure out how both the building and the business could be preserved in its current state. Though preserving the business is considerably more difficult since it deals with a private enterprise, according to the Executive Director of Nashville’s Metro Historical Commission, W. Tim Walker, music fans and preservationists need not worry about the building itself. Due to local designations, the historic structure at 417 Broadway cannot be demolished to make way for a new development. “It is in a local historical overlay district. It’s in the historic Broadway Preservation District, which runs from 1st to 5th Avenue, and picks up all the properties on both sides of the street,” W. Tim Walker tells Saving Country Music. “The building cannot be demolished. It’s a contributing, or historic building to that district.”

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UK | Canals, charcuterie and beer: the weird ways record shops are staying afloat: …necessity was the mother of invention. “The vinyl revival was tentative when we opened,” says Johnson. “So we needed other sales avenues to support it.” In his case, that meant a licensed bar and wheeled record shelves that could be pushed aside to make an events space – then later, pushed by local DJs Alex Paterson of the Orb and Kev “DJ Food” Foakes, creating an online radio station, wnbc.london, streaming live from the shop. This kind of enterprise keeps shops in the public eye, but also connects musicians and local communities. Antony Daly says having in-store sets brings younger DJs into a shop for the first time and “watching a vinyl DJ has then opened them up to the idea of buying records and learning to play from turntables”.

Madison, WI | Former Sugar Shack Records employee to open Boneset Records: Musician and artist Maggie Denman is taking over Sugar Shack’s inventory and plans to launch a new store on East Johnson Street. Maggie Denman says that when she worked at Sugar Shack Records for owner Gary John Feest, he was “the best boss I ever had.” Feest is pretty high on his former employee, too. So high that this coming Monday, Sugar Shack Records inventory will become the property of Denman. Upon learning earlier this year that his 41-year-old store’s lease was ending on Atwood Avenue, Feest tried to sell his stock of vinyl, tapes, and CDs, with no luck. Rather than selling it in parcels or donating it to St. Vinny’s, he’s giving it to someone who is eager and ready to run her own shop.

Dublin, IE | Golden Discs to open ‘concept store’ at flagship Dundrum location: Shop will stock wide range of clothing and merchandise from popular films and shows. Golden Discs is to open a new “concept store” at its flagship Dundrum Town Centre location in Dublin on Saturday. The company said the new store format will be dedicated to “super fans and lovers of popular culture.” It will stock a range of products including posters, books, bags, stationary and merchandise from Marvel, DC, Lucas film, Game of Thrones and Harry Potter among others. There will also be a range of licensed clothing, including t-shirts, hoodies and baseball caps from films and television shows. The store will also carry pop culture products and specialist collectibles and figurines from the world of film and entertainment, as well as gaming and growing subgenres like Manga and Pokemon. “We’ve seen huge increase in demand for merchandise over past few years and the time has come for a dedicated store to serve this growing market,” said Golden Discs chief executive Stephen Fitzgerald.

Fort Worth, TX | New Record Shop Puts Its Spin on Sundance Square: Need to get in tune with music? The new record shop, Union Station will set you on track. Even if someone were to miss the pink doors that stand to introduce Union Station, the music that can be heard on the street definitely would. Buried in the heart of downtown Fort Worth, awaits the new record shop. Its owner Patrick McGrew’s ambition is to bring people together from different generations and bond over something everyone can enjoy-music. “People will be walking down the street and will be like ‘what is that,’ and then come in. Music is what catches their attention first and something I want to highlight it more,” McGrew says. “Music is something that can always bring people together. No matter what your background is, I feel like everyone can relate to some kind of music.” A Jackson Five vinyl was the first vinyl before his collection grew and what it took for McGrew to find his groove with the art of vinyl. Members of his family would gift him a vinyl around holidays, encouraging his fascination.

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UK | Vinyl fans flock to UK record shops for Record Store Day 2022: Some customers queued from the early hours to get their hands on their desired RSD release. Vinyl lovers have been flocking to independent record shops across the UK today (April 23) for Record Store Day 2022. As part of RSD’s 15th anniversary, hundreds of exclusive physical releases – including vinyl, CD and cassette – were made available at over 260 participating indie retailers nationwide. Fans can get their hands on special records from the likes of Blur, Taylor Swift, Elvis, U2, Bring Me The Horizon, Sam Fender and Blondie. Many celebrated managing to bag ‘The Lakes’ 7″ by Swift, who is the global ambassador of Record Store Day 2022. “Still can’t believe this happened but I’m so glad to have another addition to my Taylor Swift collection, especially one of my favourite tracks for my first RSD!” one customer wrote on Twitter. Another Swift fan shared a picture of their clear vinyl of ‘The Lakes’, captioning it: “Three hours later and she’s finally mine.”

Indio, CA | Coachella 2022: Record store day draws new and veteran collectors: As Saturday, April 23 marked record store day nationally, both new and experienced vinyl collectors took the opportunity to expand their collections at Coachella. Crate diggers descended upon the centrally located Record Safari! on the festival fairgrounds to indulge in the 15th annual record store day, in which record store staff, customers and the artists collaborate. Through sales, exclusive promotions and vinyl re-releases, the goal is to keep the tradition of record collecting alive. Some customers had to wait outside in a line at Record Safari! on Saturday as there was a special section of records set aside for the holiday, said Ivan Castaneda, spokesman for the record store. While there were no exclusive releases at the store this year, Castaneda said they had a special selection of releases, featuring some artists performing at this year’s festival. “I was not expecting a line like this,” Castaneda said.

Hazard, KY | Eastern Kentucky record store sees great turnout for Record Store Day: Queen City Records in Hazard experienced Record Store Day for the first time. Store leaders said they saw great success and plan on participating in future Record Store Days moving forward. The shop was scheduled to be open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. but stayed open for as many customers as possible. Co-owner Mary Jo Everidge said it was busy all day. “We’ve had people camping out this morning,” she said. “We’ve had a couple customers here since six o’ clock this morning. We didn’t open until 11, so, we’ve had a very, very good turnout.” Everidge said, when the store opened, they immediately had 15 to 20 people come in and shop.

Fresno, CA | Vinyl records making a comeback in Fresno for one-day, here’s why it’s booming again: The annual national “Record Store Day” brought collectors out by the hundreds Saturday in Fresno. According to Recording Industry Association data, Vinyl records are making a comeback. Vinyl records outsold CD sales in 2020 and 2021 and that hasn’t happened in decades. Although it’s great for record shop owners, they say, it’s seeing another bigger issue come from it. Paul Cruikshank, owner of Ragin’ Records, had over 500 people waiting in two lines when he open the doors at 7:30 A.M. The lines went for blocks around the Tower District. “Record Store Day was conceived in 2007 at a gathering of independent record store owners and employees as a way to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding nearly 1400 independently owned record stores in the US and thousands of similar stores internationally.”

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Minneapolis, MN | 7 things to know about Record Store Day 2022 in the Twin Cities: The national holiday for music lovers returns to relative normal on Saturday with live music and other local store happenings. Just what music fans need after COVID lockdown: another excuse to buy lots of records and spend more time alone at home. Fortunately, the social aspect of Record Store Day is returning this year along with the onslaught of albums. Saturday’s installment of the 15th annual nationwide indie-music store celebration will welcome back capacity crowds and in-store events after two years of being stymied by the pandemic. Here’s a rundown of things to expect for Record Store Day 2022. Happy digging.

Melbourne, AU | JJ’s Vinyl is dropping exclusives and DJ tunes for Record Store Day 2022: JJ’s Vinyl is throwing a killer Record Store Day 2022 event at their Chelsea Heights store, featuring a bunch of special releases and DJ Brett Wolfie. Variety has always been a major strength of JJ’s Vinyl, so with heaps of Record Store Day discounts and exclusive titles on offer, they’re always a destination of choice on the vinyl collector’s day-of-days. This year Record Store Day celebrates its 15th year of dishing out the superior format and falls on April 23, where vinyl lovers from around Melbourne will descend on JJ’s on Wells Road in Chelsea Heights. There, you’ll get to check out the record purveyor’s exclusive Record Store Day titles, stacks of new and used vinyl, discounted items and music from Wolfie, care of the Melbourne Record Club. The OG JJ’s has become a beacon-of-sorts for the region’s vinyl connoisseurs, so they’ve recently opened up a second outlet inside Hunted Market in Bayswater – both have massive ranges and pride themselves on recommendations so accurate you’ll never trust a Spotify algorithm again.

Manchester, UK | Record Store Day 2022 in Manchester – everything you need to know: What records will be available and where to get them. This weekend will see the highly-anticipated return of Record Store Day – an annual event held every April to celebrate the cultural significance of the independently owned record store. The international event brings together fans, artists and thousands of record shops around the world, including more than 260 shops in the UK. More often than not, the day sees vinyl lovers and long-time collectors queueing for hours outside Manchester’s impressive roster of record shops, to bag themselves records pressed specifically for the occasion. Keep reading for a brief guide to RSD and how to pick up the exclusive releases.

Denver, CO | Spin On: A Record Store Day Tribute to Wax Trax: Saturday, April 23, is Record Store Day, a celebration of independent retailers specializing in LPs, CDs and other products that music lovers can actually hold in their hands rather than stream on their phones. But while Wax Trax Records will be participating in the festivities, its two stores, located steps from each other on the 600 block of East 13th Avenue, deserve a salute every day, just as they have since the operation came to life in 1975. For those scoring at home, that’s 47 years, and for more than thirty of them, Wax Trax has been among my favorite haunts — which makes me a relative newcomer compared to customers who’ve been going to the joint since the Gerald Ford administration. But I’m second to none when it comes to my fandom for what has rightly become a Denver institution.

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Toledo, OH | Area stores prepare for epic Record Store Day: The 15th annual National Record Store Day will take place on Saturday, April 23, but that’s not the only reason to celebrate at Culture Clash Records this month. Toledo’s iconic record store, located at 912 Monroe St., will hold a big week of events leading up to April 23, including commemorating 419 Day. The Toledo community will be celebrated as Culture Clash holds a special 419 Toledo Celebration on April 19, from 5-8pm. Featuring live music from Ben Stalets, Teamonade and Greg Dale, the fun will also feature food from Frankly Plant Based Kitchen and Leaf & Seed Cafe, as well as art by Cydnee Moore and local apparel from Printed on a Lark. It all leads up to a jam-packed Record Store Day on Saturday, April 23 beginning at 9:30am. Beyond the usual slew of new and RSD exclusive albums that will be on sale, the event will see a variety of local vendors and artists on hand, and a number of surprise giveaways, as well.

Melbourne, AU | Basement Discs: Here’s what to buy on Record Store Day 2022: Nestled underneath the Block Arcade, Basement Discs is a hidden underground gem that you should visit on Record Store Day 2022. With shops opening back up and the CBD returning to a sense of normalcy, Basement Discs is back in full swing. Descending the stairs into the labyrinth of vinyls and CDs is an experience like no other – it’s an unmissable store for any record lover. With shipments arriving regularly from the US and Europe, Basement Discs is bound to have what you’re looking for. Visit them on Record Store Day, which is April 23, an annual celebration of local vinyl music stores. Vinyls are displayed between the bollards that hold up The Block Arcade, as visitors are invited to spend their time exploring the eclectic mix of the latest CDs, DVDs and vinyls from around the world. The basement venue also features a stage for live performances and openings, as well as a section for vintage clothes.

Liverpool, UK | Live music and barbecue coming to city centre for Record Store Day 2022: There will be live music, a barbecue and a free art print for the first 20 customers. A barbecue with live music, food and drink is taking place in Liverpool this weekend. The event is set to take place at Jacaranda Records on Seel Street in celebration of Record Store Day. The day will also feature limited edition exclusive vinyls, music from vinyl DJs, and free tea and coffee. Record Store Day is the one day of the year when more than 260 independent record shops all across the UK come together to celebrate their unique culture. Jacaranda Records is putting on a day to make it its biggest and best Record Store Day yet. Doors open at 8am on Saturday, April 23 for Record Store Day at Jacaranda Records. From the moment music fans arrive to the moment they leave, there’ll be something to enjoy at every step of the way – there’ll even be special vinyl releases made exclusively for the day.

Tampa Bay, FL | Record Store Day events in Tampa Bay: Local record stores are celebrating the 15th annual holiday. Vinyl record aficionados and independent record stores get their own holiday on Saturday with the 15th annual Record Store Day. Shops around the bay area are celebrating with live music, album releases and other festivities. Here is a roundup. Daddy Kool Records: Shop vendors including Cryangelthrift and Godmother Vintage and enjoy food by the 5 Buck Truck, Latin Lunchbox and Coven KavaTruck, plant-based products, punk rock staples, live music and a full bar. CDs will be sold to raise money for a Ukraine relief fund, and donations are welcome. Free…

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Pittsburgh, PA | Record Store Day: Why it’s great, and why it isn’t: For its 2022 ambassador, Record Store Day turned to one of the industry’s brightest stars, Taylor Swift, who has said she tours with a turntable in hand and who, last year, released a vinyl version of “Red” that had fans thinking theirs was broken: You had to play the LP at 45, not 33⅓. In her RSD statement, Swift said, in part, “Record stores are so important because they help to perpetuate and foster music-loving as a passion. They create settings for live events. They employ people who adore music thoroughly and purely.” One Pittsburgh store specializing in such live events is The Government Center, the North Side location run by Josh Cozby, who came here from Portland, Ore., with his family in 2019 to open the store. “We had the bands booked and posters printed for the Record Store Day event in 2020, and we were all ready. It was super exciting and then, you know, obviously that got canceled,” he says.

Northampton, UK | Vinyl enthusiasts get ready for the return of Record Store Day: Two record shops in the county will be stocking official RSD releases, with others taking part in Saturday’s celebration of vinyl. Record Store Day returns this weekend with hundreds of pieces of limited-edition vinyl up for grabs. Both Spun Out and Vinyl Underground in Northampton will be stocking official releases while The Black Prince and The Lamplighter pubs will both be holding record fairs which will feature a host of other sellers including Spinadisc and Spiral Archive. Spun Out owner Chris Kent said: “We’re working hard to make it another big one for Northampton. We’ll have a massive selection of this year’s official Record Store Day Releases on sale. “It’s always a really great day and I’m sure it’s going to be another busy one. “Many of the biggest names in the music business such as Foo Fighters, The Who, Stevie Nicks and Noel Gallagher will be releasing rare records for the event.”

Newcastle, UK | Record Store Day puts vinyl sales on track for 30 year high – and that’s no surprise says Newcastle music shop owner: The format once discarded as dated in favour of CDs continues to enjoy its comeback thanks to a new generation of fans. Sales of vinyl records are set to hit the number one spot this year after climbing up the charts for the past few years. Last year saw the classic LP format – discarded in favour of futuristic CDs in the 1980s – reach the highest sales for 30 years. More than five million vinyl records were sold in 2021 – up by 8% on the previous year, and marking a 14th consecutive year of growth for the format, according to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). It is the biggest year of vinyl sales since the early nineties, when the Phil Collins album But Seriously was the best-selling record. The vinyl comeback is expected to peak later this year, when LPs are poised to become the dominant physical format in terms of revenue, according to industry publication Music Week. The figures come off the back of initiatives such as Record Store Day, which has helped drive sales of vinyl over the past decade.

Indianapolis, IN | Indy CD & Vinyl celebrates 20th anniversary with free music festival, plus Record Store Day: Two events have perfectly aligned this weekend—an Indianapolis record store celebrating two decades and a vinyl collector’s holiday. The 15th Annual Record Store Day takes place on Saturday, and Indy CD & Vinyl celebrates its 20th anniversary on Sunday. Altogether, it will be one big, busy weekend at the Broad Ripple staple. “It’s gonna be great. It’s, honestly, it’s a celebration of the work that we’ve put into this place for the last 20 years,” Andy Skinner, co-owner of Indy CD & Vinyl, told WRTV. “And the fact that it’s free to the public is a nice gesture to kind of say ‘thank you’ to everybody for supporting the store for the last 20 years.” Indy CD & Vinyl’s existence actually dates back to 1993 in Salt Lake City, Utah. There, the shop’s original owner, Rick Zeigler, operated Indy CD & Vinyl for about eight years until he decided to move to Indianapolis, and open up shop at 806 Broad Ripple Ave., where it’s been ever since.

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Sturgeon Bay, WI | Vinyl records sales hit $1 billion in 2021, nearly 40-year high: There was a time where Paul Exworthy had written off his record collection. He wasn’t alone. Exworthy is general manager at Bay Vinyl Records in Sturgeon Bay where he’s immersed in discussions about music and LPs all day. It’s where he wants to be. “Ten years ago my step-daughter brought me to a used record store in Green Bay on Record Store Day and I’ve been hooked ever since,” he said. Both the store and the industry have seen an influx of new business in recent years. Older music lovers are coming back to records while a new generation of buyers are joining the record world. Logan Smith is part of that new generation. He recently got his first record player and is discovering a world of music that at one time had gone the way of the eight-track tape.

Front Range, WY | Front Range shops get in the groove for Record Store Day 2022: Across the region, the back rooms of local record stores are filled with cardboard boxes so heavy that the shop owners and managers can hardly lift them. It’s all because of this upcoming Saturday – Record Store Day 2022. Every year since 2008, the organization of the same name that launched the worldwide event has curated a list of exclusive vinyl record releases that flood the shelves of independent shops, leading customers to line up at 8 a.m. to get their hands on a limited copy to add to their collection. The main focus of Record Store Day is to drive business to brick-and-mortar locations by selling exclusive releases to record stores across the country. With the revival of vinyl causing a boom in the industry – so much so that record plants are overwhelmed to the point of having to push some releases to a later date – Record Store Day is only becoming more prominent for record store owners.

Seattle, WA | Record Store Day returns April 23 with celebrations, great jazz vinyl: The cooperative Record Store Day celebrations will return to their pre-pandemic schedule this year. For two years, vinyl collectors had a few “RSD Drops” to celebrate. They marked important release dates but didn’t include the traditional gatherings at local record stores that was the original point of Record Store Day. Record stores are places to hang out, discuss music, meet new friends, and support artists as well as vital small businesses in our communities. Vinyl pressing plants are still dealing with massive pandemic-driven backlogs, so a June 18 “Drop” date has been scheduled for albums that won’t be able to meet the April deadline. Those will include the U.S. vinyl debut of the 1991 Paquito D’Rivera Reunion album with Arturo Sandoval, a reissue of the rare 1972 album Dream Queen from The Bobby Hamilton Quintet Unlimited, and the exclusive double-vinyl pressing of another in the Miles Davis bootleg series – What It Is: Montreal 7/7/83. Of course, every day is a great day to visit a record store. Here’s a list of jazz and blues vinyl that are worth lining up for April 23:

Winchester, VA | Local music stores gearing up for Record Store Day: A big day for music connoisseurs is coming up next Saturday. It’s Record Store Day, an annual event that gives people the opportunity to purchase special, limited-edition vinyl and CD releases that can only be bought from independent record stores. Winchester has three such stores — Ear Food at 22 Weems Lane, Back to the Media at 48 S. Loudoun St. and Hopscotch Coffee and Records at 250 Millwood Ave. — all of which will be participating in the once-a-year event. Each will be selling a selection of the 344 titles exclusive to this year’s Record Store Day from popular artists including The Who, Sara Bareilles, Lil Wayne, The Ramones, Mariah Carey, The Doors, Paul McCartney, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Childish Gambino and hundreds more. Each participating store chooses which titles it wants to carry, which can be a difficult decision when there are so many from which to choose. At Ear Food, father-and-son owners Anthony and Jamie Matthews said they make their selections based on which artists have proven to be most popular with customers.

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UK | Record Store Day 2022: What’s On in Scotland: With Record Store Day back in its rightful place in the calendar, we take a closer look at what some of Scotland’s record shops have in store on Saturday 23 April. Barring a couple of years, due to the pandemic, Record Store Day has been taking place on a Saturday in April since 2008. An idea formed among independent record shop owners in Baltimore, Maryland in 2007, the day is now a worldwide phenomenon. The return of Record Store Day to its rightful place in the April calendar this year sees international superstar Taylor Swift take the helm as the event’s first ever global ambassador for what will surely be the biggest day record shops have seen since 2019. In Scotland, due to the continued easing of restrictions, the return of Record Store Day to April also means a return to in-store events; community is such a big part of what Record Store Day is all about – as well as the music and the record sales, of course – so ahead of the big day we’ve pulled together a handy guide of what’s going on across Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee on 23 April.

Detroit, MI | Record Store Day makes music April 23: Dig out your treasured Beatles albums and dust off those Led Zeppelin vinyl LPs — it’s time to rock ‘n’ roll. Local record store employees are gearing up for their big biannual event, Record Store Day, on April 23. Held internationally, Record Store Day began in 2007 as a chance for staff, customers and artists to come together and celebrate the independent record store culture. It’s a special time in which music fans visit their local record stores to stock up on new releases, check out sales and promotions, view album artwork, and more. Record Store Day is held twice a year, in April and every November on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. “It started during the Recession when a lot of stores were going out of business,” said Dan Zieja, who owns Melodies & Memories in Eastpointe with his wife, Denise. “It gets a lot of interest in vinyl records. Vinyl has had a resurgence over the last few years. I never thought records would come back. I’ve been here 35 years. It was a real surprise when the records came back.”

Nashville, TN | Sales cause vinyl record business in Nashville to expand: A Nashville business that makes vinyl records is expanding its operations and hiring more people. Technology demands progress and a sense of moving forward in most industries. But in Nashville, music’s growth keeps looking to the past. Polyvinyl chloride never looked so good, the critical ingredient to vinyl records, and it’s oh so hot record sales. “Vinyl’s a hot commodity right now,” Jeri-Ann Mills, VP Client Services & Front End Operations at United Record Pressing, LLC., said. “Everything’s come full circle; where did we start with vinyl. And now we are back with vinyl.” At United Record Pressing in Nashville, they turned out 40,000 vinyl records a day and 40 Million sales last year. The sound and the cool colors make them so wantable. “Vinyl’s cool, it’s romantic, the technology is right at your fingertips,” Mills said. “Nothing better than dropping that needle.”

Bartlett, TN | Memphis Record Pressing plans $30M expansion in Bartlett: Memphis Record Pressing is spinning quite the expansion tune right now. On Thursday, the Bartlett-based company announced plans for a $30 million expansion that will double the company’s workforce and effectively make it the largest vinyl record manufacturer in North America, according to a news release. “This expansion will provide much-needed relief to the enormous backlog in the vinyl industry that’s been driven by historic and unprecedented consumer demand,” co-founder and CEO Brandon Seavers said in a statement. The investment will include a $21.3 million facility expansion at its headquarters at 3015 Brother Boulevard in Bartlett. The expansion will add 33,000 square feet of manufacturing space and the addition of 36 record presses. The new facility is expected to open in late September. Memphis Record Pressing will also begin $7.5 million worth of renovations on a warehouse site at 7625 Appling Center Drive in Bartlett. The 100,000-sq. ft. building will operate as a packaging warehouse. The site is expected to open in June.

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