Go ahead and judge that book by its cover! This maneuver often gets a bad rap, but it’s something we are all programmed to do.
One of the ways we appreciate the good things in life is through our proclivities for certain aesthetic environments. Interestly, music is no exception. As much as we use our ears as auditory devices—and as much as we like to tell ourselves we don’t—we are most certainly impacted by the visuals provided to us by the music industry. Whether we like it, or not, it’s a part of the package. What would our favorite albums of the ’70s look like without the graphic design of Hipgnosis? The modernist Blue Note graphic designs of Reid Miles coupled with the photography of Francis Wolff are as iconic as the sonic touch of Rudy Van Gelder’s engineering style. Can you imagine a Deutsche Grammophon album without its ornate cartouche yellow banner? How has the photography of Annie Leibovitz impacted your connection with the artists?
If you’re serious about delving into your music collection thoroughly, the pictures, graphic design, and words (words just like these words that you’re reading at The Vinyl District) are necessary parts of the music appreciator’s toolkit. In the digital age, however, where does that leave the good old magazine? Things aren’t what they used to be in the print industry, but a small resurgence of periodicals dedicated to music and vinyl exists because there’s nothing quite like seeing pictures of stuff: a musician’s face while they let loose on stage, or perhaps a few moody shots of your favorite artist during the recording process. Our experience with music is uplifted and underscored even more when those images are coupled with thoughtfully analytical words from excellent writers.
Have you ever subscribed to Creem? The fabled music rag was originally published from 1969 to 1989 with a focus on the wilder side of rock and roll. Editor and writer David Marsh even allegedly coined the phrase “punk rock” in a 1971 issue of Creem. The magazine soon became known as the edgy, sarcastic—and fun—voice on the music magazine racks and boasted the second largest circulation of all music magazines (of course, you know who came in first). Of note, Creem’s pages hosted many of the world’s best music writers of all time: Lester Bangs, David Marsh, Greil Marcus, Robert Christgau, to name but a few. The magazine even boasted its own bespoke mascot! Robert Crumb created “Boy Howdy” whose likeness was emblazoned upon the fictitious beer cans that a myriad of rockstars modeled with in Creem’s pages.
Makati City, PH | Bigger and better: Music in physical format reigns supreme at One Stop Record Fair. The One Stop Record Fair 2023 brought together music and art in one event for audiophiles and art lovers. The country’s best and biggest vinyl, audio equipment, and artworks were curated by more than 30 merchants gathered at the fair held at Estancia Mall in Pasig City last September 9. From classic rock to pop, music from the ’60s to 2020s, audiophiles dug through crates and piles of vinyl, CDs, and cassette tapes, scoring their “treasures” at a discounted price. Audiophiles were able to purchase interesting titles such as New Order Substance, Sybil Greatest Hits, Eraserheads Circus, Voltes V, Workshy, Queen The Platinum Collection, Julia Fordham, Plakatons, RSD Folklore Taylor Swift, 2Pac, Cocteau Twins Treasure (Japan pressing with OBI), Tatsuro Yamashita Spacy, Taylor Swift Speak Now, UDD Capacities, The Smiths 12″ Single That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore, and The Wild Swan. Turntables, speakers, and other audio gear were also at a much lower cost, allowing first-timers and collectors to 
JP | Exploring Japan’s ‘jazz kissa’ cafe culture: Tokyo Jazz Joints documents these vibrant vinyl listening spaces – trending worldwide – in a photo project, podcast and new coffee table book. When was the last time you listened to music? We don’t mean piping lo-fi “focus beats” through your Bluetooth speaker, or jabbing at those misbehaving earbuds while swiping between windows on your morning commute – but really, actively listening? In response to the digital commodification of music, there’s a growing global trend of dedicated communal events and listening spaces, fuelled in part by the hipster-driven vinyl revival. But there’s truly nothing novel about gathering for reverent absorption of a spinning black disc. This fresh breed of audio fetishism is often directly – and always indirectly – inspired by Japanese jazz kissa culture, a rich tradition of 
Cheyenne, WY | Cheyenne’s Downtown Vinyl changes ownership after more than 18 years: Things are pretty much the same as always at Downtown Vinyl, except for one thing. After more than 18 years of operation, owner Don McKee has sold the store. The information came as a surprise to longtime patrons when McKee announced his departure on Downtown Vinyl’s Facebook page just the day before his departure. “I’ll be doing lots of exploring, traveling, reading, and, of course, listening to lots of music,” McKee wrote in the post. “Thank you very much for 18+ years of support, fun, and conversation!” There was one person who knew about the change, made official on Sept. 11, and that was the woman who stands behind the counter now. Kay Bybee, the new owner of Downtown Vinyl, formerly known as Phoenix Books & Music, was a longtime patron of the shop, and plans to keep the atmosphere of the location 
St. Louis, MO | Marc Maron Visits St. Louis and Falls in Love With Us, Basically: He shouted-out Euclid Records, Akar, Frida’s, Small Batch and more on his podcast today. Marc Maron has a long history with St. Louis. The Los Angeles-based comedian has been touring comedy clubs for years, and he always makes time to stop in St. Louis and enjoy all that we have to offer. He also has a special relationship with our town because he’s had a long-time obsession with ice cream from Clementine’s Creamery. Clementine’s used to send Maron pints of its ice cream until he called it off out of fear of gaining weight. Maron was in town over the weekend again to do some shows at Helium Comedy Club (1151 St. Louis Galleria Street) in Richmond Heights, and while he was here, he dropped in on some of his favorite spots and experienced some new places, as well. …Still, he says the highlight of his trip to St. Louis was 
The premiere example of the phenomenon, however, is 
Oxford, OH | The land might be inhospitable, but Black Plastic isn’t: Nearly 20 Miami University students gathered Uptown on Sept. 13 at Black Plastic Records with one common goal: to hear Mitski. Black Plastic, which opened its Oxford location last fall, hosted an advance listening event for Mitski’s newest album, “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We.” Attendees were given free name-tags, wristbands and posters from Mitski’s record label, Dead Oceans. Plenty of attendees shopped for records and other items before the event started. Black Plastic is home to countless vinyl records spanning over every imaginable genre. The store also sells posters, jewelry, pins, shirts and other miscellaneous items. Once the album began, attendees sat on the floor along rows of records to listen. Aside from the smooth sounds of Mitski’s vocals, the store was completely silent. 
Chicago, IL | Tower Records pop-up honors iconic brand: Remember flipping through those iconic yellow dividers? Music fans in the 80s and 90s remember going to record stores and flipping through the vinyl records or compact discs shopping for their favorite artist’s last albums. For many, that experience happend at Tower Records, which started in 1960 in California and spread to over 200 stores across 15 countries at its peak. MeTV had a chance to visit a Tower Records pop-up store in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, where the iconic brand partnered with The Smashing Pumpkins for a nostalgic music experience. The iconic yellow sign with red letters stood outside the pop-up. Before walking in, the signage included a 
