Eastbourne, UK | Popular Record Store to close!: This evening (28th January) it has been announced that the popular Pebble Records will be closing its doors. Pebble Records is a leading independent record shop, which is located not far from the mainline railway station in Eastbourne at 14 Gildredge Road. They sell vinyl, CDs, tapes, merch and record decks. Their range includes indie, rock, garage, psych, funk, soul, reggae, dub, dance, electronica, hip hop, r & b, blues, jazz, folk, country and soundtracks. In an official statement by Michael and Chris on the shop’s Facebook page they stated:” I’m sorry to be letting you all know that the tough conditions on the high street have taken there toll on the retail shop and we will closing at the end of the March. Pebble will continue to trade online but in more specialised niche areas more information to follow soon.”
Montreal, CA | Montreal Allows Record Stores to Extend Opening Hours: Shops were fined thousands by the province late last year. After raising concern with the province of Quebec over opening hours leading to thousands of dollars in fines, Montreal record stores will now be permitted to keep doors open later as of this spring. Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante confirmed the forthcoming changes on Twitter today, writing that governments will “invite merchants and boroughs to make the rules surrounding store hours more flexible.” She added, “You have to be able to adapt and that’s what we are doing!” Plante’s announcement comes weeks after Phonopolis co-owner Jordan Robson Cramer explained how his shop and fellow record stores Sonorama, La Rama and Death of Vinyl had received warnings and thousands in fines for staying open past 5 p.m. on weekends.
Wilmington, NC | From new to old rarities, Record Bar opens in Wilmington after nearly 30 years of brand-dormancy: It’s been nearly 30 years since music lovers have seen any stores for the previously Durham-based Record Bar, which was acquired by Blockbuster Video in the early ’90s. With more than 150 stores nationwide at its peak, the store eventually went the way of Blockbuster — until now. Tony Stroud has lived in Wilmington for years and has made a career as a CPA, but he can now add ‘record store owner’ to his resume after reviving the previously dormant brand. Now, along with his partner Donna Hoehlein he’s brought the Record Bar back, located next to Beach Bagels off Oleander Drive. The shop opened in December of 2019, but Stroud has been working on the project since 2018, acquiring a large inventory of albums and working to acquire the name and the brand from its dormant status.
Dallas, TX | One of Dallas’ oldest remaining record stores is closing with a big sale: One of Dallas’ oldest remaining record stores is closing. Hit Records, located in the Casa View Shopping Center at 10253 Ferguson Rd., will close after 46 years in business. According to owner Ron Ross, the store’s lease was up and he “couldn’t meet the new terms.” That entire intersection at Ferguson and Gus Thomasson is in churn. The shopping center is getting a $10 million makeover, and some longtime tenants such as Casa Jewelers, which had been at the center since 1954, have been nudged out. Hit Records was almost more museum than shop, with an extensive display of photos and memorabilia. Most of the photos were Ross’ own; he was a music photographer for 20 years, shooting for record labels and publications such as Buddy.
Atlanta, GA | Atlanta-area record shop finds temporary home in neighboring music store after blaze: His Rock Music in Cumming erupted in flames earlier this month, but has now found temporary refuge at Ponce De Leon Music Center. After His Rock Music in Cumming erupted in flames earlier this month, destroying thousands of dollars worth of vinyl records and music equipment, the community has been quick to step up to help store owner Bob Johnson. First, a member of Johnson’s church launched a GoFundMe to help him recover some of his losses, then area musicians started planning a benefit concert, which will take place on Feb. 8. Now, a neighboring music store has taken Johnson in while he works to rebuild his business. Johnson first opened his store more than a decade ago. Originally located in Dawsonville, it relocated to Cumming five years ago. The store was in the process of moving again, this time to downtown Cumming, when the fire broke out. With the help of his community, business is getting 
Atlanta, GA | What’s old is new again: Dungeons & Dragons, combats boots, vinyl records are back in vogue: It’s true – pretty much everything old can become new again. Dungeons & Dragons, the role-playing game in which fate can change with a toss of the dice, is racking up the best sales in its 46-year history. Teens weaned on iTunes are falling in love with vinyl. And fashionistas are stomping all over Instagram and Pinterest in combat boots. Sharing items enjoyed by earlier generations helps families, friends and peers find a new way to connect, experts say. “In today’s turbulent world, a lot of consumers take comfort in the designs of the past,” says Neil Saunders, managing director of the retail consultancy GlobalData. “There is something reassuring about retro products, many of which are also seen as being authentic because of their heritage.” From left, Nicholas Prescott, 21, Lucas Davey, 22, and Austin Anderson, 21, all of Plymouth, N.H., get together every Sunday to play an old-school game, Dungeons & Dragons, one of the retro items and experiences that are 
Lincoln, UK | For the record: New HMV store opens in Lincoln Cornhill Quarter: HMV has opened a new store in the Cornhill Quarter with a much bigger vinyl record collection after closing on the High Street. The new shop opened on Friday, January 24 in place of BrightHouse next to Heron Foods and the upcoming Everyman Cinema at 16 Cornhill. It is very similar to the old HMV store which closed on the High Street on January 12, but it is now in a brand new, much brighter, unit. Laurence Price, head of retail at HMV, said previously: “All staff will be moving across to the new store and are looking forward to a refreshed unit. “It will give us the chance to update our offer and improve on our 
Bozeman, MT | ‘Social space’: KGLT hosts annual fundraiser record swap: A room in the Strand Union Building at Montana State University turned into a pop-up record store Friday afternoon. The smell of cardboard from record jackets filled the air as people young and old dug through boxes and crates of vinyl for KGLT’s Record Swap. Ear Candy, from Missoula, Bozeman’s Cactus Records and some individual sellers setup shop for the swap. A radio blared different music in the background for vinyl junkies looking for music that was new or weird or something they didn’t know they needed. Sandy Jett and Erin Eisner were among the crowd digging through the thousands of labels. Eisner said she’s been to previous swaps and has always been able to “find a lot of goodies.” She said Jett had the day off, and she dragged him to the swap. Jett said he was hoping to find something weird that he “didn’t expect to find or knew existed.” Eisner said she didn’t go with any expectations, though she limited herself by only grabbing $20 from the ATM — “I’ve spent a lot more before,” she said. Eisner said she’d figure out what she was looking for when she saw it. “It’s just fun to be 
Columbus, OH | Local record store owners embrace vinyl comeback: “Out with the old, in with the new” doesn’t always ring true in the music industry. Though streaming services still generate the most revenue, vinyl sales are making a comeback, with nearly a 13-percent revenue increase in the first half of 2019, while CD revenue increased by less than 1 percent, according to a 2019 Recording Industry Association of America report. To Columbus-area record stores such as Elizabeth’s Records, Used Kids Records and Magnolia Thunderpussy, this comes as no surprise. “There was a time back in the ’80s, when CDs came out, that we were throwing records in the dumpster to make room for CDs, and now we are doing the same thing. We are throwing CDs in the garbage to make room for records,” Charles Kubat, owner and manager of Magnolia Thunderpussy on High Street, said. Greg Hall, owner of Used Kids Records on Summit Street, said CDs deteriorate over time in a way that vinyl does not. “I think 
What Jimmy Page thought ‘Physical Graffiti’ lost within the transfer from record to CD: If you solely had one phrase to explain Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti (1975), “overwhelming” may be the best way to go. Between “Custard Pie” at first of Side One and the final moments of “Sick Again” on Side Four, Zep packed 83 minutes of powerhouse music onto its double album. Along the best way, Jimmy Page and Zep dropped a number of the band’s masterpieces. In truth, for those who have a look at the closing songs of the album’s first three sides, you discover three tracks within the Zep canon. After “In My Time of Dying” on the primary facet, listeners received the epic “Kashmir” on the finish of the the second facet. On the third facet, Page closed with one in every of his greatest compositions (and general productions), “Ten Years Gone.” When Physical Graffiti went onto CD, the discharge clearly misplaced the influence of Page’s authentic sequencing. In a 2015 interview, Page acknowledged that the unique four-sided LP was the best way Zep’s sixth album was meant to be heard… “Each side of vinyl was sequenced to showcase whatever was on there, so it wasn’t square pegs in round holes. Any of the four sides could be your favorite side.” When the interviewer requested if the CD sequencing has “unbalanced the album,” 
