Green Country, OK | Green Country record stores seeing surge of customers wanting to own physical media: From vinyl records to cassette tapes: A nostalgic music shopping experience draws generations together in Green Country. Green Country record stores say some customers are moving away from streaming and digital media, to owning their own copies. This comes as some of today’s artists are releasing their albums on vinyl, CDs, and cassette tapes. Many trends come back, but for some, they never went out of style. “I’m vinyl,” said Paul Taliaferro. “I never did really, I mean I sort of got into CDs, but I just prefer the sound of vinyl. I think it sounds better.” Taliaferro prefers having the physical copies of his favorite music. “It’s something that you can actually hold in your hand,” said Taliaferro.
Chiang Mai, TH | Chiang Mai’s top 11 places to dig for vinyl: Between record stores, festivals and listening bars, Chiang Mai is Thailand’s place to be for vinyl lovers. Last week we featured the people behind Chiang Mai’s burgeoning vinyl revival – but now we have you excited about the scene, how can you lock in and build your very own collection? Very easily in fact. The city is awash with vinyl listening bars, cafes and restaurants awaiting you – some that let you select an LP, some that curate the experience and kindly ask you to keep your mitts to yourselves. Then of course there are the record stores holding the market together with boxes upon boxes of wax discs, many of which come with sound systems in situ and buckets of experienced enthusiasm. Here are our favourite vinyl spots in Chiang Mai.
Pekin, IL | Co-Op Records owner talks about decision to close store: Co-Op Records in Pekin is scheduled to close its doors for good September 30. The iconic store opened in 1998. Owner Denny Smith, who now lives in Nashville and is pursuing a music career, tells WMBD’s “The Phil Luciano Show” he simply has too much on his plate to run the business adequately. “I play in a band and I’m also a stage hand and a visual technician,” Smith said. “(For example) Next week I do a Katy Perry show and I do Vince Gill on Saturday night, and Linkin Park on Thursday. Those are long days and I’m trying to do that and then somebody calls and says ‘Hey, the credit card machine’s not working.’” Smith emphasizes the decision to close the store was his and his alone. “My landlord’s not kicking me out. They want me to stay. I have opted not to renew my lease,” Smith said.
Record stores, radio specials and other things I miss about the old music industry: Today’s music industry has almost no resemblance to the olden days. Streaming, social media, audience consumption habits, music discovery and live performances have been irrevocably changed. In retrospect, the hinge point was the release of the original Napster into the wild on June 1, 1999. The digital age of music, which had already begun, albeit slowly, would quickly explode into a wildfire that an unprepared—and frankly, willfully ignorant—music industry couldn’t contain. It took about 15 years for them to adapt to doing business in a vastly different way. There’s a lot about today’s music industry to love, the primary one being instant access to some 200 million songs via the streaming music services for free (if you use Spotify) and something very close to it for everyone else. No more travelling through time and space to pick up that new album by your favourite artist.
Then it came to me. They did it with their heavy music! After doing some serious investigative journalism I discovered the truth: they drove six hundred trucks with huge speakers on the back to the base of Mt. Rushmore and played their seminal 1970 metal opus In Rock at top volume and through precision design of each note on the album SOUND-CARVED their faces over the faces of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and the guy whose name I can never remember! And it only took them three plays!
Hoboken, NJ | This Hoboken Record Store is Celebrating 30 Years in Business: Whether you own a turntable or not, the comeback of vinyl is undeniable. Between chart-topping artists’ participation in Record Store Day and the tumblr-era explosion of the Crosley Voyager, vinyl records have been on a steady rise. Tunes record store in Hoboken has been in business since the 90s and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. …Chip Huisler, originally from Philadelphia and a longtime New Jersey resident, first ventured into the record-spinning business in college as a DJ. He originally joined his friend in the record store business in Marleton and Ocean City, eventually splitting as business partners in 2018. Today, he is the owner of Tunes record store in Hoboken, which will be celebrating 
East Lansing, MI | East Lansing record store planning for Taylor Swift’s upcoming album release. East Lansing’s Flat, Black, and Circular record store is preparing for another wave of “Swifties” as Taylor Swift announced her upcoming album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” set to release on October 3rd. The record store owner says Taylor Swift’s albums consistently sell well at his shop. Swift has joined the ranks of classic artists whose records “will always sell” according to the store owner. Fans were already excited about the announcement, with one calling it “a great birthday gift.” The announcement has already generated excitement among fans in the area. “I was pretty excited,” said Jamie Turner, a Swift fan. “Yesterday was actually my birthday, so I was like, ‘What a great birthday gift.'” “Swifties are awesome,” said Jon Howard, owner of Flat Black and Circular. “I can carry five to 10 of her titles, and 
Men at Work produced songs that were as unprepossessing as their name, were frequently jabbed at for sounding too much like the Police, and enjoyed their 15 minutes of fame at the dawn of the eighties. And if I have a mild case of affection for Men at Work while despising the Police it’s because Men at Work aren’t remotely as pretentious as the Police, although being less pretentious than the Police is child’s play. Or maybe I like them because their lead singer has a lazy eye, which made watching their videos on MTV more interesting.
Riverside, CA | Penrose Record Room Offering Above Bargain-Bin Quality at Blowout Prices: Shop owner’s selective approach to inventory means this weekend’s sale features a curated selection instead of the usual castoffs. Penrose Record Room at 3485 University Avenue will sell more than 10,000 select vinyl records for $5 each or 100 for $200 during a weekend clearance sale Aug. 16-17 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Customers enter through stairs under the Life Arts Building on Lemon Street. The sale offers an unusual opportunity for collectors accustomed to digging through bins of damaged or unwanted albums. Shop owner Matt Beld maintains strict standards for incoming inventory, regularly turning away collections that do not meet his quality threshold. “I can’t do anything with these, thanks for coming by, sorry man,” Beld told one hopeful seller who brought in an armload of records, placing them on the glass case by the register before being declined. Such scenes play out regularly as Beld 
London, UK | A Rough Guide To: Vintage Vinyl at Rough Trade: “…put some spare time aside so you can come and dig for hours—you have to commit. But secondhand vinyl is worth it.” As the most devoted of record collectors well know, nothing beats the thrill of the find. Whether a first pressing you’ve looked in every shop for, or a limited edition cult classic you need to revisit on several versions, shopping vintage can be one of the most rewarding experiences for a committed collector. At Rough Trade, we are lucky enough that a key part of our music discovery stretches beyond catalogue titles and new releases into the form of lovingly graded, hand-selected vintage vinyl. This used vinyl range is available to shop in-store at Bristol, Nottingham and Liverpool and at Rough Trade Vintage in London—Rough Trade’s only destination for 
