St. Albans, UK | ‘Once HMV closed, we thought St Albans still needed a record shop’ – how vinyl is making a comeback in the city: Empire Records, tucked away in Heritage Close, is a breath of fresh air and feels like the idyllic traditional record shop. Despite its small scale, it houses an extensive selection of musical genres and reminds me of those long-lost record emporiums where I discovered the music of my younger years. Having lived through the transition from vinyl to CDs and now digital streaming, I never could have predicted that one day I would have a teenage daughter who would take me back to an old fashioned record shop to flick through racks filled with vinyl once again…I’m transported back to 1979 when I used to tag along to our local record shop with my brother or sister; we’d spend entire afternoons flicking though hundreds of albums in Harry Hayes record shop on the Fulham Road. The owner was often helpful in widening our interests and moulding our tastes.
Wigan, UK | Wigan independent record store moves into town centre culture hub: Static Records, which sells vinyl, is now trading in The Old Courts on Crawford Street after leaving its previous premises on Mesnes Street. Owner Paul Dolman says the new space next to successful plant-based restaurant The Coven (above) in the former Victorian court building now home to bars, concert venues, a theatre and cinema and art galleries is an ideal location. Having previously worked from units on Hallgate and The Wiend as well, Paul says he is concerned about the future of the high street but suggests specialist hubs like The Old Courts better cater for 21st century customers. He said: “I didn’t want to move away from the general area I was in and also wanted to move towards the railway stations. “I had a five-year lease on Mesnes Street but wanted something a lot longer term. “I spoke to landlords and just couldn’t cut a deal…”
The environmental impact of music: Digital, records & CDs analysed: Although streaming remains the most popular way people listen to music, old formats like cassettes and vinyl have both seen an increase in sales. In fact, vinyl has seen a remarkable sales increase of 1,427 per cent since 2007, selling around around four million LPs in 2018 in the UK alone. Since the popularity of vinyl shows no signs of stopping soon, this means that more non-recyclable discs will be manufactured — which could have a negative impact on the environment. Although album covers are generally made of recyclable cardboard, records were originally made of shellac, before non-recyclable vinyl was used as a replacement. Shellac is a natural resin secreted by the female Kerria lacca bug, which was scraped from trees to produce gramophone records. Since shellac isn’t from fossil fuel-derived feedstock (chemicals, such as ethylene, used to make substances like plastic), its carbon footprint was lower than that of modern records.
New turntables 2019: the best record players at CES 2019: Whether you’re a diehard vinyl enthusiast, a pro DJ or dusting off your parents’ records for the first time, CES 2019 had a turntable for you. Record players were out in force in Las Vegas, with models that both revived old-school favorites, and added bang-up-to-date analog to digital converters to allow for hi-res wireless playback without undermining that vinyl charm. Streaming and digital sales may now be the staple of music consumption, but there’s a growing amount of people that long for the days of ownership over their record collections, and the joy of a physical disc and beautiful artwork sleeve that goes with it…So, with that record collection growing, here’s what you should be playing your vinyl on in the next year.
The Raconteurs are releasing a special 3-inch single for Record Store Day: Not a bad collectible from the now-active four-piece The Raconteurs have announced that they will be releasing a special 3-inch single for Record Store Day 2019. The four-piece recently returned to action by releasing two new songs, ‘Sunday Driver’ and ‘Now That You’re Gone’. Those two tracks are set to feature on the group’s long-awaited third album, which is due sometime this year. The latest development from The Raconteurs is that they are now planning to release a special vinyl single for this year’s Record Store Day. The band’s ‘Store Bought Bones’ will be pressed onto an exclusive 3-inch single for the occasion, which is set to fall this year on April 13. The official Record Store Day Facebook page made the announcement on Wednesday (January 9), with fans spotting that the tiny vinyl in question had the words ‘The Raconteurs – Store Bought Bones’ pressed in the middle.
