Indie music retailers report 23% growth across all formats (including CDs): A survey of Coalition of Independent Music stores across the US show end of years sales up an average of 23% across all physical formats. Vinyl sales grew an average 60% and CD sales were up 16%. Several sales categories were particular bright spots according to the survey including turntables, vinyl accessories and unsurprisingly vinyl records, especially hip-hop and classic catalog. The pandemic continues to weigh heavily on indie retailers, but some also found positives. Many stores reported that Covid has made everyone take a closer look at their businesses finding ways to get creative, which has ultimately brought growth in some areas. “Overall, what was very exciting for me to see was that our stores reported growth in all formats (even the CD) and some in astounding numbers,” wrote Andrea Paschal, Executive Director of the Coalition of Independent Music Stores and ThinkIndie Distribution.
Keynsham, UK | Longwell Records in Keynsham opened after owner wanted to leave 30-year NHS career: Iain Aitchison is still getting recognised after his cameo appearance on The Outlaws. Iain Aitchison never dreamt his home-based Bristol record business would end up as an actual shop so he simply called it after the area where he lives with his family. Named after Longwell Green, Longwell Records now has two shops, neither of them in the area which inspired the name. The original shop opened in Keynsham in April 2016, a year after Iain started the business online. It was followed in June 2020 by a second store in a converted shipping container at Cargo 2 in Wapping Wharf. “I never thought I would get a physical shop so I just named it after Longwell Green where I live,” says Iain. “I did think about changing it to Keynsham or Bonzo Records later but I’m glad I didn’t.”
Hudson Valley, NY | Where are the independent record stores in the Hudson Valley? There was a time, and it didn’t seem that long ago, that there were record stores everywhere. The Hudson Valley alone had tons of them. Big, corporate record stores. Strawberry records, Media Play, Sam Goody. Those kind of record stores. It seems you couldn’t even go into a mall without checking out a huge record store. Nowadays most people stream their music, but there has been a renewed interest in records and other vintage music. In fact, Record Store Day happens twice a year and it’s become huge. It’s a day full of special and limited music releases that you will only find at independent record stores. I’m all for supporting local record shops and music, so I think Record Store Day is awesome. But where are the independent record stores here in the Hudson Valley? We’ve put together a list of some of the best in the area.
Fargo, ND | Fargo-Moorhead music stores riding wave of vinyl’s remarkable comeback: Store owners, audiophiles sing the praises of the Old School format. Aaron Swinkels is doing his part to be sure vinyl records keep “Stayin Alive.” Swinkels, the owner of Vinyl Giant in downtown Fargo, has made his store into a haven for audiophiles, cramming it with bins of vintage vinyl discs and the audio equipment to make the music happen. With the Bee Gees playing in a background mix, Swinkels estimates his personal collection of LPs and 45s has climbed into the “couple thousand” range. They are his time machine. “I’ve collected ever since I was a kid. I was always the guy that had a record collection. I don’t know anyone else who did. I don’t know why. My mom had records. … I fished them out of the garage and listened to them in high school. They were just some phenomenal memories, you know?”
Portland, OR | On the record: Top 3 vinyl shops in the Portland metropolitan area: The love for cueing up a turntable and putting on your favorite vinyl has come back in full force for many music enthusiasts looking to appreciate all recorded genres in their oldest forms. Whether you choose to buy records for their authentic sound quality or vintage appearance, The VanCougar presents a list of the best record stores for both beginners and experienced shoppers that reside in Portland and Vancouver Little Axe Records: Little Axe Records is a hidden gem among Portland record shops. Both an establishment and record label, Little Axe reissues vinyl pressings of international music. Thus, visitors are sure to find records sourced from many different parts of the world; something not too many other shops can offer.
A deep dive into Jeff Buckley’s personal record collection: …His record collection is a stunning insight into the sheer breadth of his taste. Charles Mingus’ 1956 album Pithecanthropus Erectus, for example, sits alongside Guided by Voices’ 1996 LP Sunfish Holy Breakfast, while Metallica’s Master of Puppets can be found not far from Miles Davis. Buckley clearly had a taste for the folk songwriters of the 1960s too, of which his father was one. Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen: all of them had a huge impact on Buckley – especially Cohen, whose 1984 song ‘Hallelujah’ secured his success. Indeed, many of the covers Buckley performed in his posthumous You and I LP can also be found hiding in his extensive collection. He’s got a copy of Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde, from which he covered ‘Just Like A Woman’, while Led Zeppelin’s ‘Night Flight’ (Physical Graffiti), The Smiths’ ‘I Know Its Over’ (The Queen Is Dead) and Sly and the Family Stone’s ‘Everyday People’ (Stand!) can also be found.
VA | You caught me: Pope congratulates reporter who saw him at record shop: Pope Francis has congratulated the reporter who caught him visiting old friends who run a Rome record shop this week, joking that it was his “bad luck” that the news got out. The visit on Tuesday night was to have remained secret but Javier Martinez-Brocal of the Rome Reports television news agency was in the area in central Rome by chance. He filmed it with his smartphone, posted it on Twitter, and it went viral. In a letter sent to Martinez-Brocal on Thursday, Francis, 85, congratulated him on his work and lamented his own misfortune. “You can’t deny that it was a case of bad luck … that after taking all the precautions, there was a reporter there at the taxi rank,” Francis said in the letter Martinez-Brocal shared with colleagues on Friday. “One should not lose one’s sense of humour,” Francis said. “Thanks for doing your job, even if it did put the pope in difficulty.”
DeKalb, IL | Vinyl records are a musical lifestyle: …Most people love music, but there are different levels to that love. There’s listening to whatever is on the radio or partaking in CDs (which you listen to when there’s nothing good on the radio and you get tired of mocking the fire-and-brimstone preachers). Now everyone is obsessed with playlists on apps and the artists getting barely a dime. But all of these are meant for being on the go. Everyone’s got somewhere to be and they can’t sit down and just let the music play. Listening to a vinyl record is something else. You can’t mix up the order and it’s not portable. You have to make a conscious effort to put on an album and listen to it. Just listen and let your imagination take you places. I first became a vinyl addict when I was given a record player for my birthday by my aunt. I then purchased LPs of “Rumours” by Fleetwood Mac and “The Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd and I’ve been in a whirlwind ever since.
Edinburgh, UK | Let’s change the record ahead of the next ‘store day’ …Maybe this year instead of so much limited edition vinyl there could be limited edition T-shirts, posters and prints too which would appeal to a different demographic. It is hardly that controversial, given that many albums these days are launched on the artists’ websites as bundles including a T-shirt and signed print. It would certainly help with the vinyl shortage problem while appealing to a much wider fan base. We would certainly have a queue down Princes Street should we have a limited edition Arctic Monkeys print or a new Gorillaz t-shirt. I suspect there are too many vested interests in the old ways for such a thing to ever happen but as a worldwide event it would be good to see the UK leading the way and being more innovative improving and widening the appeal of what has become a very tired format.
