Riverside, CA | The Penrose Record Room: IYKYK. Downtown Riverside’s newest musical haven is here to stay. …Rooted in Riverside history, the Penrose Record Room is co-owned by Gabe Roth and Matt Beld, both of whom have their roots settled in this city. While the shop officially opened its doors at the end of Oct. 2023, its conception has been a lifetime in the making. Roth and Beld, two lifelong friends, musicians and record-collecting enthusiasts, agreed to go in on the business together after they considered how a record shop would support and promote both of Roth’s independent record labels, Daptone Records and its daughter-label, Penrose Records. Both Daptone and Penrose produce funk music and soulful sounds, with Penrose essentially pioneering the Southern California souldies scene that is distinctly sentimental to Riverside locals.
Longmont, CO | The Vinyl Cafe brings more music to downtown Longmont: At The Vinyl Cafe, Longmont’s newest record store, owner Martin Banks wants music and community to go hand in hand. Banks’ store at 716 Main St. aims to have something for all tastes. The nearly 4,000 albums sit in colorful stacks grouped by styles, including ‘60s pop, country, reggae, classical, funk, soul and many more. The collection is true to the store’s slogan: “every genre, every era.” “Almost every section we’ve got in here, I love a lot of it,” Banks said. “People come in and ask for the most obscure things, and you need to know most of them.” Originally from Birmingham, England, Banks moved to Longmont in 2022. He cited “The Downward Spiral” by Nine Inch Nails as a formative moment in his musical journey, since it was the first physical piece of music he bought at 14. “From then on, my collection just grew and grew,” Banks said.
Taylor Swift sets staggering vinyl sale record: Taylor Swift dominated vinyl sales in the US last year, with the pop superstar accounting for one in every 15 sales. That made 2023 the third straight year that Swift was the top-selling act on vinyl. In 2022, one out of every 25 vinyl albums sold was by Swift. According to reports in Billboard, last year 49.61 million vinyl albums were sold in the US, an increase of 14.2% from 2022 when 43.46 million were sold. Of all the records sold in 2023, 3.484 million were by Swift – 7% of the industry’s total. The next biggest seller was Lana Del Rey, with 646,000 copies sold. Then came Tyler, the Creator (552,000), Travis Scott (474,000), Olivia Rodrigo (408,000), Kendrick Lamar (382,000), Metallica (378,000), The Beatles (373,000), Fleetwood Mac (357,000) and Mac Miller (354,000). Vinyl sales made up 47.1% of all album sales in the US last year, and 57% of all physical albums sold.
Greenville, SC | Horizon Records: Iconic Greenville music shop offers thrill of discovery: As Horizon Records approaches its 50th year in business, I asked founder and owner Gene Berger what he has learned over the time he’s been in business. “I’m really old,” he quipped. “When I started out, we were selling 8-tracks and LPs. Then we had cassettes and CDs, and now into the vinyl record renaissance era. The return of the physical medium of the LP record has saved the indie retail music store industry, period. It’s gargantuan.” Berger says that the holiday season was busy for the store, beginning with Black Friday, which was “gargantuan,” he says. …“What’s the reason someone would come to your shop? It doesn’t matter if you’re selling books, artwork, fishing gear, plants or whatever things people care about and shop for,” he says. “People will visit because it’s exciting and interesting, the experience is good and there’s a really passionate curation of product mix. That’s the front line and most important advertisement there is.”
‘Flipside,’ Chris Wilcha’s Record Store Doc From EP Judd Apatow, Acquired By Oscilloscope: Oscilloscope Laboratories has taken North America on Flipside, a new documentary from filmmaker Chris Wilcha, which world premiered at last year’s Toronto Film Festival. Exec produced by Judd Apatow, the film is slated for release in theaters this year. Flipside sees Wilcha revisit the New Jersey record store he worked at as a teenager, finding the once-thriving bastion of music and weirdness slowly falling apart and out of touch with the times. The film chronicles his tragicomic attempt to revive the store while revisiting other documentary projects he has abandoned over the years. In the process, Wilcha captures This American Life icon Ira Glass in the midst of a creative rebirth, discovers the origin story of David Bowie’s ode to a local New Jersey cable television hero, and uncovers the unlikely connection between jazz photographer Herman Leonard and TV writer David Milch. This disparate collection of stories coheres into something strange and expansive — a meditation on music, work, and the sacrifices and satisfaction of trying to live a creative life.
Glasgow, UK | Retired Glasgow cop is unlikely album cover star: A retired Glasgow police officer has become an unlikely album cover star—40 years after having his picture taken. John McDonald was 22 and on the beat in the city’s Blackhill area when he was snapped by photographer Homer Sykes in 1983. Now the image has been used as the cover of Scottish rock band Tijuana Bibles new release Free Milk. Mr McDonald said the album had brought back “nostalgic feelings” for him. His connection to the record only came to light through an unlikely coincidence, as he visited a Glasgow record shop at the same time as the boss of record label Button Up Records – who released Free Milk – was in the store. Mr McDonald, who is now 63 and still lives in Glasgow, had been alerted to his new found rock n’ roll notoriety by his son, and decided to buy a copy of the record as a result. He explained: “The picture comes up every so often, usually from someone from Blackhill and it ends up sent on to me. My son had a friend who found it and he sent it to me going ‘Dad, you’ve made it at last!‘
As Dylan’s ‘Planet Waves’ turns 50, its international vinyl pressings stand out: In collecting Bob Dylan’s ’70s comeback album, the international route might be most valuable. Planet Waves is a weirdie, and no mistake. On the one hand, one recalls the slathering relish with which the critical establishment took it to their hearts, as they proclaimed it Dylan’s first “true” album since John Wesley Harding… or New Morning, depending upon your mood, but certainly not Self Portrait, Dylan or the Pat Garrett soundtrack. And he was back with The Band as well. Hurrah. …New album, new label, new day dawning, and Asylum pulled out at least a few of the stops, beginning with the textured jacket and the gold-colored printed insert. Of course it received a worldwide release, and there’s a shelf or two’s worth of international issues to keep your domestic first pressing company. That said, only one, hailing from what was then Rhodesia, offered any significant variation on the familiar sleeve. An estimated five promos were printed in negative form — that is, white art on a black background. A copy with the cover in VG sold in 2022 for $375.
Amazon Users Score Surprise Vinyl Finds via “Danzig Roulette” Glitch: Purchase Danzig’s ‘6:66 Satan’s Child,’ and enjoy titles by the Shins, Khruangbin, MF DOOM, Phoebe Bridgers and more instead. A Danzig album from 1999 recently topped Amazon’s list of best-selling vinyl and CD releases, briefly dethroning multiple Taylor Swift albums in the process — the result of an order fulfilment fumble leaving buyers with entirely different records than they ordered. Last week (January 12), listeners lurking Reddit’s r/vinyl community were alerted to a Danzig LP listed for $11.55 USD — an incredibly low price for a new record today — which, upon ordering, led to a random title being shipped to the buyer. The album in question was Danzig’s sixth studio album, 1999’s 6:66 Satan’s Child. Notably, the album features “Thirteen,” a song the frontman wrote for Johnny Cash that would go on to be featured in The Hangover. It’s no Danzig Sings Elvis, but with sounds Exclaim! previously characterized as “intense and lush,” the LP is far from his worst effort. Before long, those in the know began taking a chance on the nicely-priced mystery order, dubbing the game “Danzig Roulette” and sharing their finds.
