Chico business owners talk about competing with major retailers: Toys”R”Us, the largest toy chain in the United States, is saying goodbye to 182 of its stores across the country. The store closures of the country’s largest toy chain now have small, local brick and mortar stores talking…”We’re a specialty record store, we have vintage rock and roll records so we have something that you can’t get at Target,” said Alex D’Angelo, the owner of Spin Again Records in Downtown Chico. D’Angelo set up his shop 2 years ago. “We sell a little bit of everything in the store as opposed to taking the best stuff, putting it on the internet and getting paid,” said D’Angelo. “Online there is no shopper experience, you just click a button and see what you get,” said D’Angelo.
Knoxville record stores play sounds of resurgence: Knoxville record stores have at least one more trick up their sleeves. It’s no secret that vinyl music is back on a large scale, and even though this seems to be common knowledge now, the idea was mostly dismissed for some time. In 2007, the vinyl revival started gaining traction with niche music communities, and when retro became a popular style, vinyl exponentially grew to the mainstream phenomenon it is now. Vinyl love is not only shown in media and fashion but also, and more noticeably, in monetary value. In 2017, 14 percent of physical album sales and 8.5 percent of all album sales were in vinyl format, according to Nielsen’s 2017 music report. This percentage capstoned a 12 year increase in vinyl sales. Although many thought it died decades ago, the fact is that vinyl is still spinning.
Record collectors show returns to the Packard Plaza on Sunday: PEORIA —The semi-annual local record collectors show is having a homecoming of sorts this weekend. The Central Illinois Record & Music Collector Weekend will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday in Peoria, and the venue that will play host to the event is a familiar one. The Packard Plaza, 211 E. Adams St., spent several years in the late 1990s and early 2000s as the host site of the record showcase. Dealers from all over the Midwest will congregate in the building to sell their rarities and favorites. In recent years, the event was held in the Travelodge Hotel, which closed at the end of last year. Admission to the show is $3, free for children younger than 12 years old.
Trolley Stop Record Shop brings vinyl records and live music to the Classen Ten Penn neighborhood: Modern record collecting often involves flipping through racks in nook corner shops, searching for hidden gems. These stores range in age and size, but it can be rare to find a local shop as large and open as Trolley Stop Record Shop. The locally owned record store recently moved from its small former location near NW 16th Street and Classen Boulevard to the old Penn Theater in the burgeoning Classen Ten Penn neighborhood. Trolley Stop, 1212 N. Pennsylvania Ave., uses its spacious interior to host concerts and other events. But the space is otherwise completely dedicated to selling and housing owner John Dunning’s massive record inventory. “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Dunning said…
The tale of the tape doesn’t appear to be over: Good news for music nerds and bad news for the people we trick into spending time with us: Vinyl sales saw a 10-percent increase last year, according to data released by Billboard. That’s the 11th consecutive year of growing sales, and the figure now sits at its highest point in nearly 30 years. For those of us who prize tactile media it’s a triumph. However, not all is well in the Kingdom of Antiquated Media. There’s a deeply disconcerting trend that goes hand-in-hand with the Vinyl Revival — The Cassette Comeback. Last year, cassette sales rose by 35 percent, according to Nielsen music…Buying brand-new cassettes is a waste of precious polymers when so many good ones can still be rescued. Cassettes are also empirically worse than other options.
Aston Manor’s Friels craft cider brand partners with Record Store Day: Aston Manor has secured ‘Official Cider Partner’ status for its Friels First Press Vintage Cider brand with the UK’s next annual Record Store Day. The privately-owned group said earlier this week that Friels will sponsor this year’s event, which takes place on 21 April. The move marks the first time Record Store Day has teamed up with a cider brand. Designed to promote independent record stores across the country, Record Store Day sees many artist release limited edition vinyl versions of some of their most well-known – and sometimes obscure – tracks. Friels will run competitions on social media on the day as well as on-pack promotions in the run-up. Financial details behind the tie-up were not disclosed.
