Cheltenham, UK | The tiny Cheltenham record shop that opens just twice a week but ‘makes good money.’ “The enthusiasm for vinyl has never gone away.” You could easily walk or drive past a tiny independent record shop in Cheltenham and assume it didn’t make much money. For a start, it’s not often open – officially just two days a week in fact and even then only for five hours each day. It’s very small and looks modest. There’s no flashy sign, just a simple one that says ‘The record shop.’ And a large number of the records, the singles, cost just 50p. But, according to owner Martyn Hooper, you would be wrong to think the business wasn’t financially viable. He insists that The Independent Record Shop Ltd, to give it its formal title, does very nicely as a result of his network of contacts in the buying and selling of records market. That means he can sell large numbers of records, either in the shop or at auctions.
Capetown, ZA | Cape Town’s The Other Records opens new HQ: With vinyl alongside books, gear, and merch. Cape Town record shop The Other Records has re-open in a new, expanded location. The Other Records originally launched in 2018, in Cape Town’s Observatory neighbourhood. In addition to records, the shop now stocks books, gear, and merchandise. The store also features custom-built speakers created by Phil Kramer. “If you’re a record label or an artist, and you’ve got merch, music, books or whatever you think is fun, please reach out to us! We want it in the shop,” shares the store. The Other Records is located at 1 Park Rd, Gardens, Cape Town, open Wednesdays through Sundays from 12pm – late.
Amarillo, TX | High Fidelity Vinyl and CD’s is moving to a new location: A long time record store is moving to a new location at the start of February here in Amarillo. High Fidelity Vinyl and CD’s is moving to 2818, Southwest 6th street. The new building will be next to the Roseberry and the 806 on route 66. Record store owner Ray Wilson says: “We’re hoping to be fully moved in around the first through the 3rd of February.” High Fidelity will be able to add much more to their inventory from more vinyl records and CD’s to buttons, T-shirts, and other accessories associated with vinyl records. At High Fidelity, you can find many classic records along with a great music environment. Wilson says: “I just think that you know, vinyl records and CDs and stuff like that. They’re there. They’re not just hip, they’re just, they’re a really cool and very personal part of listening to music.”
The best record cover artwork of 2021 has been revealed: This year’s winning design marks the first time a record with interchangeable artwork has been chosen for the title. The best record cover design of the last year has been announced as artist and designer Paul Phillips’ artwork for Villagers’ fifth studio album Fever Dreams. Phillips’ artwork becomes the 17th winner of the Best Art Vinyl Award, and the first to have designed a record cover with interchangeable artwork. Fever Dreams was chosen by public vote from a shortlist of 50, which itself was chosen by a panel of designers, artists and music industry experts. Phillips, who works in Brighton under the name True Spilt Milk Designs, developed the concept for the artwork by playing with scale, which is a common feature in his work. The main cover features an indeterminate figure floating on the surface of a pool, while a doe sleeps on the tiles along the edge. A bright constellation of stars floats over the scene. Overlooking the pool is a huge brown bear, looming mountainous in the background. “I like themes of beguilement and being overwhelmed as I’ve struggled over the years with my own mental health and the subjects of anxiety and being overwhelmed are prevalent in my work,” says Phillips.
Redding, CA | The vinyl comeback makes its way to the Northstate: As it spins, a record player proves that what goes around comes around. LPs are making a comeback and are more popular than they’ve been for decades. One Redding store has been riding the trend for the past 30 years with help from locals. “I have been working at Bog Bean Books and Music for about a year off and on and I help people and find records here and I also clean records,” said Mikey David, Bog Bean’s manager. But David says a collection this large could only come from the good people of Redding. “100% of our records are brought here and we buy them off people. “[Music],” he said, “is going towards digital, but people miss touching it, and putting it on, playing it and it’s pretty incredible to see, like, young teenagers wanting records.”
Pittsburgh, PA | Jerry Weber, beloved owner of Jerry’s Records in Squirrel Hill, dies at 73: No one ever accused Jerry Weber of being a shrewd businessman. He loved records too much. Not only did he buy way more than he needed, he also sold them far below market value. That’s only part of what made Mr. Weber a beloved figure in Pittsburgh for five decades. His enthusiasm, bigger-than-life personality, unabashed love for music and generosity were the drivers for Jerry’s Records, a vinyl empire in Squirrel Hill that ranked among the best record stores in the world. He died Friday at his Swissvale home at age 73. A cause of death was not immediately available. “I always had this voracious appetite for listening to music,” he told the Post-Gazette when he semi-retired in 2017. “I used to beg my mom to stay up late and watch ‘[Your] Hit Parade.’ It was on at 10 o’clock on Saturday, I think. ‘Mom, please, please.’ ‘OK, whatever.’ I was born with it, both a blessing and a curse.”
Quebec, CA | Quebec, hub of vinyl record manufacturing: In the midst of a pandemic, Quebec City has become the Quebec hub for vinyl record manufacturing. It is in the capital that we find the only two companies capable of pressing records for Hubert Lenoir, Alexandra Stréliski and Les Cowboys Fringants. Recently opened, Le Vinyliste and La Société des loisirs have taken over the torch from RIP-V, a Saint-Lambert company that closed its doors in 2014, leaving Quebec and its music industry without a vinyl press at the time. A music lover, Dominic Savard had a stable job in Quebec City when he boldly decided to leave everything to found, with his brother Pierre-Luc, Le Vinyliste, in 2019. Dominic Savard and his brother Pierre-Luc, owners of Le Vinyliste, one of the two companies in Quebec that operate a vinyl press. And it works.
Alice Cooper announces spoken word vinyl: Twelve-inch single available in black and yellow. Alice Cooper has announced the release of Alice Cooper and the Tome of Madness. The spoken word album is available on limited edition 12-inch black and yellow variations via Metal Department. Only 500 of each variation will be available and sells for just under $30. The Alice Cooper And The Tome Of Madness record is the perfect companion piece to the official Alice Cooper slot game that was released in 2021. The backstory of the game is Cooper writing his memoirs in a strange journal (tome), which conjures up stories of other Alice Coopers in different dimensions – and now he must keep writing to simply stay alive. On this +18 minute long spoken-word record you can hear Cooper himself narrate a horror story of The Tome Of Madness. The 12″ record comes packed in a deluxe gatefold-sleeve with artwork taken from the game.
