Digital streaming and vinyl revival fuel Britain’s rise in music sales: Spotify and Apple behind UK’s biggest growth in consumption in two decades with 135m albums sold last year: It is a dramatic turnaround from a decade ago, when just 200,000 LPs were sold and record labels had resigned themselves to the idea that vinyl would die out altogether. Audio experts said at the time that digital downloads were vastly superior, because the recordings were purer and did not have the hissing sound associated with LPs. But now, the British Phonographic Industry claims that those same crackles and scratches are driving today’s music fans back to LPs. Spokesman Gennaro Costaldo said that ‘The hiss, scratches and impurities that are associated with vinyl sound actually help to convey a more authentic listening experience…”
Wax Bodega launches live video and concert series spotlighting Cleveland music: When Lakewood record shop Wax Bodega opened last February, the plan was always to amplify the local music scene through events and performances. Their newest project is a free, live in-store concert and video series that aims to put regional music in the spotlight. The first Locals Only show takes place 5-7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 13 at the record shop at 13339 Madison Ave. It features The Sonder Bombs, the uke-punk act who recently premiered their new single, “Switzerland,” on Cleveland.com. The shop hopes to host Locals Only once a month, mixing it in with events like Record Store Day and their one-year anniversary party.
Chico location of Herreid Music to close after 20 years: Herreid Music’s home page on its website greets visitors with this message: “Since 1962, Herreid Music has been taking care of the North Valley’s music supply needs. With stores in Redding and Chico, we are here for you.” But even that local hospitality wasn’t enough to keep the music playing. “It sucks, this is a great little store. A lot of memories,” said Chico Store Manager Lynn Brown. “I think it’s the influence of the evil empire, so when you can advertise every two minutes on tv and on the radio, you can get people to come.” The ‘evil empire’ to Brown is what most call ‘large corporations’ like Guitar Center. When they moved into Chico four years ago, Brown said Herreid Music saw an immediate decline in sales.
‘There’s no place quite like it:’ Roadhouse Oldies closes after 43 years: After 43 years in business in Silver Spring, Roadhouse Oldies closed this weekend to the sounds of James Brown as music hunters searched for rare vinyl and CDs one last time. “I’m going to miss it because there’s no place that’s like it,” said Michael Douglas, a lifelong D.C. resident who has frequented the record shop for 40 years. “Anything you’re trying to find, you can find it here.” Another customer — Silver Spring resident Doug Krentzlin, 63 — echoed the sentiment. “Especially in terms of vinyl, they carried stuff you couldn’t find anywhere else,” said Mr. Krentzlin, who has shopped at Roadhouse for two decades. “This was always a great place to come and just look through the records and CDs.”
Miami is getting a new record store this weekend: Miami vinyl lovers will have a new shop to add to their list of essential crate-digging stops this weekend: Technique Records. The new Upper Eastside joint comes from a not-so-new face in the South Florida record scene: Mikey Ramirez, who was one of the minds behind Fort Lauderdale’s beloved Radio-Active Records for the last dozen years. You’ll also catch the Miami local spinning at Gramps every once in a while. Technique Records will see Ramirez and a few other local faces run a 1,000 square foot space in the Upper Eastside (853 NE 79th Street), just a block away from the acclaimed cocktail bar the Anderson. Technique will hold 15,000 records—sure to be as eclectic and surprising as Ramirez’s own DJ sets—as well as a selection of cult films, books and more. Stop by and check things out for yourself when the store opens its doors this Saturday, January 6, at 5pm.
Vinyl is the New Hot Hotel Amenity: When Schafer Newman stayed at the Goodland, in Goleta, Calif., last year, it wasn’t the hotel’s proximity to the beach or downtown Santa Barbara that impressed him the most. Nor was it the extensive cocktail and spirits list at the property’s watering hole, the Good Bar. While these features were welcome, Mr. Newman, 28, from San Diego, said that he was blown away by the record player in his room, accompanied by a selection of rock ‘n’ roll records, including “Let It Bleed” by the Rolling Stones. “I had never used a record player, much less really seen one before, and I thought it was the coolest touch,” he said.
Westporters remember the late Sally White, a music aficionado: Beloved former music store owner Sally White died Wednesday at Autumn Lake Healthcare in Norwalk. White, who was in her late 80s, owned Sally’s Place on Main Street in Westport for 27 years, where she sold vinyl records, tapes, and CDs and inspired generations of music lovers. In the music business on Westport’s Main Street since 1956, White started out at Melody House and then transitioned to the record section at Klein’s, where she worked until the department store closed in 1985 and she set out to open her own shop. A lifelong Norwalk resident and single mother of two, White was an honorary Westporter and remembered as a mythic figure in town.
Gramophone man’s initiative music to the ears of dementia patients across north-east: William Rimmer, 56, has been collecting gramophone records for about a year having always been interested in the mechanics of the player itself. The Stonehaven man has bought dozens of “78s” – named after the speed in which they were played – with some more than 80-years-old. But it was not until his mother was diagnosed with dementia earlier this year that he realised the true power of music and song. Research has found that the area of the brain which is receptive to music is one of the last to be affected by conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Branding himself the Gramophone Man, Mr Rimmer is now offering his services and his records to nursing homes.
On the record: Warrington Market to launch vinyl fair on Saturday: A new record fair is coming to Warrington this weekend as part of the market’s new focus on regular events. Twenty traders from all over the north west will be selling original collectible vinyl from a variety of different eras and genres of music from soul to punk. The fair takes place on the upstairs floor of Warrington Market on Saturday from 10am to 5pm – and organiser John Beddows hopes to turn it into a monthly event if the demand is there. John, who runs a similar event in Sandbach, said: “The market’s a fantastic venue right in the middle of the town with new facilities.
We’re ripping off some of the best musicians of the last century. It needs to stop. Right now, digital radio stations such as SiriusXM and iHeartRadio pay royalties to artists for most of the music they play. It’s real money: Digital streams make up half of all music business revenue, pushing $4 billion a year. A lot of that money goes to independent artists, backup singers, session players and sidemen — including a generation of lost greats who may have played a lot but didn’t get paid a lot. It’s money these folks count on to pay rent, buy groceries, cover medical bills and support their families. But there’s a catch: Those same stations don’t pay royalties on music recorded before 1972 — not because it’s right or fair or the music is any less valuable. After all, we’re talking about some of the most iconic music ever recorded.
The lost art of music snobbery: Would I have experienced the same epiphany hearing September Gurls for the first time on my iPhone? I’m not so sure…No, it’s the neo-snobs that have me riled up, those ADHD completists who stream all of the cool stuff and have the gall to flaunt the secret knowledge that was so hard won for us. Do you know how hard it was to track down a Big Star record in 1982?! All three of the band’s albums were long out of print, which meant you had to undertake a vision quest of all the best indie record stores in your city (in 1982, there were plenty of them) and you would search and search for a Big Star album, in addition to all the other rare stuff you absolutely had to have.
