Odessa, TX | Endless Horizons announces its closure on Oct. 21: “We don’t want you to be sad because we are grateful for being able to serve this community for 48 years. Come on by and let’s make some final memories together.” Endless Horizons Record and Tapes have announced in a Facebook post that they are closing their doors. The last day of operations will be Oct. 21, they are having a 50% off closing sale. Their hours of operation is Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. In the post the longtime Odessa store says, “We don’t want you to be sad because we are grateful for being able to serve this community for 48 years. Come on by and let’s make some final memories together.”
Wilmington, NC | Business Owner Amplifies Local Music: Patrick Ogelvie loves his records. If it wasn’t obvious by the collection in his store, Flux Audio/Video, where his thousands of vinyls cover the walls, his fixation is even more obvious when he talks about his work in Wilmington’s music industry. Ogelvie, 53, moved to the Port City in 1993 after he graduated from Indiana University. At school he studied audio engineering and sought to continue his passion in Wilmington. He quickly opened a recording studio out of his house on Market Street, where he could help emerging local bands put together a mix on a budget. Wilmington was known for its film industry at the time, the 1990s and early 2000s, after movies such as Blue Velvet and Firestarter were released years prior, but it was the grunge rock music scene that caught Ogelvie’s eye. Back then, the music industry here was far bigger than it is now, he said.
Rochester, NY | Needle Drop Records now open in Brighton: Needle Drop Records has made the move from the South Wedge in Rochester to 1780 Monroe Avenue in Brighton; right next to The Sheffield. Record collectors remember the old place in the South Wedge as “cramped.” For owner Russ Torregiano, that was the biggest reason for the move from his old space of about 12 years: getting more space. “12 years of a store, it really gets cramped, because you keep buying stuff,” he said. Torregiano says he crafted Needle Drop Records to cater to records that were hard to find elsewhere: “I kind of wanted an underground record store, Rochester had a lot of great stores and still do, but nothing really specialized in punk, metal, and hardcore at the time,” he said. While that’s still a focus, he has expanded over time. This new space will help him continue to do that, while keeping the things that made it special along the way, like the Simpsons artwork on the back wall.
Florence, AL | All the Best Block party in Florence, AL: Record store and coffee shop, All The Best, celebrated 10 Years of Single Lock Records with their second block party. Now this wasn’t just any block party. To say Kristy and Ben of All The Best know how to throw a party is an understatement. The Florence, AL, community as a whole was represented here with local restaurants providing food and local stores selling their wares. There were three bands/artists scheduled, each of which was joined by special guests. All of the performers are on Single Lock Records’ rota and based in the Florence, AL area. First up was Speckled Bird. Speckled Bird is comprised of members of Belle Adair, Alabama Shakes, Della Ray, The Prescriptions, and John Paul White’s touring band. What a way to kick off the evening’s festivities! Their sound is very chilled and indie-influenced, which led to a very relaxed and enjoyable first performance of the evening. They are joined on stage by special guest Duquette Johnston for a few numbers.
Saskatoon, CA | Vintage vinyl records find new life at Saskatoon record sale: In the age of Apple Music and Spotify, where digital music reigns supreme, there’s a thriving community of enthusiasts in Saskatoon who are bucking the trend. They’re turning to vintage vinyl records, sparking a resurgence in collecting these timeless musical treasures. “The sound of vinyl is different than any other sound. Of course, we’re in the digital age now where everything is cut and dry. It’s cut off very precisely. Vinyl is a free-flowing medium, and so the sound is a lot warmer, a lot softer, and a lot fuller,” Neil Bergen with CFCR community radio, who hosted the record sale at Grace Westminster Church on Saturday. This resurgence of vinyl records was evident at a recent record sale event where vendors offered not only records but also cassettes, comics, and other nostalgic items.
Stroudsburg, PA | Keanu Reeves stops by Stroudsburg record shop ahead of sold-out show: Known for starring in movies like The Matrix, John Wick, and Bill and Ted, Keanu Reeves dropped by a Stroudsburg record Saturday morning. Dogstar, a band comprised of Bret Domrose, Rob Mailhouse, and Keanu Reeves, posted a video Saturday morning encouraging the public to support independent record shops. The band is performing to a sold-out crowd at the Sherman Theatre in Stroudsburg on Saturday night (10/7), and while in town, Reeves backed up the talk by checking out Main Street Jukebox. The band’s debut album, Somewhere Between the Powerlines and Palm Tree, released this past Friday and is streaming on all platforms. If you want to support record shops near you, check out Main Street Jukebox or go to Record Store Day to find a shop near you.
UK | Indie labels concerned as major labels intervene in vinyl and CD distribution: A disastrous warehouse move saw a top act at a British indie label miss out on a Top 20 spot. Independent record labels have expressed worries after a large vinyl distribution company, Utopia Music, has started to involve major labels in its finances. Utopia Music is a company which physically distributes vinyls and CDs to retailers. In September 2022, the company acquired what was formerly the biggest music distribution company in the UK, Cinram Novum. Earlier that January, it also acquired fellow distributor Proper Music Group. Due to these acquisitions, Utopia now has an estimated 70% share, making it the leading company for getting records to shops in the UK. However, issues involving a warehouse move gone wrong have negatively impacted acts at indie labels. The Guardian reported that one British indie label said one of its biggest acts missed a Top 20 chart position. Additionally, stock for a September release was “temporarily unable to be located”, meaning nine months of work and thousands of pounds were wasted.
Discogs’ vibrant vinyl community is shattering: A home for music diehards has been fractured by increased fees that are pushing sellers and shoppers to other platforms. …The problems started in earnest when the company raised its fee from 8 to 9 percent on May 22nd of this year, and — crucially — started charging that same fee on shipping costs for the first time, an issue considering how international the record market is. One of the beauties of Discogs had previously been finding and purchasing rarities from sellers in Japan or Germany; the most expensive record I’ve ever purchased, for example, was a copy of Cannonball Adderley’s debut album from a seller in Switzerland. Now, the site is taking considerably larger slices of those kinds of sales. (Discogs declined to comment for this story.)
