How important is the vinyl boom to the music industry? …Aside from the obvious appeal of being a record collector, vinyl has also had a significant positive impact on the music industry as a whole. For instance, music has always been an art form for expression, and vinyl captures the very essence of this sentiment. There’s something timeless yet nostalgic about artists utilising the vinyl format for their music, and it makes the entire fan experience that much more elevated. Additionally, vinyl records offer a broader range of incentives for fans to make music purchases. For instance, if an artist releases a limited edition pressing or includes special prints within the sleeve, it can enhance fan engagement with the broader artistic concept.
AU | QBD Books To Start Selling Vinyl: “We find that vinyl record consumers and book readers have similar interests, and so for us, the alignment with Sony is a natural fit.” Popular bookstore QBD Books has partnered with Sony Music and is expanding to the music market, selling vinyl records in 30 stores across Australia. On Monday, 13 November, QBD Books will take over the old Dymocks Booksellers shop at Sydney’s Broadway Shopping Centre, with grand opening proceedings commencing from 10 am AEDT. “Our industry is worth around $1.7B and supports over 10,000 jobs – and in fact, we’re now seeking new full-time and casual staff to join QBD Books Broadway in the leadup to the busy Christmas trading period,” QBD Books CEO Nick Croydon commented in a statement. “At the same time, our bookstores have become an avenue for associated industries to thrive, and to this end, we’re excited to announce that we are partnering with Sony Music to stock vinyl records in up to 30 of our stores, including Broadway.”
Kansas City, MO | Manor Records returns with a new store in West Bottoms: Locally beloved music label Manor Records held a soft opening for a new brick-and-mortar record shop in West Bottoms over the weekend. The show included Manor family artists True Lions, Supermoto, and Khrystal. Since closing its bar location in Strawberry Hill this past March, the label has restructured its leadership team and business model to more effectively support local musicians. Members of the new board include President Shaun Crowley, Vice President Skylar Rochelle, Secretary Kayla Jarrett, and Treasurer Connor Randell. Together, the team decided that with the new storefront, they would omit the complexities of bar inventory and upkeep. They have shifted the store to be a limited liability company, or LLC, which Crowley says more easily allows the record store profits to be donated to the label’s nonprofit.
Ogden, UT | Visiting Lavender Vinyl: Lavender Vinyl, located on Ogden’s Historic 25th Street, is a record store that many community members have gathered at for several years. Lavender Vinyl was established in 2016 by Blake Lundell and Kye Hallows. Customers can find thousands of records both new and used from every genre and decade. Lundell and Hallows shared a passion for music from a young age. Lundell was a longtime customer at Graywhale Entertainment, Utah’s largest independent record store with locations in Riverdale and Taylorsville. Lundell started working at Graywhale in 2007, where he met Hallows. “I was mostly buying CDs at that point, but once I started working there, really both of us got into vinyl,” Lundell said. “I just couldn’t stop buying records.” After working at Graywhale, Lundell and Hallows decided it was time for them to open their own independent record store.
Dallas, TX | Colorful Dallas record store owner Bucks Burnett passes away at 64: One of the more colorful characters in Dallas’ music scene has died: Dallas record store owner and close-personal-friend-to-celebrities James Ray “Bucks” Burnett died on October 2; he was 64. According to a police report, he was found at a friend’s house. His partner Barley Vogel said in a Facebook post that he was suffering from Bipolar 1 Disorder and also from “the illness of addiction,” and took his own life. A Dallas native, Burnett was a musician, raconteur, archivist, and record store owner, most recently 14 Records on Garland Road in East Dallas, which he humorously dubbed “Dallas’ smallest and least known record store.” Record stores were his entire life, starting from his first job at Hit Records in Oak Cliff when he was 16 years old.
Kate Bush coloured vinyl reissues announced: “Buying an album was an event,” says Bush. Kate Bush‘s studio albums are being re-released through her new label The state51 Conspiracy on vinyl and CD, with special coloured vinyl editions being available via independent record shops. The Kick Inside (1978), Lionheart (1978), Never For Ever (1980), The Dreaming (1982), Hounds of Love (1985), The Sensual World (1989), The Red Shoes (1993), Aerial (2005), Director’s Cut (2011) and 50 Words For Snow (2011) are released on November 20, featuring the 2018 remastering by Bush and James Guthrie. The ‘indie editions’ are pressed on coloured vinyl which is sympathetic to the original album artwork. They feature new label designs and special OBI strips. “It’s very exciting to see people appreciating the physical presence of an album released on vinyl,” says Bush. “It’s how it’s always been for me, especially when I was a teenager. The whole buzz of the record store was part of the experience. Buying an album was an event.”
Rhino Gives Vinyl Treatment to Zapp’s Funky Self-titled Debut: Zapp’s self-titled debut album is an iconic and influential piece of funk music that has stood the test of time since its release in 1980. Led by the creative genius of Roger Troutman, this album is a rollercoaster of funkadelic sounds and innovative electronic elements that solidified Zapp’s place in music history. Out of the original ten members, four were brothers – frontman Roger, Larry, Lester and Terry Troutman. During the band’s early stages, they worked closely with George Clinton and Bootsy Collins of Parliament-Funkadelic. In celebration of Rhino Record’s 45th Anniversary, Rhino is reissuing classic titles from their catalog on “Rhino Red” vinyl. Each reissue includes a bonus 45” with two selections from the record and all titles were pressed at Third Man Records. The 45” includes the song “More Bounce to the Ounce” split over both sides due to its nine-minute run time.
Metal Blade Reissues and Re-presses Classic Mercyful Fate Records: There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding the eventual release of a brand new Mercyful Fate record in recent months, especially after the band started playing the new track “The Jackal of Salzburg” live last year. And while the latest update we have on that front is effectively a “it’ll be done when it’s done,” there’s still something for Mercyful Fate fans to get excited about. As of today, fans can get their hands on four of Mercyful Fate’s classic albums, In the Shadows, Time, Into the Unknown, and 9. Each album has their own unique color variants and are currently available for North American and European fans, along with special merch designs to accompany the releases. For more details on each re-issue, be sure to check out the info here.
