New York, NY | In the Face of Record Shop Closures, Moodies Records Persists: Reggae music overpowers light chatter in a room where music legends cover the walls; Michael Jackson posters, Taylor Swift CDs and Lauryn Hill vinyl records flank a narrow aisle weaving between the rows of entertainment. Baskets filled with incense and hair conditioners sit near the cash register as Williamsbridge’s older residents chat on the shady sidewalk underneath a rumbling 2-train. Friends, neighbors and family joined together to celebrate the life of Earl Moodie, owner of Moodies Records, who died last September at the age of sixty-nine. “He opened the shop, the rest is history,” said his son, Earl Moodie Jr. Moodies Records, a small music store in Williamsbridge, has persisted despite the shift from vinyl to digital, and in the face of big brands like T-Mobile moving into the storefronts that line White Plains Rd. and Westchester Ave.
Cork, IE | The revival of the vinyl: How Cork’s record resurgence has returned to the mainstream: “It’s about having ownership, having a record that you can call your own brings a sentimental value that digital streaming can’t.” Bunker Vinyl, one of Cork city’s most adored record shops, is located in a quaint basement on Camden Place, offering the quay an unmissable spot of colour as vibrant outside as it is inside. The shop is run by music connoisseur, John Dwyer, who opened Bunker in 2016. While always kept on his feet over the past six years, the lockdown era prompted a further resurgence in the music medium, with popularity in vinyl’s soaring as restrictions on movement forced people, particularly young people, to find new ways to keep themselves occupied at home. …Asking his young customers what prompted their interest in buying records, the answers he receives are multi-faceted. Some were inspired by their parents, while others have found nostalgia in physical albums. One young customer said, “It’s about having ownership, having a record that you can call your own brings a sentimental value that digital streaming can’t.”
Coachella, CA | Time for Vinyl: Gré Records and Coffee Expands to Host Live Music and Celebrate Art: The Coachella Valley is rich with music—but poor when it comes to the number of record stores. After Record Alley ended its four-decade run in 2021, the Coachella Valley was left with just a handful of places to get vinyl, including Finders Keepers in La Quinta, and Dale’s Records in Palm Desert—and now, Gré Records and Coffee is upping its vinyl game. Located in downtown Palm Springs, Gré has been transformed into a music-lovers’ paradise, offering not only a great selection of used records, but also books, art, performances and, of course, coffee. “It’s obviously evolved from what we started out with—just coffee and a small bin of records when we opened in 2016,” said owner Kelly Segré during a recent phone interview. “Now we have over 4,000 used records in stock, so we’re definitely more of a record store, even though we sell coffee every day.” Segré explained why she doubled Gré’s space and built a new stage.”
Seattle, WA | Is West Seattle the rock ’n’ roll capital of Seattle? It feels like a missed marketing opportunity. There’s no mention on the “Welcome to West Seattle” sign greeting drivers sloping up the end of the newly reopened West Seattle Bridge. But anyone who’s been around the Seattle music scene longer than a two-minute Fastbacks song can tell you: West Seattle is crawling with local rock stars, artists and music biz shakers whose fingerprints are all over the past, present and future of the city’s musical identity. “I’ve lived all over Seattle — Queen Anne, Madison Park, Capitol Hill, Shoreline, whatever,” says Matt Vaughan, owner of West Seattle’s nationally known Easy Street Records. “West Seattle for sure has a disproportionate amount of people in the business or artistically minded [people] — those that are making a difference on our scene.” It might be time for the local Chamber of Commerce to spruce up its signage with a splashier tagline: “Welcome to West Seattle, the rock ’n’ roll capital of Seattle.”
San Pedro, CA | JDC Records: The San Pedro Record Shop That Gave Us the Party Sound of ’80s L.A. It was “Get Off Your Ass and Jam” that led Jim Callon to the disco. As a recording engineer, he worked on that Funkadelic song, which is on the band’s 1975 album “Let’s Take It to the Stage.” When he learned that the tune was getting play on disco dance floors, he wanted to hear how it sounded in the venues. So Callon ventured to a club in West Hollywood. He was impressed by the light show and the DJs — it was the first time he heard Donna Summer’s now-classic cut “Love to Love You Baby” — and the crowd’s enthusiastic response to the Funkadelic song. That night, Callon had a revelation, “I’ve got to make some disco records.” He did that, and scored two late-’70s club hits in the process. He also launched a record label and distribution company that would supply the West Coast, and, crucially, Los Angeles, with bangers that heated up Los Angeles parties throughout the ’80s.
Athens, GA | Different side of Athens music: An inside look at Kindercore Vinyl. Dating all the way back to the early 20th century, the vinyl record is quite possibly the most timeless medium of listening to music. Despite advances in streaming platforms and Bluetooth devices, many still frequent record shops and purchase Crosley Radio suitcase turntables. The popularity of vinyl records in the modern age of music is undeniable, but knowledge of the process of making a record is not as widespread. Kindercore Vinyl in North Athens was established in 1996 by Ryan Lewis and Dan Geller as an independent record label. After its transition into a full-time pressing company, their main focus has been creating physical records. After Kindercore’s shift into production, business has flourished. Producing thousands of vinyls a day and booked until the beginning of 2023, the vinyl company is Athens’ biggest record producer and continues to grow daily. Kindercore began pressing records over five years ago, according to Hunter Pinkston, a Kindercore employee. To be exact, this Halloween will mark five years since their first pressing.
Green Village, NJ | Record Shop Founder From Morris County Mourned: Anthony M. Scotti, Jr. opened Scotti’s Record Shop. His family continues to run the Summit store. Anthony M. Scotti, Jr. opened a record business that’s lasted from vinyl’s peak through its modern resurgence. His legacy lives on at Scotti’s Record Shop in Summit, which remains open after 65 years. Scotti died Sept. 4, the record shop said Monday, which was Scotti’s birthday. The longtime Green Village resident was 91. Scotti attended public schools in Morristown, meeting his future wife, Elsie Scotti, while in Morristown High School, according to his obituary. After graduating high school, Scotti enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served during the end of the Korean War. After being discharged from the Navy, Scotti obtained an associate’s degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He opened Scotti’s Records in 1956, eventually expanding to six locations. The original shop in Summit still operates, with his son, Anthony, running the store.
Why the YouTube vinyl community is music collecting’s heartbeat: Where do you find some of the most experienced and renowned music collectors around the globe? Right in front of your computer screen! Somewhere around a decade and a half ago, a small group of passionate and avid music collectors from various parts of the world began speaking about, sharing, and documenting their enthusiasm for maintaining and curating their music collections; mostly in the way of vinyl records (hence the name “Vinyl Community”). It really began with a few dedicated record collecting aficionados creating YouTube videos, here and there, as an outlet to express their passion, and a way to find like-minded individuals on the internet — and YouTube was just the place to do it. As the magic of algorithms lead more and more people to discover these ‘enthusiast-videos’; audiences grew. Collectors and interested spectators alike would not only help to increase exposure for this type of content but would eventually open the way for more and more collectors and aficionados producing and launching videos of their own. Eventually, right around 2009 someone coined ‘the term,’ and the YouTube Vinyl Community was born.
Wilco Announce Cruel Country Vinyl, Share New “A Lifetime to Find” Video: Physical editions of the band’s latest album arrive in January. Wilco’s Cruel Country is getting a wide physical release on January 20. It’ll be available in 2xLP and 2xCD formats via dBpm. (The album was initially released digitally and in as a double-disc for Record Store Day.) To celebrate the news, Wilco have also shared a music video for the song “A Lifetime to Find.” The clip sees the band members crossing paths with paranormal characters at the Elks Lodge in North Adams, Massachusetts. Check it out below. Created by Grammy-winning designer Lawrence Azerrad, the 2xLP gatefold package for Cruel Country features a panel of postcards, band photos, and more. Red and white vinyl LPs limited to 5,000 copies will also be available in independent record stores.
