Hitchin’s Gatefold Record Lounge spinning up to celebrate first anniversary: Jak and Nicola Utley opened the vinyl emporium in the town’s hip Hermitage Road last October, and they’ll be marking their first birthday this Saturday with live DJs, special offers and more. The DJs will spin in-store from 12 noon to 4pm, and there will be special one-day offers and more – including the launch of a new Gatefold Gold Membership. Nicola told the Comet: “We’ve enjoyed every second of our first 12 months since opening the doors – from the hectic opening weekend, to collaborations with so many talented DJs and street food vendors, an amazing Record Store Day event, and all of the wonderfully supportive people we’ve had the pleasure of meeting.
Debbie and Pete Gulyas of Blue Arrow Records like vinyl and Waterloo: My Cleveland: “With vinyl, you get the crackles and pops of life. Digital is all clean and synthetic. It’s harsher, too. People also like holding something tangible, with art covers. I was never a fan of tapes. Remember how right in the middle of the song it would just switch to the next track?When CDs came out, we were given a bill of goods that they’d last a lifetime. Not true. It’s all breaking down quicker than vinyl. We help people find the records they want. We sell internationally every day, sometimes at collectors’ prices, $50 for a record.
CIMA Sounds Hopeful Note at AGM: Also announced at the CIMA meeting: Neilsen Music Canada’s partnership with Record Store Day Canada to serve as the exclusive data sponsor for RSD in Canada. “Nielsen continues to support and grow independent retailers and our work with Record Store Day Canada will serve to benefit the entire independent music community across Canada,” said Paul Shaver, head of Nielsen Canada, in a statement. “The partnership will see a combined focus on increasing the independent store reporting base which will have a direct impact on weekly chart data.” Adds RSD Canada’s Ryan Kerr: “It’s a natural partnership with Nielsen’s deep roots in the Canadian music industry, and vinyl’s ever-popular resurgence. We will help each other to continue to grow and build our community of independent record stores and connect with independent labels and vinyl enthusiasts across the nation.”
Record Breakers, Former Reggies Vinyl Shop, Lands In Avondale: Good news, vinyl lovers: Record Breakers, a longtime record store most recently attached to Reggies rock club in the South Loop, is now slinging records in Avondale. Last year, the owner of Reggies gifted the store, which operated above the rock club for nearly a decade, to longtime employees Colin Brennan and Eric Kratz, who then moved the store to a vintage building on an up-and-coming stretch of Milwaukee Avenue at 2935 N. Milwaukee Ave. “Reggies has an aesthetic. I love it. It was my home there for 10 years, but it’s not exactly what we are,” Brennan said of the decision to move to Avondale. “The opportunity to do something on our own was really exciting. And we were struggling being on the second floor there.”
Looking To Make Some Extra Cash? Check Your Old Vinyl Collection: Old school is cool, and the vinyl resurgence is showing no sign of slowing down. A number of companies are making turntables again, some of which are extremely high-end and cost a decent whack. If you’re still not won over how about this nugget of info – Global LP record sales soared to a 25-year high in 2016 after 10 years of consistent growth, and earlier this year Sony Music Entertainment announced that it will revive production of new vinyl records by March 2018. That’s after shutting down operations almost 30 years ago. No, dads across the country, your big baggy jeans aren’t also coming back into fashion. The vinyl revival also brings with it some significant money-making opportunities for music lovers, so if you’re looking to make cash on the side here are a few suggestions…
Josie and the Pussycats Rock LA Reunion Celebrating Vinyl Reissue & The Most Authentic Fake Band Ever: The lights dimmed at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles and the crowd began chanting the name “Josie” in hopes of summoning the band that was about the play. It mirrored the final scene of 2001’s Josie and the Pussycats, a restless crowd starts calling out for the band they had yet to see. In the film, it was the debut performance of a fictional band. In real life, it was the debut performance of these songs. Finally, Kay Hanley and her band emerged to play songs from the Josie and the Pussycats soundtrack to an audience for the first time.
