Manchester, UK | International DJ sets up vinyl shop in Stockport. SK1 Records will specialise in new and second hand vinyl records along with CDs, cassettes and accessories: An international DJ and music producer is launching a new record store and cafe in Stockport. Joe McBride has started up SK1 Records with an £8,000 loan from Stockport Business Finance Scheme through funding partner GC Business Finance. Based on Little Underbank in Stockport SK1 Records will specialise in new and second hand vinyl records along with CDs, cassettes and accessories such as art prints and label merchandise. The business already trades successfully online, and the new premises will include a café selling locally sourced coffee, soft drinks and cakes. Performing as Synkro, Joe has been making music and DJing at festivals and clubs across the world for the past ten years, amassing a collection of more than 7,000 records which will form the initial stock for the shop.
Starkville, MS | Scooter’s Records celebrates one-year anniversary: Scott Thomas, owner of Scooter’s Records in Starkville, will celebrate his one-year anniversary of the “old-school” record store Thursday, Nov. 15. “I always wanted to open up a record store, ever since I was a kid and whenever I got done with school out here in like ‘90, that’s what I was wanting to do but that’s when records had kind of gone away,” Thomas said. About three years ago he saw that he was reaching his 28th year working for the city of Starkville and decided to make a move toward opening his own record store. He felt this was a niche that the city was missing. “I always had the record store thing in the back of my mind,” he said. He questioned whether or not his record store would thrive in Starkville, but his involvement with the Greater Good Collective and Sunday Funday gave him the boost of confidence that he needed when selling records at the event became a big success. He rolled the dice and hasn’t regret it.
London, UK | Vinyl Sales Are Breaking Records This Year. And new shops are popping up in London. Vinyl has been doing well in 2018. Very well. This year, Record Store Day had its best year ever, with retailers selling 733,000 LPs during the week (April 20-26), an all-time high for Record Store Day week, according to Nielsen Music sales data. In total, 799,000 albums in all formats sold at independent record stores, the highest non-holiday week sales total in the U.S. since July 2005. Vinyl sales increased by 19.2% by July of 2018 alone, according to a mid-year report released by Nielsen Music, and it’s anticipated that over 10 million vinyl albums will be sold by the end of 2018 according to a Digital Music News report. And it doesn’t seem like the trend is a fluke, as two new record stores opened up in London last weekend. Online independent music store Bleep, operating since 2004, opened a pop-up store that is the physical embodiment of what they have been creating online for the last 14 years.
Tórshavn, Faroe Islands | The world’s best record shops #131: TUTL Plátufelagið, Faroe Islands: Based in the harsh northern climate of the Faroe Islands, TUTL Plátufelagið has long been a source of local musical pride. Founded in 1977 by composer Kristian Blak, TUTL – which translates as ‘whisper’ in Faroese – is a label and record shop that places the sound of Faroese pop on a pedestal. Neo-Pagan, Faroese folk, gospel and the uniquely Scandinavian sound of heavy metal all take pride of place on TUTL’s racks, which push a range of sometimes overlooked local music. Throughout the summer months, TUTL hosts gigs almost daily across the island in some of the most unique locations you’re likely to find: caves accessible only by boat, Nordic houses in the Faroese capital Tórshavn, or traditional churches on distant islands.
Hollywood, CA | Capitol Music Group to host creativity and innovation marathon “Capitol Royale,” December 1-2. Event At Legendary Capitol Studios Brings Together Creators, Coders, Designers, And Startups To Re-Imagine The Future State Of Music Consumption, Including A Hackathon Live Streamed On Twitch. Signaling its commitment to being a pioneer in the music and tech crossover space, Capitol Music Group is hosting Capitol Royale — a creativity and innovation marathon that will take place at the legendary Capitol Studios in Hollywood on December 1st and 2nd. The two-day conference will bring together the music and tech industries’ leading creatives, coders, designers, and startups to highlight innovations that disrupt the music industry, including a hackathon that will challenge software developers to create products and services that reimagine music consumption and discovery.
