UK | Independent record stores to be celebrated in relaunched #recordstoreoftheday campaign: It kicks off with Brighton indie store Resident. A campaign to celebrate independent record stores in the UK has been relaunched. Originally launched back in March at the onset of lockdown, #RecordStoreOfTheDay is back from today (13th November) to fly the flag for stores across the country. It kicks off with Resident in Brighton. Posted on Instagram, Record Store of the Day organisers said, “We are excited to announce that Record Store of the Day is back! In response to lockdown 2.0, we thought it only right to continue our campaign highlighting the best indie record stores around, starting with @residentbrighton.” Supported by Association of Independent Music, BPI, ERA and more, the initiative will focus on one independent record store each day of the week. See the full list of record stores below. Back in June, a separate event, Love Record Stores Day, boosted music retail by £1 million.
The legendary Tower Records returns as online store: The iconic chain closed all its non-Japanese stores in 2006. The legendary Tower Records chain has made a comeback as an online store. The chain has been out of action for over a decade, closing all its non-Japanese stores in 2006 after filing bankruptcy. A new Tower Records website is already up and running, with vinyl, CDs, merchandise and an online version of their Tower Pulse! magazine on sale now. As Deadline report, the second coming of Tower Records was set to be unveiled at this year’s SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, which was then cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak back in early March. A series of pop-up shops were also set to accompany the store’s return, and may still come to fruition when COVID-19 rules are relaxed. Tower Records’ new CEO Danny Zeijdel made a statement about the company’s return. Zeijdel replaces late founder Russ Solomon, who died in 2018 at the age of 92. “[The news] has been met with tremendous success, feedback,” Zeijdel said.
Traverse City, MI | Collecting Vinyl Records: A Hobby that Will Never Go Out of Style: With the colder weather slowly pushing us inside for the winter, chances are you’re looking for new ways to stay entertained. One hobby that will never go out of style is collecting and playing vinylStudio Anatomy Pkg Ll 4 records. Studio Anatomy, a recording studio and event space in downtown Traverse City opened a record shop called Eugene’s Record Co-Op. It’s a consignment shop where people can buy and sell records, turntables, and accessories. Brian Chamberlain the owner of both Eugene’s and Studio Anatomy says, “records are definitely the comeback. I think a lot of younger people are interested in something that’s tangible.” Eugene’s is located within Studio Anatomy, a recording space for some of Northern Michigan’s talented artists and performers. Anyone and everyone is welcome to use the recording studio for a reasonable fee.
Asheville, NC | Citizen Vinyl: Put Another Record On: Session Bar & Café is my beat, but you can feel a different kind of beat pulses throughout the entire building at Citizen Vinyl. …They’ve come at the business of vinyl from a lot of different directions: the retail record shop, recording studio, their ability to make vinyl masters, as well as large and short album runs, and the rooftop, which may be used for intimate live performances. With the record press installed and running on the main floor, you’ll be able to watch it do its magic through large interior windows while you have lunch, sip a latte, or meet with friends for cocktails.
Is it ideal to start collecting vinyl records right now? Collecting anything is a very intimate process. No matter what type of collection someone pursues, it’s going to look a little different than anyone else’s collection. Often collecting leads the collector down a path of study, research, and introspection. Often the collector ends up with highly specialized knowledge that not everyone else is going to be able to relate to, understand, or appreciate (but those that get it, really get it). Truly great collections take time and energy—a consistent study over a long period. Then, even after all the learning, there’s still the hunt—the seeking out of rare items that are hard to find—the pieces that make any collection truly spectacular. Difficulties aside, collecting can be one of the most rewarding hobbies there is. The physical items that have been found and compiled provide joy and look great in a home, they sometimes entertain as well, but it’s more than this.
