Wrexham, UK | Wrexham to host ‘bumper’ record fair: A record fair believed by organisers to be the largest in Wales will be held in Wrexham this weekend. On Saturday (November 23) VOD Music bring their last record fair of the year with a total of 33 stalls on the day. Ty Pawb will host the event, which runs from 10am to 4pm and is free to enter. Vinyl, CDs, DVDS, Pop Art, memorabilia, merchandise and more will be available with some of the UK’s top record dealers attending. Organisers have said the day will offer “collectables, bargains and a great social event for like minded music lovers”. There will also be DJ sets throughout, as well as street food stalls, a bar, art gallery and market stalls that occupy the venue.
Bromsgrove, UK | Final Vinyl Record and CD Fair of 2019 takes place in Bromsgrove this weekend: The biggest Vinyl Record and CD Fair in Bromsgrove returns for one last event of 2019 this Sunday, November 24. The event at the Bromsgrove Hotel and Spa takes place between 10am and 4pm and boasts more than 40 stalls selling thousands of records – from rarities to bargains and everything in between. There will be classic rock, 90s Brit Pop, reggae, hip-hop, punk, dance, soul, rock ‘n’ roll and more on offer. There is free on-site parking when registering at the hotel, along with a cafe, restaurant and cash machine if people run out of money. Visit www.midlandsrecordfairs.co.uk.
Waterloo, CA | Fueling the vinyl revival: Alumnus co-founds company that makes modern, automated record presses: The idea of designing and building a modern new machine to produce old-school vinyl records came totally out of left field for James Hashmi. Equipped with a 2007 degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Waterloo, he’d spent years establishing a career in medical technology, not traditional manufacturing. But when he looks back almost five years later, leaving medtech to help fuel the vinyl revival – now an estimated $1-billion annual industry – actually seems like a natural progression. Hashmi, 36, was a visual artist and multi-instrument musician before pursuing mathematics, science and a career in engineering. Now, as a co-founder and chief technology officer at Viryl Technologies in Toronto, all of those passions are in play together.
Tāmaki Makaurau, NZ | Interview: ‘A Short Run: A Selection Of New Zealand Lathe-Cut Records’ Exhibition: Currently showing at Tāmaki Makaurau’s Objectspace gallery until the end of November, A Short Run: A Selection Of New Zealand Lathe-Cut Records is an exhibition presenting an eye-popping array of lathe-cut records – an affordable polycarbonate plastic alternative to vinyl pioneered and manufactured by Peter King in Geraldine from the late 1980s onwards, locally produced for artists in limited editions as low as 20 units. Curated by musician and designer Luke Wood (The Hex Waves, The National Grid), A Short Run makes tangible a significant selection of ‘underground’ or ‘obscure’ musical activity from throughout Aotearoa, and brings to light such scarce artefacts as Aldous Harding’s sophomore record, of which there are only 40 copies in existence.
Blackest Ever Black closes its doors, releases vinyl version of final compilation: …No explanation has apparently been given, but we know from interviews with Sande over the near decade that BEB was functional, that an end was certainly inevitable at some point, and that he would arguably be surprised at the label’s endurance, as well as the fanfare that it accrued via a palpable seriousness and feeling of ostracization. It’s reasonable to suspect that Sande is otherwise devoting his time to operating the London-based Low Company record shop and label, both of which became a thing in 2017. BEB’s shuttering means that its final release is the compilation entitled A short illness from which he never recovered, which came out digitally last month, and which has a vinyl version damn-near ready to ship, according to Boomkat. It’s mildly odd to see to a final label comp that doesn’t include a track from Raime, given their influence on the label and self-described synergy with Sande, but Carla dal Forno’s at least on there as a rep of earlier times.
Traverse City, MI | Studio Anatomy adds vinyl record shop: More music is coming to Front Street. Studio Anatomy, which occupies the 5,000-square-foot lower level of the Arcade Building, already delivers plenty of downtown melodies. But many folks aren’t aware — because the music flows only in the evening. “Mostly we record after 6 p.m,” said owner Brian Chamberlain. Concerts in the adjoining venue mostly happen on Friday and Saturday nights, as they have since Studio Anatomy opened more than seven years ago. The business’ timetable is going to change next week when Chamberlain debuts a new facet of his music business — a vinyl record shop. The existing recording studio and performance venue will continue to operate evenings, partly as a courtesy to neighboring businesses and partly as a convenience for local musicians — who often have interesting schedules.
Are Counterfeit Records on the Rise? As if record labels didn’t have enough worries these days, the perennial problem of counterfeiting has recently been shown to be as active an issue as ever. An RIAA study of the phenomenon conducted this summer found that 25% of CDs fulfilled by Amazon were illegal copies, as reported by DJ Mag and other outlets. In October, Tommy Boy Records grabbed headlines by saying they saw vinyl records for sale on Amazon that the label had never pressed to wax. Through conversations with record labels and industry watchdogs, it’s safe to say that the practice is widespread. In fact, calling counterfeiting widespread would be like dubbing Genghis Khan disagreeable. “I guarantee that if you look at the Hot 100 on Billboard, somewhere in this world there’s a counterfeit copy of every one of them,” says Bruce Iglauer, founder and CEO of renowned blues label Alligator Records. But it’s a problem that affects the world’s indie labels as much as it does the majors.
