UK | Record Store Day’s final drop of 2020 boosts vinyl market: Record Store Day may have been disrupted by the coronavirus in 2020, but it’s still managed to boost physical music sales. The third and final vinyl drop of 2020 for Record Store Day took place on October 24. Artists who supported the latest edition of RSD with exclusive new product included Alice Cooper, Daft Punk, Lewis Capaldi, Sports Team, Calexico and Neneh Cherry. According to Official Charts Company data, there were 124,636 vinyl album sales for the latest chart week (44) during which Record Store Day drop three took place. As well as registering a 41.2% week-on-week increase, vinyl album sales were up 27.4% year-on-year. The limited edition clear vinyl of Lewis Capaldi’s Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent helped the album continue its Top 10 run. While it’s unfair to compare the third vinyl drop of 2020 with the performance of a single edition of Record Store Day in 2019, vinyl album sales for the latest chart week were down just 15% compared to RSD in April 2019 (146,611 vinyl album sales).
Record Store Day’s Black Friday Will Bring LPs From Aimee Mann, U2, The Weeknd… and a CD and Cassette by Pop Smoke: On deck, post-turkey: releases from the Rolling Stones, Lewis Capaldi, Lil Wayne, Bill Evans, Alanis Morissette, My Chemical Romance and a hundred-plus more. Record stores will not be dark on Black Friday this year — at least not the thousand-plus in the U.S. that have been participating in Record Store Day release events this fall and will do so again the day after Thanksgiving. It will mark the fourth month in a row for a Record Store Day event, as August, September and October will have all seen “RSD Drops” days parceling out the more than 400 exclusive releases that had been scheduled to be released through the main annual event in April, before the pandemic forced a tri-part postponement. The lineup announced for Black Friday is slightly trimmed down from last year’s, which might be expected, given the effects of shutdowns on the music industry. A total of 133 titles have been announced, versus 182 that came out for Black Friday 2019. But fans of any genre are still likely to find plenty to feast on from the post-holiday table.
Sedalia, MI | Rob is Psyched to Check Out Sedalia’s New Record Store: You may or may not know this about me, but my preferred choice when it comes to listening to music is vinyl. Specifically LP’s. Albums. I think it’s the easiest way to experience a collection of an artist’s songs. For those of us who still have turntables or a record player at home, shopping for records in West Central Missouri just got a little easier now that Sedalia has another record store. Record shopping in Sedalia got easier this spring when Josey Records opened a franchised store in the Lamy Building. Yet, in my couple of visits I’ve found their selection to be just OK. A lot of what they have seems to be geared towards casual impulse buying from people visiting their other businesses for dinner or a cocktail. Don’t get me wrong I’ve bought 20 or so records there, but I’ve found it harder to find that record I didn’t know I needed there versus other record stores I’ve shopped. So I’m happy to see another record store open. Jammin’ Nuggets Music has opened on South Ohio Street. According to a Sedalia Democrat article that Jammin Nuggets shared on their Facebook page, the store is owned by Deana Taylor and James Harmon. The pair had been selling albums out of their garage until their inventory made that difficult and they decided opening a store was the logical next step.
Englewood, CO | Longtime book and record store owner remembered for thick black glasses, giving spirit.” “He was just very friendly and cool.” Through all the changes Arvada has experienced over the last 29 years, one of the city’s great constants has been the Black & Read Books, Music and Game store tucked into a strip mall on West Wadsworth Boulevard. “Black & Read is always changing (as it is) influenced by customers, staff, the world at large,” said employee Kari Bakken. “But it always remains the place you can find that for which you didn’t know you were looking.” While customers could never be sure what would await them among the store’s overstuffed shelves, Black & Read had its own constant: owner and founder Danny Graul, with his passion for film and mercurial outlook presented through his gravely voice and trademark thick black glasses. But Graul, who died on Oct. 23 at age 70, will likely be best remembered by the many who knew him for his warm and welcoming way and love of people. “He loved talking to different people from all walks of life,” said Michael Baca, who became close with Graul while working with him at Black & Read for the last 20 years. “No matter where you were from, no matter what color you were or anything like that he was just very friendly and cool.”
London, UK | Orbital Comics to Revive Zippo Records in London’s West End: Well, that was a fun surprise reading the latest Popbitch mailing out. And advertisement that was rather close to home. “Soho Music are pleased to announce the opening of a new record store in Soho @ Orbital Space, the legendary comics shop in Seven Dials on Saturday 31st October. This Dad and Lad team have also recently opened Zippo Records in Stoke Newington @ Bolt Motorcycles (N16 0AH). Follow @sohomusiccompany or @zipporecords on Instagram and show in either store to get £2 off your first purchase.” Orbital Comics, now going by the name Orbital Space, has had quite the year. Leaving Diamond Comic Distributors, seeing ructions amongst staff over a relaunch, introducing a pop-up shop courtesy of online store Comic Toolbox to address the weekly Wednesday Warriors, staying in shutdown longer than other stores, coming out of it with a world-class barista, galleries of counter-culture comics original artwork, a David Bowie comic art print store, and now gaining a record shop section as well, from the hippest vinyl slingers in town.
