Vinyl set to hit three-decade high sales this year: Vinyl is on track to hit a three-decade high in sales in the UK this year. In September, it was announced that vinyl records had outsold CDs in the US for first time in over 30 years during the first half of 2020. In total, the Recording Industry Association of America reported $232million sales of vinyl music between January and June of this year, compared with just $144million CD sales. Now, it has been revealed that the UK is looking to follow suit with vinyl sales increasing almost 10% this year. It means the format is on track to rake in over £100 million by the end of this year, making 2020 the best year for record sales for thirty years. Drew Hill, managing director of Proper Music, told The Guardian: “We have seen 250% growth from the bottom of lockdown to where we are now. I thought it could be catastrophic for the industry but during lockdown the kind of people buying records also probably went to a lot of gigs. They can’t do that so it seems fans are spending the money they used to on going to gigs each month on records.”
UK | Love Record Stores campaign launches Independent Albums Of The Year initiative: The Love Record Stores campaign has announced the launch of the inaugural Independent Albums Of The Year list. The new #loverecordstores campaign, which was set up earlier this year to raise awareness of the challenges faced by record stores during the Covid-19 pandemic, is aimed primarily at the UK’s wider independent music sector. The list features releases from independent labels voted for by a cross section of notable independent record stores including Drift, Resident, Rough Trade, Normans, Piccadilly, Bear Tree, Assai, Banquet, Stranger Than Paradise, Bleep and Monorail, and will be unveiled on Thursday, December 3. Jason Rackham, UK MD of PIAS and co-founder of #loverecordstores said: “As we head into the winter months it is clear that record stores face a challenging end to the year. We hope and believe that this celebration of the year’s best independent music will help to support the record stores and remind people to continue to support this vital sector of our industry.”
Portland, ME | Bull Moose to close store in Portland: Bull Moose Music’s store in the Old Port will close at the end of November. “Our lease is up and there is very little foot traffic downtown,” a tweet from the company read Tuesday night. The retailer is a cultural institution in Maine and New Hampshire, selling records, CDs, books, movies, toys and games. Its 8 other Maine locations in Maine and 3 New Hampshire stores will remain open. Several Old Port retail stores and restaurants have been forced for reasons related to the coronavirus pandemic. Those in the city’s performing arts industry have been fundraising to support live music venues. Founded in Brunswick by Brett Wickard in 1989, Bull Moose’s Portland location at 151 Middle Street was considered to be its flagship location. The store, set below street level, was a hub for those in and surrounding the southern Maine music scene and typically stayed open until 11 p.m. and frequently hosted live performances from local and touring artists. The record store shared a lobby with Videoport, an independent video and DVD rental store, before it closed in 2015. “Downtown Portland will rebound and when it does we will look for a new location in Portland. Until then, the Mill Creek and Scarborough stores are only a few miles away…”
‘People in their 40s were crying’: the sad final days of New York’s coolest record store: Other Music fuelled New York’s 00s indie boom, boasting Vampire Weekend and Animal Collective among its fans. Then it closed. A new documentary tells the story of the store’s tragic demise – and its ‘terrifying’ staff. A lot of skulking went on at Other Music, the celebrated New York record store. It was an odd kind of dance: nervous customers, hiding behind CD racks or LP sleeves, trying to conjure up a question that wouldn’t result in utter humiliation. The staff there had quite a reputation, after all. The experience is relived in a surprisingly moving new documentary about the shop, also called Other Music. Notable fans Regina Spektor and Jason Schwartzman still sound daunted by Other’s intense atmosphere. “If I’m completely honest, I was never just ‘chill’ in there,” confides Spektor, to camera. “I always got that first-day-of-school feeling, like: OK, just don’t fuck up.” Several former staff admit to their serial moodiness, although the management seem slightly upset at the accusation. This is understandable, given the devoted community they built up over 21 years; the film goes on to capture the store’s final days, before it gets physically ripped apart.
Wallingford, CT | Wallingford’s Redscroll Records reopens in vastly larger space: Rick Sinkiewicz and Josh Carlson have about 56,000 vinyl records, CDs, audio tapes and other entertainment products, and for the first time, room enough for you to see them all. Their Redscroll Records music store moved from its 750-square-foot downtown home at 24 N. Colony Road this week to a vastly larger space, 2,400 square feet, at the rear of 69 S. Turnpike Road, the home of Battery Shop New England. In business since 2007, Redscroll did well, or well enough, on North Colony, near the intersection of Hall Avenue. The best part of being there, Sinkiewicz said, was the patrons who would discover the store while walking downtown to somewhere else. But Redscroll suffered from a significant problem — it was tight for space. Now, not so much. “We’re stoked to not have to cram everything into what we had,” Sinkiewicz said. People who collect vinyl records know Redscroll from its extensive online catalogue of rare recordings, some 28,000 items. Plus the owners gained some elevation in profile from promoting concerts, said Chris Szczerba, a 28-year-old from Northford. “It always seemed like they were a destination store,” Sczcerba said. “People know about it because they seek it out.”
Denver, CO | Bowman’s Vinyl and Lounge Shutters as COVID-19 Restrictions Tighten in Denver: On November 21, the day after Denver moved into Level Red COVID-19 restrictions, Bowman’s Vinyl and Lounge announced that what had been a temporary closing has become permanent. Bowman’s will not reopen. “We are so sad to say that we will be closing our doors,” the record store, venue and bar posted on social media. “We have so much to be grateful for, though. This thing is overwhelming, as it is to so many. We love everyone that has graced us with their presence over the last five years. It has been such an amazing feeling and reward to know and have met you all. “Words don’t have enough power to describe how much this community and you people have meant to us,” the sad announcement continued. “Thank you for all of your support and to all the bands…. you rock. You were always awesome. You made our little world turn and we appreciate you.”
Penticton, BC | Grooveyard founder-owner LeAnne Jakubeit loses battle to cancer: She survived as an independent, competing against the big national companies. In the age of downloading music, she kept her doors open when many of the Ma-and-Pa record shops closed. LeAnne Jakubeit, a prominent businesswoman in Penticton’s downtown for the past 30 years, died Saturday. Her husband, Andrew Jakubeit announced her passing on The Grooveyard’s website earlier tonight. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our founder and co-owner LeAnne Jakubeit from battling cancer. To honor her memory and allow staff time to grieve…we will be closed tomorrow (Sunday Nov 22),” the social media post read. LeAnne operated the local music store for three decades and was extremely popular with the downtown merchants, customers and regulars. She was a huge booster of the local music and entertainment scene. The store often promoted local musicians and the window is always peppered with posters for community events.
UK | Vinyl and cassette sales rise in UK, while CD sales decline: According to the British publication The Guardian, sales of vinyl records in the country have reached a 30-year peak. Streaming audio services and “digital” in all its diversity do not add confidence to people during a pandemic, while “warm tube” sound and the ability to hold an envelope and a record in your hands become an outlet. Audio cassette sales are also growing. Analog audio is making a huge comeback. This year, the source continues, vinyl record sales are up nearly 10% and are heading to surpass the £ 100 million mark by the end of 2020 (32 million). In 2019, record sales were 4.3 million units, which means even more sales in 2020. Thus, 2020 will be the best year for vinyl since 1990. Tape cassettes are also enjoying a renaissance. In 2020, tape sales grew 85%. At the same time, CD sales continue to decline and are heading for their worst record since 1987. It should be said that modern turntables are different from those that were produced thirty or more years ago. The element base has changed, new interfaces have appeared. In particular, the new players have got a wireless connection and USB ports. And, by the way, statistics show that young people are more interested in vinyl records. So nostalgia is playing the leading role in the revival of vinyl, but something else.
Elvis Costello talks songwriting in the streaming era: “…We’re in a situation now where streaming is the dominant way people receive [music], but that’s not necessarily a bad thing from where I’m sitting,” he said. “I have a lot of songs, so they can be spread out over many, many playlists. The volume of my catalogue works to my advantage in the streaming medium.” Costello did agree that streaming royalties still need to be looked at. “It’s obvious that the deals are set up to our disadvantage, but that will eventually be readjusted,” he said. “Because without the musical creators, those are just wires that don’t go anywhere.” Costello expects that CDs and downloads will soon “disappear” but that vinyl albums will continue to exist alongside streaming services. “We’ve won the battle now that vinyl is a superior medium for the sound of the music being heard,” he said. “It’s an absolute no-brainer that it’s better than MP3. It’s probably better than CD as well and it truthfully isn’t any less durable than CD, which can also be damaged and scratched.
