Paducah/Benton, KY | Vinyl boom alive and well in western Ky. as two new record stores prepare to open: The warm, vibrant crackle of vinyl records is steadily making a comeback, and far western Kentucky collectors will see a pair of new record shops open this weekend in Paducah and Benton. The sale of vinyl records has consistently grown over the last two decades as new generations of music fans have started collecting. Billboard reported that more than 43 million new vinyl albums were sold in 2022 – which marked the 17th consecutive year of growth for the format and the largest total since at least 1991. Statistics released by the Recording Industry Association of America also indicated growth as revenue from vinyl sales grew by more than 17% in 2022, reaching $1.2 billion. Murray has been home to Terrapin Station for more than 35 years, but no other store that specializes in new and used vinyl records has found success in far western Kentucky in recent years.
UK | ‘The Record Store & Black Music, A UK History’- 2Funky Arts seek interviewees and memories: Do you have memories of record shops that specialised in Black music? People are being asked to share their stories as part of a major UK project made possible thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund. ‘The Record Store & Black Music, A UK History’ will explore memories people have of browsing aisles, discovering new artists, and socialising in these cultural hubs, to document a fascinating history. Volunteers will conduct interviews with artists, DJs, store owners, customers and music fans to discover the stories and the facts that shaped this fascinating history. The 2Funky Arts team is also looking for photographs, footage newspaper articles that might help with research. The project will see interviews and memories pulled together to create a film, publication, podcast series and educational resource. Interviews will take place in the Midlands, North, London & The South and virtually. For the Windrush generation and Black diaspora, the early independent UK record store was a music-fuelled vehicle for resistance against systemic racism.
Williamsville, NY | ‘Now and Then’: Why The Beatles, and local record stores, remain a staple: The Beatles live on with a newly-produced work, and Western New York record stores continue to thrive and share all music with all ages. The Beatles continue to live on and cement themselves in music history as, on Thursday, they released their “final” song over 45 years in the making: “Now and Then”. And although half of the fearless four have passed on and the song was modified using new Artificial Intelligence tools which music lovers have mixed opinions of, their music lives on for eternity as both young and old continue to enjoy the band for who they are, what they represent and the quality of their vast catalogue of ear worms. “They were always a step ahead of everyone else,” says Phil Machemer, owner of Revolver Records Inc., a group of record stores in Western New York. “If you listen to albums they made in the late 60s, it sounds like a lot of the music from the 70s, and we can see that now. It was huge back in the day, but I feel like how much it resonated back then, will just always be that way. It’s timeless. People are still using their music as an influence and it’s ever present. It’s like, the standard.”
Brighton, UK | OMD meet loyal fans in Brighton record shop: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (OMD) have sold an astonishing 25 million singles and 15 million albums, which has established them as electronic synthesiser pioneers and one of Britain’s best-loved pop groups. …In support of the new 12 song (almost 43 minute long) release, Paul and Andy made a scheduled appearance here in Brighton at Resident records in North Laine in order to meet and greet fans who had purchased copies of the vinyl LP or CD options. As you would expect, the Kensington Gardens shop had an orderly queue that ran up every aisle and out the door and down the street. The new album was playing over their soundsystem as well as historic OMD hits. Unfortunately this was not a live instore performance this time around, but OMD fans won’t have to wait too long in order to see their heroes up on the big stage, as they have announced a 22 date UK tour for this coming February and March, which includes two performances in Sussex.
Houston, TX | New listening bar Off the Record brings music and memories to Downtown Houston: The new spot is a haven for cocktail-sipping music nerds. This Thursday (11/2), another local nightspot that appeals to club-hoppers and night owls with impressive vinyl collections will have its grand opening. Off the Record is the latest record-populated hangout to hit Houston. Unlike Montrose record bars The Flat and 93′ Til, this one is located in Downtown Houston, smack dab in the middle of Main Street. The grand opening is Thursday at 9 p.m. Off the Record is located in the former home of Bovine & Barley—and if you ask Bovine & Barley owner Jason Lowery, the spot needed an upgrade. “I was planning to redo the place at some point anyway,” Lowery said. He hooked up with Almeda Hospitality Group owner Steve Rogers (he operates such hotspots as Bar 5015 and The Warwick Restaurant), self-described “trend ignitor” David Anderson III of the Heist Agency, and engineer-turned-marketer Mikos Adams.
Middlesbrough, UK | Interview: How To Build Your Own Record Pressing Plant. A year after the first pressing machines arrived at Press On Vinyl in Middlesbrough, Steve Spithray’s latest book explores what it takes to build and run a record pressing plant. Taking a look behind the scenes of Press On Vinyl’s first year in business, How To Build Your Own Record Pressing Plant is a tale of the highs and lows, the resilience, creativity and passion of its owners – David Todd and Danny Lowe – and their mission to create a sustainable business providing rare opportunities for indie musicians and artists. A labour of love and a true local collaboration of North East creatives, Spithray’s book features eye-catching cover art from Rob Irish and is published by Butterfly Effect – a first for the record label. “Steve wanted to release the book via a record label because of the subject matter,” says Butterfly Effect founder Stephen Gill. “I agreed if I could bring in my friend Fran Harvey—she’s worked in the book industry for a while and knows how to edit and design an amazing book.”
UK | Kate Bush to reissue Hounds of Love, Never For Ever and more iconic albums on physical formats: Kate Bush is set to reissue a selection of her LP back catalogue on brand-new physical formats. Kate, Fish People and The state51 Conspiracy will release albums including chart-toppers Never For Ever (1980) and Hounds of Love (1985) on December 1 2023, with the products available to pre-order from today (November 1). The collection of newly-issued physical releases includes two special presentations of Hounds of Love, featuring brand-new artwork complete with solar-powered, flashing LED detailing. Speaking on the releases, Kate says: “It’s been great fun putting together these new versions, including the coloured vinyl for independent record stores. “They’ve been designed as a ‘set’. It’s very exciting to see the resurgence of appreciation for the physical presence of albums released on vinyl. It’s how it’s always been for me, especially when I was a teenager. The whole buzz of the record store was part of the experience. Buying an album was an event.
Power-Pop Icons Jellyfish To Reissue ‘Bellybutton’ And ‘Spilt Milk’ On Vinyl: San Francisco power-pop legends Jellyfish will be releasing vinyl reissues of their two seminal albums Bellybutton (1990) and Spilt Milk (1993). Vinyl editions of the former will be released on November 3, and the latter will arrive on November 17. While new 96khz/24bit remastered versions of albums will hit streaming services on November 3. Both Bellybutton and Spilt Milk received a limited vinyl release in the U.K. upon release, but only Bellybutton was released on vinyl in the U.S. Both vinyl editions originally released in the U.K. had inserts with lyrics and photos, which have been converted into a gatefold for these new reissues. Additionally, the labels on these LPs are meant to match the original Charisma Records labels from the original releases. ““It’s the colorfulness of it all that makes it such a great summer record; nods to peak Queen, 80s metal, and The Beatles at their sugariest abound, but Spilt Milk couldn’t have been made by anyone but Jellyfish.”
Paramore to release tenth anniversary vinyl reissue of their self-titled album: Paramore was released in April 2013, via Fueled by Ramen as the band’s fourth studio album, and the follow-up to 2009’s Brand New Eyes, and features the singles “Still Into You”, “Daydreaming”, and “Ain’t It Fun”, which saw the band win their first ever Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. Depending on which retailer you purchase from, the forthcoming limited vinyl edition comes in an exclusive tangerine colour which was chosen specifically by Hayley Williams, a mixed pink and orange vinyl available on the band’s own website, and neon green and light blue also available on the Warner Music store. The tenth anniversary reissue of Paramore also features the updated artwork which has previously been unavailable on physical formats. In November, Paramore changed the original artwork – which featured ex-bassist Jeremy Davis—to a solo shot of Williams on all digital formats of the album.
