Music Lovers Are Ditching Streaming For Vinyl: According to The Economist, vinyl is having a huge resurgence, growing faster than streaming with a rate of 15.4%, compared to streaming’s 10.4%. Even more impressively, vinyl has outsold CDs for the fourth consecutive year. What’s driving this vinyl resurgence? The answer is devoted music lovers, who are snapping up records from their favorite artists, with Taylor Swift leading the charge. In April, Taylor smashed records with her album The Tortured Poets Department, selling a staggering 700,000 vinyl copies in just three days. And her dominance doesn’t end there with her albums accounting for an astonishing 7% of all vinyl sales in 2023, with over 3.4 million records sold that year alone. The vinyl boom is proof that, even in a digital age, fans still value the tangible connection and nostalgia that only physical records can provide.
Glasgow, UK | We visit Blitzkrieg record shop which has moved to a new premise across from the Barrowlands: From live music to rare records to special prints Blitzkrieg is an artistic hub in Glasgow’s East End. All of Glasgow’s independent record shops have adopted their own unique positioning in the structure of the city’s social fabric, each driven by a passion for analogue music, specialised genres and an ambition to immerse in community. Individually they are an expression of a person’s creative interests, reflected in design and stock, and because of the healthy offering there is a hub suitable to almost every taste. It is commonly believed that Glasgow punches above its weight when it comes to musical offering and the demand for these stores is proof of that. Along the Gallowgate, directly across from the Barrowland Ballroom is Blitzkrieg—recently relocated from a smaller premise on London Road. At its core it embodies the city’s DIY spirit and approach to music, a trove of rare finds and host of live sessions.
Athens, OH | ROAR brings the noise to Athens: Despite the rise of the MP3 and platforms such as iTunes and Spotify, recent years have seen a resurgence of the record store. While big record store chains disappeared around the time of the Great Recession of 2008, boutique record stores began to emerge from the ashes. Unlike compact discs or cassette tapes, vinyl records have a unique appeal because of a combination of nostalgia, collectibility and sound quality. In 2022, nearly $1.2 billion worth of vinyl records were sold in the United States. Republic of Athens Records, also known by the abbreviation ROAR, opened in November 2021. Initially located at 79 E. State St. near Stimson Avenue, ROAR moved to a new location at 30 E. State St. in 2022. At present, ROAR’s neighbors include The Side Bar, the Bleeding Heart Boutique and Passion Works Studio. According to Mackenzie “Mac” Price, ROAR’s social media marketing director, the move has been beneficial…
Fullerton, CA | OC’s punk legacy lives on at Fullerton record store: Being a punkhead himself, William Evans, owner of Black Hole Records and guitarist of SoCal punk band Naughty Women, was looking for better ways to make a living while still being in the music industry. He had worked many different jobs throughout his life, at one point working in a newspaper mailroom, but he was always in bands and the world of music always found its way into his life. Evans figured working at a record store would help him fulfill his wishes. However, with many store owners he worked with being incompetent by his standards, he decided to use the connections he made during that time to open his own record store. Born out of the Orange County punk scene, Black Hole Records has been serving Fullerton’s community of individuals looking to escape mainstream media since 1986. The store originally got its name from the notorious Black Hole, a flophouse and hangout for punk and LGBTQIA+ youth that was also considered one of the birthplaces of OC punk.
Aberdeen, UK | Remembering Aberdeen’s iconic One Up record store that served the city for over 30 years: Aberdeen has suffered without One Up Records for more than ten years, after they announced their closure on Facebook in January 2013. Nestled in the cobbled lane of Belmont Street, just off Union Street, One Up served Aberdonians for over 30 years before its closure. Founded in 1979, store owner Raymond Bird jumped on the punk wave while working at the nearby clothing shop Happy Trails. After gaining the business know-how from his time at Happy Trails, Raymond grabbed two record stands and set up shop in his own store—One Up. According to Raymond’s close friend Fin Hall, the owner didn’t see himself running the business forever—and told Fin that he would only be doing this until he was 30.
Richmond, VA | The Richmond Record Riot! Over 15,000 LPs in one room! Sat January 18th @Stony Point Fashion Park. The Richmond Record RIot! It’s a MASSIVE vinyl record POP-UP sale at Stony Point Fashion Park! Sat January 18th. Over 15,000 vinyl records in ONE ROOM! Great music and family fun. LPs, CDs and 45s. A giant record store lands in Richmond VA! Dealers from far and wide converge for a giant music sale! Saturday January 18th, right next to Crossroads Records in Stony Point Fashion Park! LPs and 45s and CDs too. All types of music from punk to funk to country to classic rock, hip hop, soul/jazz and more. Dust off that turntable and come on down. Regular admission starts at 10 AM ($5) with early admission at 9 AM ($15). Don’t miss the BIG VINYL DIG!
South Bend, IN | South Bend Record Show holds last event of 2024: Vendors packed the Gillespie Conference Center for a music expo this morning. But it wasn’t just any expo. It’s the biggest record show in the state of Indiana, and it’s held right here in South Bend. Vendors from far and wide came to put their records on display for the last South Bend Record Show of the year. Over 40 vendors from five different states packed the room while the record player blasted music, and over 100 tables were filled with music, posters and stereo gear. Organizers say the show wasn’t just for vinyl junkies. There was something for everyone. “You’re going to find a real mix here, so yeah we have what I like to call pre-loved music, but yeah we also carry some new vinyl, so as I was telling you off camera, I have Taylor Swift, I have Chapell Roan, I have Sabrina Carpenter,” said South Bend Record Show organizer and showrunner Jeremy Bonfiglio. The next South Bend Record Show will be in February.
New to vinyl? Avoid making this common mistake with your first turntable system. We all know what ingredients go into a classic mac and cheese recipe—spiral pasta, a creamy mix of butter, milk and flour, and enough cheese to comatose the cast of The Rescuers—just as we know that to play records you need some combination of a record player, amplifier and speaker. But just as the former requires a generous splash of Worcestershire sauce to be deemed, in my book, fit for serving, the latter also demands a less obvious ingredient—not just in my opinion but by laws of physics—that newcomers to hi-fi may well miss. It’s not sexy, nor particularly catchily named, but its presence is non-negotiable if you want to hear your records properly through your speakers. I’m talking about a phono stage (or ‘phono preamplifier’)—a crucial cog in the vinyl system machine that sits between your turntable and amplifier.
Relentless Records marks 25th anniversary with limited-edition vinyl boxset: Relentless Records, the UK label spearheaded by co-founder Shabs Jobanputra is celebrating its 25th anniversary with Relentless 25, a limited-edition vinyl boxset to mark the occasion. Known for shaping British music culture by providing a platform to artists often overlooked by the mainstream, the label is made its name originally for UK garage singles such as Artful Dodger’s “Re-Rewind” and B-15 Project’s “Girls Like Us” as well as Grime, and Drill tracks from the likes of So Solid Crew, Roll Deep, Lethal Bizzle and Headie One. Along the way, its also supported artists like Craig David, Joss Stone, Tom Walker, Daniel Bedingfield, KT Tunstall, Not3s, Jay Sean, Professor Green, Cage The Elephant and Bad Boy Chiller Crew break into the mainstream.
