St. Clairsville, OH | Ohio Sam Goody store, among final 2 stores in US, closing soon. Here’s when. Big Lots and Walgreens announced sweeping store closures this year, and now Sam Goody is going out of business for good. The music retailer is closing down its final two locations, one of which is in Ohio. The record store chain will shut down its Ohio store located at the Ohio Valley Mall in St. Clairsville, Ohio, about two hours east of Columbus. Its Oregon location will also close, putting an end to the chain’s 73-year history. While there is no official closing date, the Ohio store closure is set to happen sometime in February 2025. Ohio’s Sam Goody location will begin marking down prices on items leading up to the store’s closing.
Adelaide, AU | Crackle & Pop Records: 10 years in the making. Celebrating ten years of pop-ups this weekend at The Wheaty, we chat with Crackle & Pop Records owner Adam about the business and what the future holds. Unlike other record stores around Adelaide, Crackle & Pop Records has no shop front. Nor do they have an official website selling their wares. For a decade this innovative pop-up has been setting up shop at a wide range of venues across the state slinging the best vinyl records from all your favourite artists. The brainchild of music lover Mark Cnotek, Crackle & Pop Records ran under Mark’s leadership for nine years before he handed the reins over to the Buckley family: Adam, Anita and their son Jack. The trio have taken C&P Records to a new level and are pumped to celebrate the thriving pop-up record store’s tenth birthday with a special event in the front bar of The Wheaty this Saturday, December 21.
Laguna Beach, CA | Longtime Laguna Beach Record Store Up For Sale: A well-loved Laguna Beach record store—is going up for sale, The Orange County Register reported. Roughly six weeks ago, the doors of Laguna Beach record store Sound Spectrum were closed by its owner — this week, news was announced that the longtime music stop is preparing to be sold, The Orange County Register reported. Edith Otto, who operated the record store alongside her late husband Jimmy, told the newspaper that it’s difficult to let the business — located in Laguna Beach’s popular Historical Interesting Places District — go up for sale. “I’ve relived decades of my life over again,” Edith Otto told The OC Register. “That’s why I don’t feel bad. We had such a wonderful life. Jimmy and I were so blessed. I’ve had all these joyful memories.” “It will be hard to really let it go,” she continued. “I’ll just have to do that. That’s how life is.”
Montreal, CA | In Montreal, one man is fighting to stop DVDs from going the way of the dodo: The Luddites were a 19th-century group of British textile workers who destroyed the mechanized looms and knitting frames they saw as a threat to their livelihoods. They were followers of Ned Ludd, an elusive apprentice weaver who had supposedly smashed a stocking frame. Although there’s no evidence that Ludd actually existed, the name stuck around, and the word Luddite has since entered the lexicon to describe anyone who resists new technology. In recent years, peculiar signs have started popping up around Montreal, attached to street lights and signposts. They’re unprepossessing, but intriguing, with just a few words scrawled in permanent marker. “Visit eBay,” they say in French, “Le Pro des DVD.” Unlike Ludd, Montreal’s DVD pro is decidedly real. Jean-François Hall, a self-described “dinosaur” who doesn’t subscribe to streaming platforms, says he has sold more than 50,000 DVDs in the past three years.
Nashville, TN | United Record Pressing Marks 75 Years with Bold Innovations for Vinyl’s Future: Revolutionizing the test pressing and vinyl pressing processes with world-class manufacturing to meet today’s music industry demands. United Record Pressing (URP), the original vinyl record pressing company in America, celebrates its 75th anniversary with a transformative overhaul of its manufacturing operations. By embracing cellular manufacturing and world-class techniques, URP is setting new standards for quality, speed, and reliability in vinyl production. This not only ensures timely delivery of records to audiences but also positions URP as a premier choice for artists and labels currently served by offshore and foreign-owned suppliers. Since its founding in 1949, URP has been at the forefront of vinyl production, pressing records for iconic albums like Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited, Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, and Outkast’s Speakerboxxx / The Love Below. From the first Beatles 7” to Motown’s greatest hits, URP’s legacy reflects a passion for music on vinyl.
The Ultimate Guide to Dust Removal for Vinyl Records: Let me paint a picture for you: It’s late at night, and you’re about to drop the needle on your favorite vinyl record. You’re ready for that warm, crackle-free sound. Instead, all you hear is snap, crackle, pop—and no, we’re not talking about cereal. That was me a few years ago, frustrated and clueless about why my records sounded awful. Turns out, dust was the villain. Keeping your vinyl records dust-free isn’t just for audiophiles; it’s essential for anyone who wants their records to last. Trust me, once you learn the right techniques, you’ll never go back to neglecting your collection. Let’s dive into everything I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) about dust removal and protecting your vinyl treasures.
San Antonio, TX | Holiday Vinyl Record Pop Up With Phono Obscura, Sat., Dec. 21, 6-8 p.m. Holiday Vinyl Record Pop Up with Phono Obscura. Looking for the perfect holiday gift? Nothing says Christmas like the warmth of vinyl. Phono Obscura will have a selection of vinyl records for sale to cross off your holiday list! Mark your calendar and bring your friends, join in at Make Ready Market to celebrate vinyl culture and good times.
‘The Jethro Tull Christmas Album’ reissued to truly add ‘Fresh Snow at Christmas.’ A once fine offering is now an exceptional offering, and one which stays true to the Tull template. Given a history that stretches back some 55 years, to the very height of the British blues revival, it’s hardly surprising that practically every Jethro Tull album since day one has been revamped and reissued as sprawling box sets boasting bonus tracks, remixes, live offerings, and an obligatory booklet notating the project’s backstory and the way it played into the band’s trajectory. The Jethro Tull Christmas Album follows suit, and the only question in this case is what took so long? Some 20 years after its original release, Tull’s 21st studio album was deemed a holiday offering, which initially had it relegated to a novelty status of sorts and beyond the realm of standard fare. On the other hand, it holds some significance considering it was the last release to feature Tull’s last noteworthy lineup.
Blu-ray Collectors Should Be Worried About This Physical Media Trend. Here’s Why: New Blu-ray players are becoming scarce. It’s been a largely positive year for the resurgence of physical media. Vinyl continues to be the torchbearer, with sales growing for nearly 20 consecutive years (every year since 2006), and there has been renewed interest in CDs and cassette tapes, too. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Blu-rays. While sales have spiked in patches — for example, they went up 15 percent at the end of 2023, largely thanks to enthusiasts wanting to see Oppenheimer at home in the best picture quality — they’ve mostly been in decline. The bad news continued this week, as it was revealed that one of the last major manufacturers of physical Blu-ray players is ceasing their production.
