RSD’s Black Friday brings in the green: Record Store Day’s RSD Black Friday event reported a 25% spike in sales of the Top 500 bestsellers over 2022. Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS: the secret tracks (Geffen) was the top seller. The Rodrigo release was pressed on opaque deep purple vinyl, etched with a butterfly on the B side. Noah Kahan’s Cape Elizabeth EP (Republic), Linkin Park’s Lost Demos (Warner), The Doors’ Live From Bakersfield, August 21st, 1970 (Elektra/Rhino) and Post Malone’s Diamond Collection (Republic) rounded out the Top 5. Despite not having an RSD Black Friday release, Taylor Swift was the fourth biggest-selling artist at record stores on Black Friday weekend. Following Black Friday, Record Store Day launched RSD MRKT, an online marketplace platform for brick-and-mortar record stores. Maybe it’s finally time to splurge on those Hawkwind reissues.
Cary, NC | Hunky Dory, a seller of vinyl and craft beer, opening in downtown Cary: Hunky Dory, a combination vinyl record store and craft beer bar, plans to open at 121 East Chatham St. in the coming weeks (potentially with a soft opening this weekend), its owner Michael Bell tells Axios. Hunky Dory has existing locations on Durham’s Ninth Street and in downtown Raleigh’s Seaboard Station district. Why it matters: Cary has seen tremendous growth in the past year, with the opening of a new downtown park, the addition of several new restaurants and buildings—with more still to open next year. “Years ago, I don’t think I would have ever considered” opening a store in downtown Cary, Bell told Axios. “But it’s definitely hopping” now. Details: Hunky Dory will open in an 800-square-foot space in a shopping development also home to Di Fara Pizza Tavern and Taipei 101. It will sell new and used records and will keep rotating taps of craft beers—though the shop might open to customers before its alcohol license is approved.
AL | The 7 Vinyl Record Stores In Alabama Where You Can Discover Rare Finds: Are you a music treasure hunter? A lot of people prefer music in its physical form, even as streaming services continue to grow. I like both for different reasons and know I am not alone. A leading industry data company shows a 21.7% jump in vinyl record sales for the first half of 2023 over the same period last year. If you are part of driving the trend and looking for titles to round out your collection, put these vinyl record stores in Alabama on your radar.
Chicago, IL | I’ve owned businesses in West Garfield Park for 60 years, and I’m not leaving: Marie Henderson runs Out of the Past Records. She’s seen the neighborhood change for the worse, but she said she is proud she’s “still here.” My name is Marie Henderson and I own Out of the Past record shop here on the West Side, 4407 W. Madison St. We call it “Out of the Past Dusty,” it’s an old shop. I haven’t changed it since we moved in here, and it’s cluttered full of records from the front to the back. We consider the record shop like people’s home because over the period of years, since people have been coming in, you always meet your cousins, or your sister, an old aunt you haven’t seen. And then you meet friends [you] went to school with. …Most of the people come in looking for blues and jazz. Me personally, I’m down for dusties because I’m old school. And so I go back as far as the 1960s and 1970s, when the Temptations [were popular]. But I really like all music and I don’t discriminate. If it’s new music and it’s good, I appreciate it.
Hong Kong, CN | Hong Kong’s Bad Times Disco to open bricks-and-mortar record shop in 2024: The temporary space, which will also be used to host workshops and events, will be in business for five months. Bad Times Disco, a local party and pop-up vinyl retailer in Hong Kong, is opening its doors next year. Starting January 11th, the record store—located in Heath, which sits on Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui—will be providing a “radically inclusive space” for five months, founder Ani Hao (AKA Ani Phoebe) said. The space is only temporary due to Hao’s touring schedule and the financial uncertainty of the business, but Hao hopes to open a more permanent space for Bad Time Records soon. Collectors will be able to browse through a curated selection of second-hand vinyl, with a focus on rare local cuts and electronic music from the ’90s through the 2010s. The shop will also sell vintage clothing and host workshops, events and other gatherings. “The core essence of the five-month pop-up is to provide a physical space for music lovers and DJs in Hong Kong to meet each other that isn’t a party or an event, but rather a more stable, grounding and calming space…”
Troy, NY | Upstate Beat: 20 year later, the River Street Beat goes on: A group of vinyl record afficionados and rock ‘n’ roll fans gathered at River Street Beat Shop in downtown Troy last Sunday to celebrate the store’s 20th anniversary with a performance by Off the Record, a too-fun Capital Region group that pays homage to swinging 1960s rock, soul and lounge. Off the Record singer Joanna Palladino, dressed in an emerald-green satin jumpsuit, kicked off her gold heels to dance energetically in the corner of the record shop during a set that included songs by the Ronettes, the Velvelettes and The Creation. Album covers by artists such as the Kinks, Bob Dylan and the Animals lined the walls in front of bins offering $3 rock, jazz and classical LPs. “You’re surrounded by posters of the all-time greats when you play here — the Velvet Underground, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles,” said Off the Record drummer Bob Resnick after the show, when asked what makes the record store so special. “If you can’t play rock ‘n’ roll under these circumstances, you can’t play it anywhere.”
Cincinnati, OH | Clifton’s Torn Light Records to Close in 2024: The beloved record store announced today that it will be moving to Chicago next year. Torn Light Records will be closing in the new year. In its last 10 years of business in Greater Cincinnati, the record store has made a name for itself as a destination for lovers of new and used records, movies and books. Torn Light announced that its final day of business in Cincinnati will be January 13, 2024. The store will reopen in Chicago sometime next year, according to a Nov. 30 social media post. “January 13th will be the last day Torn Light Records will be open in Cincinnati,” the Instagram post reads. “January marks 10 years of our store being open in Northern Kentucky / Cincinnati and it’s time for a change for the crew. We will be reopening in 2024 in Chicago.” Over the years, Torn Light has consistently ranked in the top three spots for CityBeat’s Best of Cincinnati “Best CD/Record Store (Non-Chain)” category. From stocking obscure cassettes and records and zines to hosting shows featuring local musicians, Torn Light brought something to Cincinnati that can’t quite be replicated.
El Centro, CA | Discordia Records: A look inside downtown El Centro’s’ best kept secret: Tucked away in downtown El Centro between Main Street and Broadway Avenue lies a musical treasure trove of classic and nouveau vinyl, cassette tapes and local music in rows upon rows, complete with action figures, a tape deck and turntable. Harkening back to decades gone by yet still within the recent resurgence of vinyl records, Discordia Records is “the Imperial Valley’s own fully fledge record store,” according to the local shop’s website, discordiarecords.com. The locally owned and operated store sells a variety of musical genres on vinyl, kind of like families used to listen to ‘back in the day,’ Discordia Records owner and operator, Derrick Sparrow. Sparrow’s Discordia Records store is perhaps one of the Valley’s best kept secrets outside of the old school and new school “musicheads” of the region, he said. The shop has been open in downtown El Centro since 2016. “I buy people’s record collections: If you have old records, CDs, cassettes, books, VHS, band T-shirts, I’ll give you cash for it,” Sparrow said. “It’ll go to local aficionados and loving homes.”
Sydney, AU | A Pop-Up Record Store is Coming To Redfern This December: You could nab limited-edition vinyl from artists like Royel Otis, Alex Gow, Georgia Mulligan, Passenger, Hungry Kids of Hungary and more. Impressed Recordings, Australia’s go-to vinyl brand, is teaming up with hospitality legends PUBLIC to immerse Sydney’s music enthusiasts in a unique blend of vinyl culture and live experiences. Mark your calendars, because from 12 pm on December 20, there’s a record store pop-up happening in an old-school Barber Shop next to The Norfolk in Redfern. It’s not just any pop-up; it’s the spot to grab limited-edition vinyl from big-name artists like Royel Otis, Alex Gow, Georgia Mulligan, Passenger, Hungry Kids of Hungary, and some surprise goodies you can only get in person. And the party doesn’t stop there, Club Ricos upstairs at The Norfolk is hosting the Impressed and Friends Christmas Party on December 20 from 6 pm, and will allow punters to catch Imagine free DJ sets from Julian Sudek (from Royel Otis) Reenie (drummer for Green Buzzard and Alison Wonderland).
