Newly Independent Paramore Are Record Store Day’s 2024 Ambassadors: “We Are Going To Continue To Have A Long Career” Paramore freaked out fans by wiping their socials and backing out of festival performances, but it turned out they’re getting ready for the next chapter now that their contract with Atlantic Records is up. The band has been named this year’s Ambassadors for Record Store Day, and they put out a statement discussing the honor as well as their new independence from their label. “The timing feels kismet,” they wrote on Instagram, maybe because their latest album This Is Why came out exactly a year ago today. But in the statement, they make it clear that there’s a lot more in store.
Charleston, SC | Monster Music celebrates 20 years of business: If you’re a local music lover, you’ve likely visited the widely loved West Ashley record store, Monster Music & Movies. Though it was opened during a time of declining CD sales, the store has not only survived but thrived over the last 20 years due to a resurgence of popularity in vinyl sales. The record store represents the core of what record collectors all have in common: a deep love of music. And for Galen Hudson, the longtime general manager and, as of this year, the store’s new owner, his life’s path has been guided by his love of music. Hudson said he became a “record nerd” while growing up in the 1980s in Chapel Hill, N.C. “I just couldn’t get enough of it — learning about new artists, new music. There’s this sense of discovery that happens at a record store. When I got out of college, naturally, I got a job at a record store,” he said.
Cheshire, UK | Sadness as much-loved Cheshire record store and bar announces shock closure: The owner of Electric Church in Winsford says the decision has been made ‘with a heavy heart.’ The owner of a much-loved Winsford record store, coffee shop and bar has announced the venue will be closing its doors for good after seven years. The Electric Church confirmed the news last night (February 8), adding that it will remain open for a short period before it permanently shuts. In a post on its Facebook page, owner Jimi Coppack said the decision had been made “with a heavy heart”. He explained: “It is with a heavy heart that we are announcing the closure of The Electric Church. We have had some great times over the near seven year operation of the business. …Thank you to those that have offered their continued support. We will be open for a short while and any support during this time would be greatly appreciated. Here’s to new beginnings and the end of dark days.”
Redwood City, CA | Meet the couples behind 3 vibrant Peninsula businesses: These duos are partners in business and life. Here’s how they balance work and make time for each other. Nudie Records was founded out of Elise and Luke Gasper’s Half Moon Bay home in 2020 and has taken off since then, championing indie artists, spanning genres including psychedelic, honky tonk and rock ’n’ roll, and releasing more than 20 albums (with 11 released in 2023 alone). “We spent a couple years saying yes to everything,” Elise said. …They’ve found that running the label gives them a welcome creative outlet as a couple apart from their busy identities as parents. “It has been really amazing for us,” Elise said, recalling brainstorming for Nudie Records late at night while the kids were in bed and a hectic recent weekday morning scrambling to get children up, fed, dressed and out the door while also preparing social media posts to get the word out on their latest record.
Edmonda, WA | ‘I think it’s a great time to be selling records.’ Musicology opens on 5th Ave. S; first in-store show Feb. 24. Rachel Gardner says it’s long been a dream to have a store that would showcase her love for music. She’s got one now. Musicology – a record store – opened this week at 420 Fifth Ave. S. If Musiciology seems like a dream come true, it could be simply that it was a dream preordained: She was born in a music store and raised on records. “I love the nostalgia that comes with collecting records and love celebrating music and the creative process musicians go through to create albums. I have recorded albums, and it is a labor of love. I hope to get music into the hands of many.” Gardner is a member of The Band Lele, a ukulele trio with Beclynn and business partner Elizabeth Murray. (Other business partners are Jason Murray and Brian Gardner.) …But can one in a small space – it’s half of the space of the building it’s in – survive in the streaming age? Gardner says it can.
LT | Lithuanians have already established themselves in the vinyl record market: When one of the most famous Lithuanian music producers, Lauras Lučiūnas, decided to start producing vinyl records, many had doubts about such plans. However, half a year was enough for the new business to get on its feet, says the journalist Vakaris Deksnys. During Soviet times, most of the records in vinyl format reached the Baltic states from Riga, where the “Melodija” factory was located. Afterwards, vinyl was forgotten; however, the renaissance of such records began more than a decade ago. For some time Lithuanians kept away – “Semikols Record Pressing” was established earlier in Latvia and in Estonia – “Vinyl Plant LLC”. There are about 160 of such factories around the world. However, there were not enough of them, at least for the producer of famous Lithuanian artists, Lauras Lučiūnas. “The amount of time it would take others to produce them sucked. Some would be working way too slowly and others would make mistakes.”
Wilmington, NC | Waterline Brewing to host Wilmington Record Show: The fifth bi-annual Wilmington Record Show is set for Feb. 17 at Waterline Brewing. The free-to-attend event will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with 20 regional vendors selling records and music-related media and items. STOWE, a local vinyl-only DJ, will perform from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and local performer Billy Heathens will perform from 3 to 5 p.m. A & M Red Food Truck and Sealevel Vegan City Diner will be on-site to provide food. Elliot with CreoCollective will be screen-printing an exclusive design for the show on-site. Event Coordinator Daniel G. Eskew says he hosted the inaugural event on March 6, 2022, to celebrate his 40th birthday with the community. “Since that first event we have had three more successful shows and the plan is to keep it going for as long as there is enough interest to justify it. My main motivation is to show my daughter that there is more to life than just working a 9-5 and to instill in her the importance of having a positive impact on your community,” said Eskew in the announcement.
Tanjong Pagar, SG | At Slow Boat, a vinyl listening cafe in Tanjong Pagar inspired by Japanese ‘jazz kissa’, enjoy music with drinks: For S$30 an hour, you can listen to any of the 600 records at this Singapore shophouse in Craig Road with a drink to boot. These days, cafes are no longer just places you’d go to simply relax and have a nice cuppa, with some music wafting in the background. Whether it’s “aesthetic cafes” for the ‘gram or cat cafes for the kitties, there’s usually something else that draws people in. So what if the whole point of going to one is to listen to music? That’s what you get at Slow Boat, which touts itself as “Singapore’s first vinyl listening cafe.” …The cafe is the brainchild of brother-and-sister team Kathy Chu, 30, and Kevin Chu, 24. “We called it Slow Boat because of the wooden decor and slow pace we are trying to create, a place where people could enjoy listening to music,” said Kathy. Since it opened in December 2023, the place has been getting a lot of buzz on TikTok – and it’s no surprise given its unique theme.
Marvin Gaye: Musical Legend with Local Roots Who Continues to Inspire Today: As the 40th anniversary of Marvin Gaye’s death approaches, the legendary singer-songwriter known to all as the “Prince of Motown” continues to live on in the form of record-breaking placement on the Billboard chart. During the latter part of January, Billboard reported that Gaye’s “Number 1s” (first released in 2007 and then on vinyl in 2020) earned a number nine spot on Billboard’s Vinyl Albums chart. The vinyl album, a compilation of Gaye’s most popular singles, is also number 28 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales Chart, with more than 2,600 sales since its release. This album is Gaye’s third posthumous vinyl release to date. All of his posthumous vinyl releases, including “What’s Going On” and “You’re the Man,” peaked at no. 2 and no. 4 on the Vinyl Albums chart, respectively. “What’s Going On,” re-released on vinyl in 2021, lasted three consecutive weeks in its top spot.
