Sudbury, UK | Rewind Records opening new shop selling vinyl in Sudbury: A new shop selling vinyl records from ABBA and AC/DC, to Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift, is set to open soon in a market town. Martin and Jenny Hay met when they were working at Compact Music in Sudbury and bonded over their love for music and desire to open their own record store. After leaving to work for Royal Mail and as a teaching assistant, the couple are taking back their passion for music and are opening up a new store. “I just wanted my music shop back and with vinyl sales on the rise again it just felt like the right time,” said Mr Hay. “This has all happened so quickly. We only spoke to the current owners of the unit last week.” The shop, called Rewind Records, will sell new and used vinyl records from a wide range of solo artists and bands. “Others in the area have been great with helping grow the collection, especially Gary at Groove Yard in Felixstowe,” said Mrs Hay.
Alhambra, CA | Str33t Records In Alhambra Curates Music, And Creates Community: Being a business owner in Alhambra is a full circle experience for Angelle Laigo. She grew up here, took piano lessons in this neighborhood at Pedrini Music when she was a kid and still sings in the choir at her local church. Her father started a community newspaper here after immigrating to the U.S. from the Philippines. He called it Street News. And here, on Main Street, is Str33t Records — Laigo’s homage to her father’s newspaper, community and her love of vinyl (Fun fact: the full name of the shop’s logo is Str33t Records ⅓, which is a nod to the revolutions per minute that records spin). “Str33t Records is the continuing legacy… of my family,” she says. “It’s a family passion project. I really couldn’t have done this without my entire family.” …Record stores “are gems in the communities that they’re in because they will have music that you won’t see” on modern streaming platforms, Laigo adds.
Wellington, UK | Wellington-based vinyl shop to join Record Store Day: A record store that opened last year has been the only one between Bristol and Exeter to be selected for Record Store Day. The 303 Records shop, based in Wellington, was accepted for the prestigious event. The store originally opened outside Ilminster in 2022 but owner Andy Ware thought a high street location was key to the business’s success. He said: “We set up the shop in November 2022 on a business park just outside Ilminster, after a few months we decided a high street location was going to be key to its success, we looked at a few different shops in Taunton, but high rent and crippling rates meant things were not going to be viable. “This is when we found the emporium in Wellington, we liked the ethos behind the workings and opened in Wellington in September 2023. “Wellington is full of independent shops and has free on-street parking for shoppers, what’s not to like?
Newcastle, UK | Dizzee Rascal visits Newcastle record store for album signing event with fans: The rap star visited Reflex records in Newcastle city centre on Tuesday night to sign copies of his new album, ‘Don’t Take It Personally’ Dizzee Rascal delighted Geordie fans when he visited a Newcastle record store to sign copies of his new album. The ‘Bonkers’ hitmaker held a special event at Reflex record store on Nun Street in the city centre on Tuesday night (February 13) to mark the release of his new album, ‘Don’t Take It Personally.’ The event, advertised on his Instagram page, drew a large number of fans who queued out the door to meet the rapper. Wearing a black and silver tracksuit and matching cap, Dizzee cut a cheerful figure as he greeted the crowd before heading inside the store. The event was part of the promotion of his ‘Don’t Take It Personally’ tour which saw him perform to a sold-out Liverpool crowd earlier this month. The 2003 Mercury prize winner is also set to perform sold-out shows in Brussels and Amsterdam on the European leg of the tour later this month.
Bemidji, MN | Sundown Records opens in downtown Bemidji: Area vinyl music lovers don’t have to wait for the annual Record Store Day to shop for albums. Brothers Peter and Bill McKenzie have opened Sundown Records at 209 Beltrami Ave. NW. “What I’ve noticed is that a lot of albums are not available on streaming,” Bill McKenzie said. “There are a handful of records we have in the store that you can’t find online anywhere. They take stuff off streaming services all the time. If you buy a record, you’ve got it forever. Digital songs are in the ether. With a record you’ve got the artwork, you’ve got something in your hands.” Record Store Day was conceived in 2007 at a gathering of independent record store owners and employees as a way to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding nearly 1,400 independently owned record stores in the U.S. and thousands of similar stores internationally. The first Record Store Day took place on April 19, 2008.
New York, NY | What Is a Listening Bar and Why Are They Everywhere? Where the cocktails aim to be as high quality as the sound. Enter through a stainless steel gate, walk up the stairs, and press the buzzer and you’ll find yourself on the second floor of an East 52nd Street Midtown building, at Bar Orai, a Japanese whiskey bar decorated with mid-century furniture and shelves with more than 2,000 vinyl records. There is no website advertising the bar, only an Instagram. One night you might hear R&B like Bobby Caldwell, on another, a Japanese disco album — depending on the bartender’s preference or mood. DJs play sets that are often posted to the bar’s YouTube. Over the past couple of years, a slew of bar openings from Eavesdrop in Greenpoint to Honeycomb in Park Slope and All Blues in Tribeca have touted a certain kind of experience meant to attract audiophiles and those looking for a sophisticated atmosphere. The food and drinks are designed to complement the music.
Alexandria, VA | Ali Miller Becomes First Female CEO of a Domestic Pressing Plant at Furnace Record Pressing: In a historic move towards inclusivity, Furnace Record Pressing, a leading name in the vinyl record manufacturing industry, has appointed Ali Miller as its new CEO, effective March 1st, 2024. Miller’s appointment marks a significant milestone in representation and diversity in the traditionally male-dominated music industry. …Miller’s extensive experience and proven leadership abilities make her the ideal candidate to usher in a new era at Furnace. The music industry has long been criticized for its lack of diversity and female representation in leadership roles. Miller’s appointment as the first female CEO of a domestic pressing plant is a testament to Furnace’s commitment to breaking down barriers and fostering an inclusive environment.
Seattle, WA | SEA Vinyl Society brings sounds of Southeast Asia’s past to the present: Saturday marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year, or Tết as it’s called in Vietnamese. But celebrations started as early as last weekend. People gathered last Friday at Little Saigon Creative in Seattle, to kick off the holiday by listening to old Vietnamese records. People talked and laughed while enjoying a spread of Vietnamese snacks. The warm hiss of vinyl filled the room. “I am so happy to bring… this is my personal collection of vinyl that I’ve been collecting over the past ten years,” Thanh Tân said. “From travels to Vietnam, from searching — scouring the internet, eBay, Discogs — to try to find these old 45s.” Tân is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees and is a vinyl collector. She helped start the SEA Vinyl Society, a group of people interested in preserving old records from across Asia.
Cleveland, OH | Cleveland Rocks Workshop Will Share How to Make a Vinyl Record: Cleveland Rocks: Past Present Future’s musician workshops return this month with a guy who’ll share the secrets of making those limited-edition vinyl records in brilliant colors and designs that your hardcore fans will want to buy as collector’s items. The guest speaker is Ty Craemer from Wax Mage Records, a Cleveland-based business that makes these special collectibles. It also hosts a record label to release many of them. Cleveland artists such as All Dinosaurs, Goldmines, and Uno Lady are among those who have released such records, manufactured at Cleveland vinyl pressing operation, Gotta Groove. Craemer will be in conversation with CRPPF’s David Kennedy. …The event is free, but since the venue (the Cleveland Rocks shop on Waterloo) is small, they’d prefer you RSVP. Walk-ins will be welcome if space allows.
