Paris, FR | New record shop Dizonord is opening in Paris. With a two-day opening party featuring over 40 DJs. A new record shop called Dizonord is opening in Paris this Friday 8th February. Dizonord will stock new and secondhand vinyl spanning everything from Afro-funk, synth-pop, Bollywood and folk to zouk, French boogie, disco and field recordings, as well as CDs and magazines. The space will also feature a café and bar, as well as events, screenings and educational workshops for adults and children. Dizonord is hosting a two-day event to celebrate its opening weekend, 8th-9th February, with over 40 DJs lined up to play including Ron Morelli, Zaltan and Concrete. Dizonord is located at 9, Rue André Messager 75018 Paris, in the 18th arrondissement.
UK | HMV sold to Canadian mogul Doug Putman, saving 1,500 jobs. Sunrise Records owner to keep 100 of chain’s 127 stores, including four Fopp outlets. A Canadian music entrepreneur has rescued HMV from collapse, taking over 100 shops and safeguarding 1,500 jobs. Doug Putman, who runs the Canadian retailer Sunrise Records, has bought the UK music and film retailer after emerging as the leading contender over the weekend, heading off competition from Mike Ashley, the Sports Direct boss. HMV collapsed into administration just after Christmas, blaming tough conditions on UK high streets and competition from streaming sites such as Netflix and Spotify. Under the deal, 27 of HMV’s stores will close immediately with the loss of 455 jobs. A further 122 warehouse jobs will be lost in the weeks to come. In a statement announcing the deal, Putman said: “We are delighted to acquire the most iconic music and entertainment business in the UK and add nearly 1,500 employees to our growing team. By catering to music and entertainment lovers, we are incredibly excited about the opportunity to engage customers with a diverse range of physical format content, and replicate our success in Canada.
Toronto, CA | In Toronto’s booming vinyl scene, record shops are finding a groove: The Tiny Record Shop’s recent expansion into not-quite-so-tiny new digs is, Trevor Larocque admits, largely “an illusion.” But its symbolic value stands. An endangered species just a decade ago, the record shop has clawed its way off the critical list on the back of the vinyl LP’s commercial resurgence in recent years and was in thoroughly stable condition in Toronto as 2018 drew to a close. An informed bet would be that there will be more record shops on our streets, not less, at the end of 2019. Larocque and his partner, Maude Fallon-Davesne, for instance, opened their record nook in a 77-square-foot space at Queen St. and Broadview Ave. in the back of gift shop Token four years ago as a pseudo pop-up enterprise intended to rid their home of half of the vast record collection he’d been accumulating since junior high and clear some space for two young children. It went so well that, this past November, the Tiny Record Shop relocated to decidedly more permanent-feeling digs…
Perth, AU | Final spin of the turntable for Perth music institution 78 Records after 47 years in business: A Perth music institution is set to close its doors, killed off by the proliferation of online streaming services and tough economic times for bricks and mortar retailers. In a post to its followers on Facebook on Monday afternoon, 78 Records said that after 47 years in the vinyl business, it would unplug the turntable at its upstairs outlet off Murray Street mall for the last time next month. “This decision is due to the current economic and retail climate, with a substantial increase in streaming services at the expense of physical products,” the post from 78’s Andrew ‘Fang’ de Lang said. “We thank all our customers, past and present, for their patronage; indeed we have enjoyed those 47 years of commitment and devotion to the cause of music.
St. Petersburg, FL | Daddy Kool Records leaving downtown St. Petersburg’s 600 block: Daddy Kool Records, a go-to St. Petersburg destination for vinyl records and one of the last vestiges of the music scene on downtown’s 600 block, is moving. The longtime music and ticket retailer announced Saturday that it’s moving to 2430 Terminal Drive in the Warehouse Arts District in April. The new store will eventually have a stage for live music. The existing store will hold its final sidewalk sales on Feb. 23 and March 23 before closing March 31. Its grand re-opening will be April 13 — Record Store Day 2019. “The people that we’ll be working with are like-minded, local and supporters of the arts, so that really goes a long way,” said store manager Manny “Manny Kool” Matalon. “The goal is to have beer and wine so people can sip and shop, and then also we’ll have live music on Friday and Saturday nights. Obviously, you can’t do that in a 1,000- to 2,000-square-foot-space. But you can get away with that in a 4,000-square-foot space.”
Lynbrook, NY | New Record Store Scratches LI’s Itch For Rare Presses. The Needle & Groove specializes in hard-to-find albums for vinyl aficionados. A new record store has opened in Lynbrook to help vinyl heads across the area find the rare presses that they’ve been looking for. Called Needle & Groove, the store specializes in buying and selling rare and hard-to-find vinyl records. It is located at 73 Atlantic Ave. in Lynbrook. The store opened late last year, and just had its official ribbon cutting last weekend. In addition to rare presses, the store sells a collection of hand-picked records from new and classic artists. You can get more information about the store at its Facebook page. You can also message them for a list of the records they currently have in stock.
Graham, NC | Open & Shut: HiFi Records brings tunes, brews to Graham: HiFi Records, a combination record store/craft beer and wine gathering spot, is open at 103 N. Main St., Court Square, Graham, after nearly a year of planning and preparation by store owner Jon Guza and his girlfriend Molly Feudale. Guza, an Elon University graduate, worked for 23 years at a local engineering firm before deciding on the career move. Feudale is an art teacher at South Mebane Elementary School. “The knowledge and experience I gained in my education and previous jobs will hopefully guide HiFi in the years to come,” Guza said. “We wanted to bring the old school record store feel back, as well as create a place for people to meet and get to know each other.” The circa-1900 building was a men’s clothing store for decades, and more recently an accounting firm. It was renovated over 10 months and features exposed brickwork, hardwood floors and a tiled entry. The bar surface is made of salvaged flooring from the space. Plumbing, electrical and heating/air systems are all new.
You Can Now Listen To Vinyl Anywhere In The Home Thanks To Yamaha’s New MusicCast Turntable: …The smart-looking MusicCast Vinyl 500 features a straight tonearm, with a detachable headshell, fitted with an Audio-Technica moving magnet cartridge. There are buttons on the plinth for turning the deck on as well as toggling between 45 and 33RPM speeds. Two other buttons are for turning the motor on and off, while the second is a source selector for the MusicCast system. There’s also a lever to lower the needle on to the record. And that’s where the old-style turntable styling ends because built into the Yamaha MusicCast Vinyl 500 is an advanced networking capability that can handle both Ethernet and Wi-Fi connections (2.4 and 5GHz) to a home network. There is also a phono stage output as well as a pair of line out sockets for hooking up to amplifiers that don’t have a dedicated phono stage input. An external power transformer, delivering 12V DC, reduces the possibility of interference from a built-in AC source.
