New Brunswick, NJ | Arts and Music Space, “Chamber 43,” Moves to Hub City: A one of a kind interactive music space and coffee bar opened in downtown New Brunswick on February 26. Chamber 43, a vinyl record store, coffee bar, event space and recording studio, has relocated to 356 George Street from Highland Park four months after closing amid the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. On October 5, Chamber 43 founder and owner David L. Martins announced the store’s closing on its Instagram page, writing that he was “uncertain of any timely re-opening.” “It wasn’t looking like I was going to re-open for another year,” Martins told New Brunswick Today on December 7. “I was going to take some time off, and come back to it with a clean slate next year.” But things started looking up when Martins’ October post drew in a new business partner.
Chichester, UK | Owner of Chichester vinyl record shop looks forward to welcoming back customers: The owner of a vinyl record shop in Chichester city centre is looking forward to welcoming back his loyal customers in April. Craig Crane, the man behind Analogue October Records in South Street, said he was ‘pleasantly surprised’ at the Prime Minister’s announcement that non-essential businesses could potentially open as early as April 12, as he had feared the lockdown could drag on much longer. He said of the shop: “We’ve built up a massive loyal following who basically support the shop throughout the year. We really look forward to welcoming them back in April.” Mr Crane is particularly looking forward to being able to chat with customers again. “People come in here just to talk and share ideas,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing that I’ve missed during lockdown, people coming in and just chewing the fat for an hour. The shop is a social hub for people.” When the shop was forced to close last March, he launched a website for the business which ‘took off really well.’
Nyack, NY | Get lost in a world of music, art, books, and coffee in downtown Nyack: An unbeatable combination of music, art, books and coffee make for a great Road Trip: Close to Home in downtown Nyack. Soothe your soul with soundtracks at Main Street Beat, a vinyl record store with an eclectic collection. “We carry rock, jazz, R&B, hip-hop – ranging from the ’50s to current music today,” says co-owners Amy Bezunartea and Jennifer O’Connor. Next, fuel up at a unique Nyack staple – The Art Café. This 19th century building-turned-cafe captivates an aesthetic aura with help from local artists. Not only do baristas brew beautiful cups of coffee, but they also serve Mediterranean meals named after famous artist, such as the Picasso Salad. It’s just the right boost of energy to take you on our next adventure at the Pickwick Book Shop, where books are literally stacked from floor to ceiling. But how many books are we looking at here? “Quite a few…thousands! Thousands upon thousands,” says owner John Dunnigan.
San Marcos, TX | Texas’s Legendary Sundance Records Is Back With a Massive Memorabilia Collection—For Sale: Nicknamed the Michelangelo of the Staple Gun, Bobby Barnard turned his San Marcos record store into a work of art. Now you can own a piece of it. How many music posters can fit in a forty-by-sixty-foot barn in Hill Country? It’s a problem that Nancy Barnard, the former co-owner of San Marcos’s Sundance Records, is struggling to solve. “Fifteen hundred [posters]? Two thousand? We were reaching hoarder levels of stuff, if I’m being honest,” she says. And posters are just one part of her massive collection, which includes thousands of items of music memorabilia. Barnard owned the beloved record store until 2012 with her late husband, Bobby Barnard, who died last August after thirty years as a fixture in the local music scene. Now Nancy has tasked herself and a former employee, Parker Wright, with getting Bobby’s archive of music posters, records, vintage T-shirts, and other memorabilia online—and, in news music lovers were thrilled to learn, available for purchase.
Will Digital Audio Ever Outperform Analog? Since the age of CDs, debate has raged among listens over whether digital music could ever measure up to the quality of its analog predecessor. Here, we break down some of the technical realities behind both mediums to assess the reality of the situation. Ever since the advent of the compact disc, and the widespread consumer access to digital audio that it brought, people have debated over whether or not digital audio could ever adequately replace its analog predecessors. As downloadable and streaming digital formats have increased in prevalence and complexity, the discussion has only amplified, with many diehard analog “purists” decrying the loss of musical soul they feel is notably missing in modern digital audio formats. But I’m not here to argue against or for the purists. Instead, let’s explore the requirements of a scenario in which digital sound could be equal to, and perhaps even surpass, analog sound. And the answer to the question, “could digital audio ever outperform analog?” actually has two parts. We’re about to step heavily into the world of math and science, so hold onto your hats!
I Found My Niche on TikTok—You Can Too: You have one minute to make a statement, but trust me, it’s enough time to do something amazing. …When I first saw a video of someone playing a vinyl record, it clicked. Being home, I had access to 11 years’ worth of vinyl albums that I’d started to collect as a hobby in 2010 at 13 years old—something that was such a massive part of my life. I’d always wanted to show off my records in some way on YouTube or Instagram, but it felt too intimidating. With TikTok’s 1-minute limit, it felt like a challenge, but also just enough time to show off my records individually. Soon I was making videos documenting my collection along with tips on how to care for vinyl, which I learned in my years of collecting. I amassed a following of over 10,000 followers and over 600,000 likes on my videos. I loved the little nook that I joined.
