St. Louis, MO | How Frenchtown Records turned a passion for physical media into a thriving business: David and Christine Boykin never planned on opening a record store. They just needed a place where David could store his vast vinyl collection – and a project to keep them occupied during the COVID-19 lockdown. That’s why the pair bought a 140-year-old building in LaSalle Park, right around the corner from St. Louis’ historic Soulard neighborhood. The married couple gutted the space and renovated everything from top to bottom. Although they planned to sell records in their spare time, the Boykins never envisioned their side project would evolve into something with regular shopping hours. …Although vinyl’s recent resurgence played a role in the store’s success, Frenchtown’s unique shopping experience is an accomplishment all on its own. “We didn’t want to be a snooty audio shop or record store,” Boykin says. “There’s too many of those already. We’ll help you buy a dollar record as quickly as we’ll help you buy a thousand-dollar record.”
Sunderland, UK | Vinyl sales have doubled compared to three years ago despite declining highstreets: According to the ERA (Entertainment Retail Association), 36.7% of total physical music sales last year were in independent shops. This rise is down to the big vinyl revival which last year had a 58% share of the physical market value which doubled compared to three years ago. This is down to the biggest artists such as Taylor Swift releasing their albums on multiple collectable editions such as her album Evermore coming out on four different coloured records. Reflex Records in Newcastle are taking advantage of this by having a dedicated part of their website for fans of Taylor Swift as well as selling exclusively to independent store editions of top 40 releases. When asked about this rise, Reflex did say that “a large amount of their sales are down to exclusive editions such as coloured and limited release vinyl.”
Glasgow, CA | Glasgow record shop Monorail Music is auctioning discarded backdrops from viral Willy Wonka experience: Long-standing Glasgow record shop Monorail Music is auctioning souvenirs from last week’s viral Willy’s Chocolate Experience. Three items are currently for sale via eBay—two original backdrops and the entire “Time Tunnel” fabric—with all proceeds going to Medical Aid For Palestinians (MAP). The auction ends next Thursday, March 14th, and at the time of writing 40 bids have been placed. The highest is £565. “Yes it’s real,” Monorail Music wrote on eBay. “A friend of ours has a workshop below the House Of Illuminati Willy’s Chocolate Experience and rescued these original printed backdrops from the bin following the globally reported Willy Wonka scam.” On February 27th, Willy’s Chocolate Experience went viral after photos circulated of the so-called “immersive experience” showing an empty warehouse with plastic props, a bouncy castle and animated backdrops pinned to the walls.
New Delhi, IN | The Record Store: This New Delhi Shop Features Rare Vinyl—and Cakes: Meet the cool owners behind Digging in India: Nostalgia is the driving force behind Digging in India, the New Delhi-based record store and cakery from DJ, archivist, and record collector Nishant Mittal and pastry chef Mallika Tandon. When you walk inside, you’re greeted by a glossy yellow and pink sign with the shop’s name, which is also Mittal’s Instagram alias. Tandon designed it and recruited a painter who makes signs for Indian trucks (which are often decorated with vibrant, instantly recognizable floral prints). On the walls, posters for magic shows and educational fliers that an Indian student would recognize from a textbook—guides to types of rocks and seed germination—hang in cherry red frames. “The store is very anti-minimalist,” Mittal says. “There’s stuff everywhere. It’s very much the Indian home aesthetic…”
Philadelphia, PA | A vinyl revival IRL: Listen up, vinyl lovers: This one will be music to your ears. Record bars and listening rooms are popping up around the city, indicating a surge in appreciation for in-person grooving. “This is a major metropolitan city, so there have to be purveyors of good taste and champions crusading for good music that people haven’t heard,” said the owner of one such establishment. Sure, you can stream your favorite artist’s latest album. But there’s nothing quite like hearing it live — or at least, from speakers in a room full of other audiophiles. Vinyl is having a moment in Philly, thanks to a handful of new listening rooms, pop-up events, and steadfast record stores. Some local opportunities to listen live or add to your collection…
Fans split over hefty price tag to hear all of Taylor Swift’s new music: “All’s fair in love and poetry,” Taylor Swift has declared in the lead up to her new album “The Tortured Poets Department.” Including capitalism, it seems. The billionaire songwriter will release four different versions of the album with each featuring a different bonus track. The cost of each version on vinyl is $34.99. Standard delivery brings the total to $47.99. For fans lucky enough to nab all four versions (only the version with bonus track “The Manuscript” is still available on her website), the total at checkout will be just shy of $200. Besides vinyl, there are digital downloads for $11.99, CDs for $12.99 or cassettes for $19.99. …”I’ve purchased all four,” says Sarah Chapelle, a fashion influencer and author of “Taylor Swift Style: Fashion Through the Eras.” “I consider myself a CD collector and always have. I love seeing the different lenses Taylor wants to frame her art with, and I enjoy collecting variants.”
Princeton, NJ | Empire Records Musical to Make World Premiere at New Jersey’s McCarter: Trip Cullman will direct the new musical penned by Zoe Sarnak and Carol Heikkinen. New Jersey’s McCarter Theatre Center will stage the world premiere of Empire Records, a new musical comedy based on the 1990s cult-classic film, during its 2024-2025 season. Trip Cullman (Choir Boy, Lobby Hero) will direct the production, which is set to run September 6-October 6 at the Princeton venue. Ellenore Scott (Funny Girl) will choreograph. The musical adaptation features an original rock score by Zoe Sarnak and a book penned by the film’s screenwriter, Carol Heikkinen. Empire Records tells the story of a band of idealist misfits fighting to save their beloved record store from a takeover. The team comes together during a visit by over-the-hill pop star Rex Manning to discover the true value of friendship, love, music.
The nostalgic charm of 45 record adapters: Preserving the legacy of vinyl singles. In the era of vinyl records, 45 RPM singles held a special place in the hearts of music enthusiasts. These plastic discs, often containing hit songs on each side, were a symbol of musical discovery and a precursor to the digital singles of today. The unique challenge posed by the larger centre holes of 45s required the invention of a simple yet indispensable accessory – the 45 record adapter. In this article, we delve into the history and significance of these small but essential devices that played a key role in preserving the legacy of vinyl singles. The Birth of the 45 RPM Single: In the late 1940s, the 45 RPM single emerged as a popular format for distributing individual songs. With its larger centre hole, the 45 RPM single distinguished itself from the smaller-holed 33 1/3 RPM LPs. This design allowed for faster, easier changes between songs on jukeboxes and contributed to the widespread adoption of the format.
Metallica announce “phase two” of special pressings of all albums on vinyl: The first drop was revealed last year. Metallica have shared details of a “phase two” of special pressings of their albums on vinyl. Find out more details and images below. The announcement follows last year’s news that the metal icons would be re-releasing their first five albums on limited edition coloured vinyl – with a new record being shared every month between November 2023 and March 2024. These included ‘Kill ‘Em All’, ‘Ride The Lightning’, ‘Master Of Puppets’, ‘…And Justice For All’ and their 1991 self-titled, more famously known as ‘The Black Album’. Now, James Hetfield and co. have revealed details of a “phase two” launch, which sees the band share new vinyl variants of their remaining albums. Kicking off on April 5, the second phase of releases starts with ‘Garage Inc.’ – a 1998 compilation album which saw the band put their own spin on iconic rock tracks including Thin Lizzy’s ‘Whiskey In The Jar’. The new run will see the LP pressed on 140g ‘Fade To Blue’ limited edition coloured vinyl.
