Munich, DE | Munich record store Public Possession evicted by landlord after 10 years: The beloved shop and label said they and skate shop neighbours SooHotRightNow are being “forced out” of their home for a decade by a new landlord. The beloved record store and label Public Possession is being evicted by their landlord after 10 years in the Munich space. In a joint announcement with skate shop neighbours SooHotRightNow on 2nd March, the two businesses said, “With sadness we have to announce that after 10 amazing years our time at Klenzestrasse 16 will be over by the end of this March.” Public Possession, which opened at that address in 2013, shared the reason for the forced move as: “Through a change of landlord, we are both being forced out of the building.” They did not provide further details. “We want to express our gratitude to all those who have given us support over the past years,” they continued. “We had FUN!”
Rome, IT | Rome record store Sounds Familiar is a place to ‘wile away and get lost.’ A neon-hued listening space for vinyl-heads: Tucked into a tiny space in Rome’s Travestere neighbourhood, this record store uses its neon-tinted palette to draw passersby in. Local practice STUDIOTAMAT designed the shop, transforming what was previously a garage into a brightly coloured listening room and performance space. The studio had to contend with a few challenges, not least the store’s limited amount of space – it has a footprint of just 40 sqm. STUDIOTAMAT gave the walls a fresh coat of blue-grey paint and brought in a very 1970s-vibe purple carpet as well as a series of lobster-coloured furniture that can be rearranged to accommodate various displays and DJs. There’s seating for browsers that want to linger, including one of Faye Toogood’s Roly-Poly chairs – also in a vibrant, neon red. The garage’s existing woodwormed beams have been hidden under a new ceiling, and additional storage space is concealed by a full-length curtain. Sounds Familiar – which belongs to the record label of the same name – stocks a wide range of vinyl, as well as clothes, magazines and accessories.
Berwick, PA | Grand reopening for WaxPax Records in Berwick: The grand reopening of WaxPax Records is this Saturday at 10 a.m. in Berwick. When COVID-19 forced a man from Berwick to close his martial arts gym in 2020, a really hard time in his life quickly turned into a new opportunity. Newswatch 16 was there for the grand opening of his dream record store back then, but a new obstacle has the place in Columbia County hosting a grand reopening this weekend. About a year and a half after the grand opening of the instant success that was WaxPax Records in Berwick, everything changed on Christmas morning. Bitter cold temperatures moved in, and a pipe in the building burst. “So 6 o’clock in the morning, the pit bull is just barking and barking and going crazy. She never does that. So, I was like, ‘Alright, hold on, let me go check it out.’ And I stepped out on the top floor, and I stepped into water,” said owner Mark Collier.
Nantwich, UK | Record Store Day returns to Nantwich at Applestump Records: Applestump Records on Barker Street in Nantwich is bringing Record Store Day to the town for a second year. Now in its 16th year, Record Store Day celebrates the unique culture of the independent record shop. It releases more than 400 limited-edition records only available in an independent record shop on the day itself. And due to the limited and exclusive nature of the titles available, collectors often queue throughout the night to get their hands on them! The queue outside Applestump Records last year began at 00.50am! And by the time the store opened there were more than 50 people stood in line hoping to pick up the records on their wish lists. With more than 400 titles available on the day, preparing for the event is a huge task. Applestump Records owner Steve Cook said: “Planning starts as soon as the release list is announced some two months before the event.
Santa Cruz, NM | Santa Cruz’s Metavinyl, now Redwood Records: The longtime downtown record store changes ownership but retains its indie roots. Record collectors rejoice! After a month of renovations, the intimate record boutique at the corner of 320 Cedar St. in the heart of Downtown Santa Cruz will finally reopen on Saturday, March 11. In an ironic twist, it’s transcending its meta-ness while maintaining its community roots. That’s right. Metavinyl is now Redwood Records. “The idea behind the rebrand was to make it fully ours,” says co-owner Rudy Kuhn. “There was no offense to the previous name.” Business partner, Tyler Davin-Moore, agrees. “It took about six months, but it all came together,” laughs Davin-Moore. The two initially met while working in the beer industry and quickly bonded over their love of music, live shows and record collecting.
Glasgow, UK | Glasgow Sauchiehall Street: Assai to open new record store: Beset by challenges in recent years and with over 30 per cent of its shops, officers and domestic properties now lying vacant, Sauchiehall Street is regarded as Scotland’s most struggling high street. However, the once popular Glasgow shopping street is about to receive a “shot in the arm” with the news that much-loved Dundee vinyl retailer Assai is to open its first Glasgow record store on the street, The Herald can reveal. Assai Records will take over the space vacated by the former Ladbrokes betting shop at the junction of Sauchiehall Street and Blythswood Street, with an opening date planned for later this month. The first Assai Records store opened its doors in Dundee suburb Broughty Ferry in 2015, before a second specialist vinyl shop was opened in the West End district of Edinburgh in 2017. Assai then relocated the Broughty Ferry store to Dundee’s Union Street in 2019 to continue its journey as one of the city’s leading independent stores.
Madison, WI | Young people are listening to vinyl records, but might not know how to improve their listening experience: Industry data indicates that vinyl is on the rise, outpacing other forms of physical media such as CDs in no small part due to an influx of young listeners. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) released a report which stated that vinyl sales rose 22% in the first half of 2022, vastly outperforming CDs in both percentage growth and total sales. According to Billboard, Taylor Swift attained an astronomical 575,000 vinyl sales in the first week of the release of her album “Midnights”, easily breaking the former weekly record of 187,000 held by Harry Styles with his album “Harry’s House.” This indicates that vinyl is not dying out, on the contrary, it is becoming more popular than ever as it attracts a younger audience. Ron Roloff, owner of the Madison record store Strictly Discs, believes vinyl has a distinct if sometimes intangible appeal. In one sense, vinyl appeals to people as a physical object, something you can hold and look at that brings you closer to the music. He also explains vinyl as a way to be more engaged with the process of listening to music.
