Record Store Day co-founder recalls how the idea of the event developed: As Record Store Day reaches its 10-year anniversary on Saturday, April 22, RSD co-founder Michael Kurtz shared the first brainstorming conversations about the concept of the event in the special Spring issue of Goldmine…“I was given a challenge by Bryan Burkert, the owner of The Sound Garden in Baltimore,” explains Kurtz, “to make record stores relevant in the face of the collapse of Tower (Records) and the rise of digital. So I started talking with record store owners about how it could be done…”
Edmonton record store owner says vinyl is in demand: The owner of one of Edmonton’s biggest independent record stores has a message for the Sunrise Records chain: stick to vinyl. Some are skeptical of the Sunrise plan to take over 70 HMV locations across Canada starting next month – including two in Edmonton – saying young music fans just aren’t buying music anymore. But Bruce Romaniuk, who runs Record Collector’s Paradise on the west end, said there’s plenty of demand for new vinyl. “What I’ve noticed in the last five years is a big upswing towards the under-25s,” Romaniuk said. “It’s almost becoming their preference of listening to music.”
For some Alabama music lovers, vinyl still rules: So why was the Bessemer Civic Center full of people this past weekend, crowded into cramped aisles and snapping up vinyl albums and the smaller “singles” known as 45s as if it were still the heyday of the Beatles, Doors and Cream? The Alabama Record Collectors Association CD & Record Show, now in its 36th year, is evidence that, for some people at least, vinyl still rules. “Deep down inside, I think people would still like to own something physical, compared to streaming music,” said record dealer David Norwood, who traveled from Moulton to run a booth for the show. “Something they can hold in their hands.”
Records still spinning in South Porcupine, A partnership between two small businesses is keeping vinyl alive in the city: Local music fans who prefer their tunes played on a turntable once again have a retail option. Hometown Records is now open in South Porcupine. It is an independent partnership between Skoser Merch and Custom Printing owner Paul Mascaro, and Michael Lascelle. Lascelle, who was an assistant manager at Sunrise Records in the Timmins Square before it announced it would be closing, took quick action to ensure vinyl didn’t die locally.
Sunrise Records reveals some of its 70 music store locations across Canada: Sunrise Records is revealing more of the locations where it plans to open stores. The Ontario-based company confirmed a batch of malls on Thursday where it will replace closing HMV retail spaces. Sunrise says some of them could begin operating within a few weeks. Details come after the company revealed last month it would move into 70 retail spaces being vacated by HMV Canada as it shuts down all of its stores across the country.
Music shop gives vinyl a spin: The Pat Alonzo Music Shop is taking a step back in time to get into the groove. The Charing Cross Street shop has brought back vinyl albums, along with turntables, needles, cartridges and other accessories. “We noticed a lot of resurgence and interest in vinyl,” said Angel Jansen, daughter of the store’s proprietors, Pat and Marilyn Alonzo. “And we thought, ‘Why not give it a shot?’ “We have about 250 albums available and it’s going to keep growing. So far, the response has been great.”
Jay Farrar on “alternative country facts” and why he’s super serious about vinyl: “Certainly, vinyl in general delivers a tangible aspect in a way a digital download and even CDs can’t. Listening on vinyl also has a ritualistic component that’s good. You can watch the music spin around as you listen…I think it’s important to listen to the songs as a collective group on vinyl if you can, as opposed to, when you’re in the digital realm, just picking a song and then moving on.”
Stourbridge musician Pete Boddis launches new venture for vinyl lovers at Vintage shop in Lower High Street: Musician Pete Boddis is launching a new venture for vinyl lovers at his Vintage music shop in Stourbridge. Pete, who has been running the quirky shop above Suites Galore in Lower High Street for three years, already has a large collection of retro and new seven and 12 inch records but he has amassed such a collection of old 78s that he’s dedicating an entire new section to them. The 72-year-old, a former newspaper lino type operator turned professional musician who decided to open the shop after retiring, said: “I’ve got about 2,000 of them – from 1920s music hall numbers through to rock ‘n’ roll – Elvis, Bill Haley, early blues stuff. We’ve got a wide variety of stuff.”
