Bunker Vinyl record shop + studio to open in Cork this Saturday, New record shop to double as music production/tuition space: Independent music continues to grow in Cork, with a fifth indie record shop opening its doors in Cork city. Bunker Vinyl, opened by Dungarvan man John Dwyer (techno producer Bipolarbeats) is based in the former Quarter basement space on Camden Quay, next door to the former Camden Palace Hotel arts centre. Expanding its reach past the traditional vinyl-peddler operation, Dwyer has teamed with local musician and tutor Aileen Wallace (Lowli, The Racklers) to provide lessons in various instruments and studio technology, made possible with the presence of the shop’s in-house tuition & production space.
Record-playing wine bar Vino and Vinyl delays Sugar Land Town Square opening: Vino and Vinyl delayed the public opening of its second location until March. A grand opening celebration is scheduled for March 17-18. The new wine bar in Sugar Land Town Square is located will at 15977 City Walk, Sugar Land. Like his original site in Missouri City, owner Paul Killingsworth said the new location will have a wine bar and record store.
The Vinyl Revolution: Why Indiana is Buying More Music the Analog Way, It may not be making record stores more money, but the people who dig it really love it: While it’s nowhere near the point where everyone is doing it, there has been a demand for new vinyl in Indiana. In the capital city, one record shop that has seen new customers is Indy CD and Vinyl. “We consider this to be much more than just a retail outlet,” said Andy Skinner, co-owner. “This is a community center. This is a clubhouse. People can come in, share ideas, share their love for music and we’re getting more and more of those people…”
Put your records on: Vinyl rebirth breathes life into music industry: “People definitely love having something to collect. I think music fans in particular love something that’s tangible. You know, you get the lyrics … and of course it sounds fantastic. So I think all those things combined together make it just a great product,” says Sunrise Records president Doug Putman. Putman sees the growth of vinyl continuing for the next several years. “But, you know, even if they start, you know, to hit a plateau and even decline slightly in three years it’s still a very substantial and meaningful number. So I think we’ve got quite a ways to go on this…”
Modern Legend moving to Front Street, An opening event will be held March 11: Locally owned Modern Legend, a vinyl record and gift shop, will move from the Cotton Exchange to 130 N. Front St. According to a news release, an opening event will be held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 11 with live acoustic music from 2 to 6 p.m. Owner Catherine Hawksworth, who started the shop in 2016 after moving back to her hometown from Seattle, stated in the release she is excited the shop’s move will give her more retail space.
Aidan Moffat Announces Last Ever L. Pierre Record: Aidan Moffat has announced details of his last ever L. Pierre record, set for release in April. You can check out a teaser video above. The record, entitled 1948- , will be released exclusively on ‘naked’ vinyl with no sleeve. Moffat explains his decision to release the record in this way as “a self-destructive dialogue on the value of music and its new platforms, culture’s cyclical nature, the supposed death of the album – and the seeming immortality and inherent nostalgia of vinyl.” He continues: “I don’t want a pristine, digital document that could last forever; I want the music left to the elements, I want it to live and scar, with each record’s acquired crackles, pops and scratches making them unique and identifiable to their owners…”
Music industry honors Record Town founder Bob Higgins: The music industry mourned the death Wednesday of Robert Higgins, the Albany native who founded the Record Town chain of stores in the early 1970s and went on to build it into the largest music and video store chain in the country with nearly $1.5 billion in sales. The outpouring shows that Higgins, who kept a low public profile, was regarded as a giant in places like Hollywood, which reaped the benefits of the retail clout that Higgins built over the decades through his holding company, Trans World Entertainment of Albany.
