UK | Ahead of Record Store Day, physical sales surge in Q1 as UK artists make a chart impact: Physical music sales have surged in Q1 for 2025, Music Week can reveal. The results come ahead of Record Store Day this month, which has traditionally delivered a huge boost for physical music early in the second quarter of the year. Sam Fender, who is the Record Store Day UK ambassador, had the biggest-selling physical release in Q1 with People Watching (Polydor). The UK singer-songwriter moved 103,101 physical units of his third album (142,419 units in total). People Watching is the biggest album of Q1 among titles released in 2025. It is No.2 overall behind fellow Polydor artist Sabrina Carpenter’s 2024 LP Short N’ Sweet (196,059 units in 2025—596,016 in total). There were also strong Q1 results in the albums rankings for UK acts Ed Sheeran, Central Cee, Elton John and Charli XCX, while Lola Young had the biggest single of the quarter with Messy.
Petaluma, CA | Coming to Petaluma: Record Store Day. April has arrived, and with it—hopefully soon—spring weather. As I write this, it’s a rainy day, but I’m looking ahead to sunnier days, perfect for sitting under a tree with headphones on and reading a book. Good thing we’ve got two big dates coming up this month to help facilitate such leisure activity. Record Store Day on Saturday, April 12, and Indie Bookstore Day on Saturday, April 26. I can’t speak for the record store end of things, but I’m sure our local music vendors—including Rain Dog Records and Paradise Found—are doing plenty of behind-the-scenes work to bring the awesome this year. That’s what we’re doing at the Word Horde Emporium of the Weird & Fantastic and the folks at Copperfield’s are reportedly doing as well. After all, with exclusive products, giveaways, and more, it’s a lot to look forward to each year.
Bemidji, MN | Celebrate Record Store Day with KAXE/KBXE on April 12 in Bemidji: KAXE/KBXE’s Record Store Day sale is 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 12, 2025, at Rail River Folk School in Bemidji. Shop for gently used vinyl and CDs. Record Store Day began across the United States in 2008. In 2015, there weren’t any record stores in our listening area or even many places to buy vinyl. So KAXE/KBXE started hosting an annual pop-up used vinyl and CD sale at various locations in Bemidji. Join us this year on the internationally celebrated Record Store Day, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. April 12 at Rail River Folk School in Bemidji. Sift through bins and crates of donated music to find some “new to you” treasures. Even if you are not looking to add to your collection, it’s always a fun community of music lovers gathering with some of our on-air volunteers spinning vinyl throughout.
Adelaide, AU | Seven of the best record stores in Adelaide: Record Store Day is less than two weeks away, so we’ve teamed up with seven of our favourite record stores to give you the lowdown on what they are about and why you should visit them. Crackle & Pop Records: Founded by Mark Cnotek in 2014, Crackle & Pop Records began as a stall at Gilles Street Markets. Arriving at a time when demand for vinyl was on the up, Mark’s side hustle exploded in popularity, with the stall transforming into a mobile pop-up that has since set up digs at pubs, festivals and fairs across the state. Mark handed the Crackle & Pop Records reins over to Adam and Jack Buckley in 2023. The father-and-son duo have relished the opportunity to continue the founder’s legacy, travelling with the pop-up interstate and, most recently, finding it a permanent home at Adelaide’s latest (and biggest) vintage marketplace.
Cardiff, UK | Welsh record shop which closed is to reopen: The much-loved Welsh record shop which announced it was to close last week—is to reopen but only for a few more days. The store, D’Vinyl Records in Cardiff, a treasure trove for music lovers has been a fixture in the Welsh capital for more than 30 years. But now owner Steve Collins has decided to shut up shop and retire after looking after the secondhand music store which has sold records, CDs, DVDs and music memorabilia to a loyal customer base from its location in Mackintosh Place in the Roath area of the city. However, for those who may have missed the shop’s final days, and feel upset they couldn’t pop along—there’s a second chance. Posting on the shop’s Facebook page, owner Steve thanked everybody for their well wishes and messages—and also announced the shop will reopen, but for this week only.
Portland, OR | Rose City Rituals: How Music Millennium Owner Terry Currier Spends a Day in Portland. Caffeine, music and more caffeine. Getting Terry Currier to leave his office at Music Millennium is no mean feat. And that’s not simply because of the knee-high stacks of CDs that he has to avoid when getting to and from his desk nor the fact that it’s the second day of March Madness and he’s got a bracket to manage. “I went 14-2 yesterday,” the 70-year-old humbly brags as he stands amid mounds of paperwork and promotional detritus that he has accumulated in his four decades at the helm of Music Millennium. The East Burnside Street record shop is celebrating its 56th anniversary this year. Originally hired as a manager in 1979, Currier took an ownership stake in Music Millennium in 1984. Since then, he has steered the space successfully through all manner of commercial highs and lows: the CD boom, the arrival of streaming services, the financial crisis, the pandemic and the vinyl revival.
Houston, TX | Houston record shop owner honors his late wife by supporting cancer research: It’s been over a year since Jennifer Escalante passed away. On February 18, 2024, the co-owner of Midtown record shop Sig’s Lagoon died, after a two-year battle with glioblastoma grade 4 brain cancer. (She would’ve turned 52 the following March.). For her husband and business partner Tomas Escalante, it’s taken him a year just to get in a comfortable place to speak at length about his wife’s passing. “It’s funny to say it’s a year because, if you would have told me it was a decade, I would have believed you,” says Escalante, 55, during a Zoom call from his Midtown home. “It was really difficult—really, really difficult at first. And, for the past few months, I’ve kind of seen the light of just some change. Just kind of being able to function in areas that I couldn’t before. And there’s still a lot to do.”
Whanganui, NZ | New documentary explores Whanganui’s The Vinyl Room and record culture: Whanganui business The Vinyl Room is the subject of a new documentary exploring the staying power of physical media, small businesses and community. The 53-minute documentary You Can’t Just Sell Records follows Whanganui record shop owner Ron Fisher’s journey in starting a business selling records nearly two decades after the last dedicated CD store closed. Director Kevin Double, of Double Farley, described the film as “a celebration of small businesses, and obviously records.” The Vinyl Room started as a market stall and has grown over time to a physical store with staff and increased stock. When Fisher opened the shop, he was met with doubt from some people, including a friend who did not believe a store could sell only records and be successful—hence the film’s title.
Minneapolis, MN | Art & Sound Lounge, Vinyl Edition: Record collectors and music enthusiasts are invited to begin early celebrations of Record Store Day with the final installment of Art & Sound Lounge: Vinyl Edition, when the Walker is transformed into a moody listening salon complete with cocktails and art activities. Local vinyl DJs, including DJ Justis Brokenrope of Wathéča Records and others, play eclectic sets while you design your own album artwork. Listening stations will be set up to tune into a small collection of records. Gallery admission is free on Thursday nights, 5–9 pm. Save time and reserve your gallery admission tickets online. Please note: Individual events during Free Thursday Nights are first-come, first-served. Free Thursday Nights are sponsored by Principal Foundation.
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