Here’s How Sunrise Records Plans to Succeed but Local Shops Remain Skeptical: Earlier this year, Ontario-based music retail chain Sunrise Records announced that it would be taking over the leases of 70 soon-to-be shuttered HMV stores across the country. While some questioned the move in an age where streaming services reign supreme, Sunrise has now divulged how it will provide its own unique record store experience for listeners in search of something tangible…Not all owners of smaller, independent brick-and-mortar stores are sold on the strategizing, however.
The plan behind Sunrise Records ‘insane’ move to bring back record stores, In February, Sunrise Records announced it would take over several former HMV locations: Hamilton-born entrepreneur Douglas Putman, the owner of Sunrise Records, says he’s going to make the business of brick-and-mortar record stores viable in an age where people have abandoned the CD stacks for the Spotify playlist. “We know we can make it work,” Putman says…Along with banking on vinyl sales, Putman said that each Sunrise Records store will emphasize music that’s local, as well as music that’s popular locally. “Managers have the ability to bring in anything they want,” he said. While a large portion of any store’s catalogue will be the same as other stores, Putman promised that another big chunk will be unique.
House of Marley looks to ‘Stir it Up’ with turntable for the vinyl renaissance: An electronics company with an iconic name is hitching its fortunes to the resurgence in vinyl records with a new eco-friendly product. The House of Marley, named after the late reggae star Bob Marley, offers a range of sustainable music devices. It is launching a new turntable called “Stir it Up.” The $229 device features analog to digital conversion via a USB port, allowing records to be recorded and stored digitally, and is constructed from environmentally sustainable material.
The rebirth of the record store: Jean jackets, film cameras and flip phones. No, this isn’t the 90s – it’s 2017, and everything your parents loved and painfully tried to navigate is making a comeback. The most prevalent comeback of all being vinyl, and it’s here for good. Enter Mindbomb Records owner Chris Charkowy, a deeply passionate music fan with a desire to bring people of every generation together via classic best sellers and brand new albums. “I found out about a self-employment program through Niagara College, so I took that, wrote a business plan and decided to give it a go.” It’ll be the two-year anniversary of Mindbomb Records this April, and within those two years, Charkowy has noticed that the vinyl revival has only gotten stronger.
The world’s best record shops #064: Reckless Records, Chicago: The Mecca of Chicago record stores. Originally a London standalone, Reckless expanded to Chicago’s iconic Wicker Park neighborhood in 1988. With a massive selection on Milwaukee Avenue, their curated wall of staff picks is a lesson in music appreciation that never ends. As an institution Reckless has been a strong presence in the Chicago music scene for the past two decades. In store shows have included the likes of Circuit Des Yeux’s Hayley Fohr, Jack White, and Wild Belle. Each new record has a stickered staff review worthy of your attention, and labels from far and wide are more than adequately represented.
Records on the rise: vinyl making a comeback among Pitt students: Cassette tapes, eight-tracks and Walkmans may be things of the past, but not vinyl. In the last decade, records have been making a considerable comeback. A large factor to the recent vinyl resurgence? Young adults. Although digital music streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora and Tidal have become increasingly prominent over the past few years, vinyl sales have been on the rise since nearly disappearing in the early 2000s…Jerry Weber, owner of Jerry’s Records in Squirrel Hill for more than 33 years, said the trend — beginning in about 2012 — of teenagers and young adults buying vinyl is what’s continuing to allow his business to thrive after so many years.
Support our shops: Second coming for Alan’s vinyl revival: Uptown Vinyl Records, inside Spalding Lifestyle Centre next to Johnson Community Hospital, is nothing short of a disc spinners’ dream with at least 70,000 vinyl records for visitors to browse through at their leisure. Owner Alan Barnsdale considers the store’s opening two years ago, about 16 years after the closure of his Uptown Records store in Victoria Street, Spalding, as a case of “striking while the iron is hot”. Alan said: “We couldn’t have timed it better because, suddenly, the whole world is buying a record player and wanting vinyl.
Harwich Antique Center adds dealers, expands vinyl records section: Harwich Antique Center is also very excited to announce the expansion of “Stardust Alley Vinyl Records”. New custom shelving has made it easier to browse through the large collection of vintage vinyl records. The collection includes rock, jazz, country, and many other genres and includes rare lps, 45s and 78s. “Vinyl is very hot right now among middle aged and young people and we are pleased to offer a very diverse selection to our customers” says Christa Dulude, owner of Stardust Alley Vinyl Records.
