Inverness, CA | Record store opens this weekend next to Western: The first-ever record store in West Marin is opening on Saturday in Point Reyes Station. Loose Joints Records, next door to the Western, is a venture by musician Dylan Squires and record collector Brian Ojalvo. Their goal is to create a customer-centric outlet for collectors and newbies alike. Their inventory consists of about 1,500 records across the spectrum of price points, genres and time periods, and they plan to keep it fresh. “We really want to engage the customer, find out what they want, what they like, what we think they might like, and make recommendations,” Mr. Ojalvo said. The partners each bring something different to the table. Mr. Ojalvo, 52, owns a boutique wine business in Santa Rosa and has about 8,000 records at his home in Bolinas.
Bologna, IT | Bologna, is a desire for vinyl: so the record shops come back to life: The wind of the pandemic was also felt in record stores. Those businesses that have been trying to survive the decline in sales, e-commerce sites and streaming for years. A difficult period that the owners of some Bolognese stores tell us, while the scratched music of the Clash returns to echo. Pleasant surprises and the will to overcome this period as well. …“Obviously it was a very hard period, – says Emanuele Gambardella – but by now we have turned 17 and our customers, whom I never tire of thanking, have always followed us and allow us to survive”. Discobolandia is a shop that offers used and new and among the most successful titles in recent months is the reissue of Mack Porter “Peace on you”, a very rare record from 1972 with a fantastic cover and Paul Rodgers’ tribute to Muddy Waters with the collaboration of many artists. In fact, it is vinyl that reigns supreme in the store to the detriment of the compact disc, now towards the avenue of sunset.
London, UK | You could live at the Old Vinyl Factory, an exciting new London development with a rich musical heritage: The site has been reimagined and Weston Homes are offering 181 contemporary and luxurious apartments. Once home to the EMI record plant where ground-breaking records by The Beatles and Pink Floyd were pressed, The Old Vinyl Factory has been re-tuned for the 21st Century. The result is an innovative development within the 18-acre site in Hayes, with residential apartments alongside a three-screen cinema and music venue. New investment in the area will see eateries, workspaces, educational spaces and a gym, as well as an EMI photographic exhibition that reveals the history of the area, as part of the wider regeneration. The beautiful collection of 181 one, two and three-bedroom contemporary apartments at The Venue will be built to Weston Homes’ high specification, featuring designer kitchens, cutting edge bathrooms and stunning finishes. Hayes is the perfect location to get the best of both worlds – with numerous green open spaces as well as its close connections to London.
You Can Now Build Your Own Record Player Using a Household 3D Printer: The vinyl revival inspired a lot of companies and the British startup Frame Theory 3D is one of the many to catch the wave. The company created a do-it-yourself (DIY) turntable kit that is 3D printed. The kit is called The SongBird Turntable and you can find it on Kickstarter. Frame Theory 3D already managed to exceed its initial goal of approximately $14,000, as the project got funded immediately and raised over $28,000 so far. And there are still 28 days left, which can only be good news for the startup. The SongBird turntable is a fully functional record player that can be made with almost any domestic 3D printer. The minimum build volume required is 220 X 220 X 50 mm (8.6 x 9.6 x 1.9 in). The necessary electronic parts are completely solderless, to make the building process as user-friendly as possible. Moreover, the kit comes with clear instructions that will guide you throughout the entire operation. The assembly time is 1 to 2 hours, according to Frame Theory.
The Ongoing History of New Music, episode 920: The history of the record store: Before we begin, I am very aware that there are many people who have never, ever set foot in a record store. They came of age musically after the internet changed everything about how we hear about, acquire, and consume music. But remember this: For over one hundred and thirty years, the only way you could hear music on-demand was to own it. You had to purchase a piece of plastic for X dollars and for that price, you could listen to that music an infinite number of times for no additional charge. Not only did you make an emotional music in that music, but a financial one as well. And dammit, you were going to make sure you listen to that piece of plastic until you wrung out every possible bit of enjoyment from it. Otherwise, you’d have to admit to yourself that you wasted your money. There was another aspect to this emotional investment. In order to acquire this music, you had to leave your home, find your way to a record store, and search through all the shelves hoping to find what you were looking for…
Long Beach, CA | It’s the last video rental store in Long Beach—and it’s still open! There are balloons attached to a sandwich board outside Broadway Video off Redondo and, yep, Broadway. Uma Thurman smokes a cigarette on a bed in the “Pulp Fiction” poster that covers one of the window panels. Along the back wall, a big blue and red neon sign says, “VIDEO.” Today, the first Friday in April, is the first night of the shop’s new extended hours, and owner Steve Tsepelis and store manager Phil Deubel are behind the counter ready to help customers. A few young couples came in tonight to rent for the first time, while a few older customers came in, waved at Steve and Phil, and took their time exploring the shelves. Jonathan Montgomery has been renting here for three years. He said he first noticed Broadway Video while biking around town and decided one day to stop in. “First, it’s so rad to be able to get recommendations and talk movies with someone in person,” he said. “It’s also nice to remember that movies can be a physical thing you can touch and explore…”
