New York, NY | Following seven successful years in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Rough Trade NYC is excited to make its much anticipated move over the East River… Our new Rough Trade NYC will be located at Rockefeller Center (30 Rockefeller Plaza, on Avenue of the Americas between 49-50th Streets), just steps from the iconic Radio City Music Hall. “Following the impact of COVID-19, Rough Trade’s decision to relocate reflects a wider reimagination of cities worldwide”, says Rough Trade Co-Owner, Stephen Godfroy. “Manhattan has a glorious history of great record stores. Now there’s an exciting present as well. The opportunities afforded by the pandemic in the reconfiguration of central city districts have brought us, counter-intuitively, to the heart of New York, an area barren of record stores for years. But Rough Trade’s instinct has always been to surprise! …We loved our amazing Williamsburg store, but thousands of gigs and vinyl sales later, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to move over to Manhattan, downsizing on scale but upsizing on ambition and reach.”
Walmart to host its first online ‘Vinyl Mania Week’ Tapping into a growing trend where old is new again, Walmart will host its first online Vinyl Mania Week beginning Monday, May 10 with exclusive and limited editions of vinyl records for music fans of all genres. The five-day event on Walmart.com/vinyl-records, will include color vinyl discs from artists such as Machine Gun Kelly, Johnny Cash, Halsey, Post Malone, Keith Urban, KISS, Frank Sinatra and John Denver. More than 150 titles — ranging from pop, soul and rock to country, folk and jazz — will be available, with new selections popping up each day. Prices vary. A vinyl version of Journey’e greatest hits, for example, sells for $32.23, while AC/DC’s “Back in Black” album is listed at $18.97. “As vinyl continues to make a big comeback and become the preferred music format, Walmart is committed to offering customers the albums they want at everyday low prices,” the company said in a statement.
Barrow, UK | Barrow’s TNT Records named Shop Of The Month by Record Collector: A Barrow record shop has been named ‘Shop Of The Month’ by hit music magazine Record Collector. TNT Records was the winner of the prestigious title for the magazine’s May edition. Owner and founder Dave Turner revealed he was ecstatic that Record Collector honoured his business. He said: “We’re overwhelmed with it. “They have been going for over 40 years, Record Collector and they are an iconic magazine and they are the biggest music monthly out there. “To even have a mention in it is a big deal, but to be highlighted as Shop Of The Month is just crazy. “We are really proud of it. “We are just blown away by it. “We stock the magazine every month, but to be in it is a completely different thing.” The shop, which opened in 2019, has proved to be a huge hit, with customers coming from across the country.
Huntsville, AL | Find the best music at Alabama’s 40th Annual Record Show: If you spend your weekends perusing yard sales, thrift stores and record shops for some good vinyl, we’ve got a good show in store for you. It’s the 40th Annual Record and CD Show. If you’re feeling inspired to do some shopping and talk with other music fans and collectors, the Alabama Record Collectors Association is hosting a weekend chock-full of that stuff. Friday, May 14th through Saturday, May 15th, the Gardendale Civic Center will have thousands of records, CDs and tapes for sale. You can find music that dates all the way back to the 1940s, to 2021 from dealers all over the country. We’re not just talking music you can listen to though, we’re talking music memorabilia as well. Think of posters, buttons, photographs and more. You know, the fun stuff you can hang on your walls and slap on that old denim jacket. Alright, you may be asking yourself, when is all of this going down?
Staffordshire, UK | Former Uttoxeter Racecourse boss launches exciting new vinyl records business: It is inspired by his love of music: …Music-mad David MacDonald left his job as executive director of Uttoxeter Racecourse earlier this year after 14 years at the helm. During his stint at the Wood Lane course, he used his extensive music industry contacts to attract the likes of Kaiser Chiefs, Madness and the Human League to perform there. He previously booked The Smiths as president of Edge Hill University students’ union – with thousands of students turning up to a 450-capacity venue and having to be kept out by the police – shortly before their famous Top of the Pops performance of This Charming Man in the mid-’80s. After that, Mr MacDonald went on to have a successful career in live music promotion before joining the racecourse. …And now he has launched Blue Sky Vinyl and will be buying and selling vintage records online – with plans for expansion in the future.
Forbes: Family Company Is Thriving Making Turntables For Vinyl Aficionados: Who could have predicted the dramatic resurgence of vinyl as a viable music format? It’s been nearly 40 years since the CD was launched and it didn’t take long for those silver discs to catch on in a big way. Now, with the arrival of streaming, the CD is experiencing its own decline and the music industry is moving on. Changing from a physical product to a rental stream has altered the music industry massively and the days of earning millions from album sales are a distant memory. …To get some insight into the current state of the vinyl industry and its resurrection, I spoke with Mat Weisfeld, the president of VPI Industries, maker of some of the most accomplished and high-end turntables such as the new Prime 21 and Prime 21+ models. I was intrigued to know how a company could be doing so well making equipment for a music format that ought to have died out four decades ago, but which has made the kind of comeback that would even impress Lazarus.
Hardin County, KY | Finding my groove in an outdated medium: In today’s world, convenience is king. Though I’d like to say I’m above this way of thinking and people need to focus more on learning how to overcome struggles on their own, I rely on modern comforts as much as anyone. I have multiple robotic servants in my home. One of them cleans my carpet for me and the other answers my questions when I’m too lazy to consult Google. Sometimes I feel like I’m in an episode of “The Jetsons,” minus the flying car. I’m sure Elon Musk is working on that right now. But there is one element of my home that is quite analogue: My record player. Some people collect vinyl records because they are audiophiles; they cannot settle for the sound quality of any other medium. I’m not one of those people. Sure, I own a stereo amplifier, a set of speakers and turntable, but it’s not for any kind of elitist purpose. For me, it’s about the ritual of putting on a record. Turning on the amp, grabbing a record, raising the cuing lever, watching the record spin, placing the needle down in the groove. It’s so much more of an experience than opening up Apple Music on my phone…
