UK | 10 of our favourite independent Scottish record shops: Nowadays, music is often as insubstantial as your average ghost. When a song is released into the world it drifts and flows upon the ether – on Spotify, iTunes or SoundCloud – before creeping into the listener’s skull via a plastic earbud, where it haunts the head in a flimsy, flickering, fleeting fashion. But music used to be a solid thing. Something you touched with covetous hands. It was vinyl. Or a CD. Perhaps even a cassette. There was album artwork to be adored; lyrics to study on the back of a record sleeve. Now all that’s gone… though not quite. For hardcore obsessives are keeping the culture of the long player (and single) revolving on a turntable that refuses to grind to a halt. In independent record stores across the nation vinyl is making a valiant last stand. Here’s our pick of the best shops where that music war is being waged, and perhaps even won by the good guys… the Battling Brigade of Renegade Record Collectors.
Richmond, VA | Vinyl Conflict record store moving to downtown Richmond: Since 2008, Richmond’s Vinyl Conflict Record Store has made its reputation on its premium selection of punk, metal and hardcore goods. People from all over the world have made the pilgrimage to the storefront in Oregon Hill. However, owner Bobby Egger says he’s ready for the store to move to its new home. Although he’s made many memories in Oregon Hill, Egger said the business has outgrown its familiar roots at 324 S. Pine St. and that he is excited about relocating. The store is moving to 300 E. Grace St. in downtown Richmond. The store will continue to sell records in Oregon Hill through Sunday, and Egger is aiming to settle in the new building by June 3, he said. Making the decision to move was a bittersweet one for Egger, who’s resided in the neighborhood for years since taking over the store in 2012. He even lived in a residential space above the retail store at one point. “It certainly wasn’t an easy decision to make,” he said. “I have a lot of attachment to that space, but I’m really excited to show everybody what the new space looks like.”
Where to Buy Vinyl Records Online or in Person: The best way to support your favorite musicians is by going straight to the source. I usually decide what record I want when a familiar song comes on Spotify. That would be great to grab on vinyl, I think to myself. But these days, I don’t buy ’em right away on Amazon. As a local musician who has put out vinyl (in very limited quantities), I’ve come to realize there are ethics when it comes to buying physical music—it’s best to ensure your favorite musicians are seeing as high a cut from your purchase as possible. …This might be obvious, but the best place to check first is your local record store. Vinyl is a physical medium where music has been pressed into literal plastic, so the best way to ensure you’re getting a quality record that’s clean and without damage is to shop in person.
Dubai, UAE | New book traces Egypt’s cassette culture: In an age where online music streaming dominates, American historian Andrew Simon is old-school. His office is lined with books, a retro boombox, and an impressive archive of cassettes, bought from his forays into Egyptian kiosks. Their content is varied; ranging from Madonna’s Eighties hits to former President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s political speeches. The Dartmouth College professor, who specializes in Middle Eastern studies, has released a new book — “Media of the Masses” — examining diverse cassette culture in modern Egypt, a pioneer of cultural production in the Arab world. The author hopes his book will be translated into Arabic and intends to digitize his collection for public usage. “Anyone in the Middle East, or outside of it, will be able to listen to the tapes,” he said. “The audio quality is not as bad as you might expect. It feels less filtered, more raw and grainy.”
Play it again: The remarkable revival of cassettes: The humble cassette is making a comeback, and is now a crucial part of the musical landscape in many different parts of the world. Record Store Day celebrated its 15th anniversary last month, with thousands of independent shops taking part across the UK, and seasoned vinyl junkies clamouring alongside casual collectors for a chance to take home an exclusive release. The nation’s wax obsession is showing no signs of waning; the appeal of tactility, that ‘warm’ analogue sound and the fact that its limitations oblige us to enjoy one album, in order, at a time being the most commonly cited reasons. However, while records continue to be celebrated with cultish enthusiasm, their technological successor, despite being smaller, cheaper and possessing similar tactile qualities, somehow fails to attract the same nostalgic veneration. Like many children of the Eighties, my love affair with music didn’t start with vinyl, it started with tapes, more specifically the dusty selection stacked in the glove compartment of my parents’ car.
Study Finds a Thriving Market for Vinyl Records: In the age of streaming where you can summon any song, band, or music genre in the snap of a finger, the lingering presence of vinyl records seems quaint — a fad embraced by hipsters, nostalgia seekers, and aging hippies. But the latest statistics from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) show that the rebirth of vinyl that began more than a decade ago has real staying power. The vinyl era of the 1960s and ’70s peaked in 1978 with unit sales of 341 million and revenue of $2.5 billion before a steady decline that bottomed out at $14 million in 2005. The following several years brought modest but steady upticks in LP sales and, by 2012, revenue had climbed its way back to $161 million with unit sales approaching 7 million. The vinyl revival was on.
Greenwood, IN | Students collect vinyl records: Collecting vinyl records is a hobby shared by casual music listeners and phonophiles alike. Within the record-collecting community, it is well known that everyone remembers the first record that came into their possession. “I’ve been collecting since my freshman year,” senior Conner Watson said. “My aunt got me a record player for Christmas one year, and I’ve been stocking up since. My first record was The New Sound of the Fabulous Ink Spots.” When it comes to a good record collection, the name of the game is value, whether fiscal or sentimental. For some, records accompany memories and can remain special to a person for a long time. “I’d have to say my favorite record is this little indie group called Mt. Joy’s first album,” Watson said. “They’ve been my favorite band for a while now, and I’ve got good memories of lying on the floor and listening to them.”
Goldring unveils versatile Eroica HX moving coil cartridge: Clever cartridge works with moving magnet inputs. Want to make the switch from a moving magnet cartridge to a moving coil design but don’t have access to a moving coil phono input? Goldring’s Eroica HX aims to make the move easier. The British firm’s newest creation is designed to fit “virtually any” tonearm and promises to work “straight from the box”. And the best part is you won’t have to rejig your system – ultra-fine enamelled-copper windings mean the Eroica HX has enough output to work with moving magnet phono inputs. Elsewhere, Goldring claims the new pure-iron cross-armature design reduces crosstalk, and that the Gyger II diamond stylus – a whole diamond rather than just a diamond tip – will minimise any pesky inner groove distortion. As for the case, it’s made from Pocan, a glass-reinforced plastic material that’s high in rigidity and designed to last.
