Coventry, UK | Date confirmed when new independent record shop opens in Nuneaton town centre: It will be the first in town for many years. A date has been confirmed when a new independent record shop will open in Nuneaton town centre. Music is the Answer will be based in a unit within Barley House on Queens Road, opposite McDonalds. It is the brainchild of John Fitzgerald and is the third in his independent chain. He announced on social media that Music is the Answer, which will be in one of the units based down the side alleyway, an area that also plays home to Board Game Bunker, will open its doors on Saturday, May 20. …He has documented his move to Nuneaton on his YouTube channel, Brum Reseller, and on it the former cabbie explained that the new shop will have almost 60 records on the wall alone. That is on top of the units filled with records, which will be everything from dance to rock. “There will be hundreds if not thousands of records…”
Oshawa, CA | Kops Records – Oshawa’s home for vinyl records – moves to new digs downtown: Oshawa IS the Music City in Durham Region and King Street East is the epicentre, with two major venues in the Biltmore and Regent theatres across the street from each other, another major space likely opening this summer immediately to the north on Bond Street in the Music Hall, and plenty of bars and restaurants around to complete the picture. The Atria, a home for emerging talent for decades, is on the block and the 6,000-seat Tribute Communities Centre for the major acts is just a block away as well. Now you can add Kops Records to that mix after the record store, a fixture at Simcoe and John streets south of downtown since 2015, moved into new digs at 34 King St. E on May 6. The reason Kops Records moved is simple enough (and relatable to a million other businesses): the lease was up and so too would be the rent.
Hexham, UK | Vinyl Attic owner brings out his own vinyl release: The owner of a Hexham vinyl record shop has released his own LP on vinyl – something which he said has always been a “dream” of his. Jamie Harwood runs the Vinyl Attic, which is housed on the top floor of the Vintage Emporium in Market Place, alongside his wife Moira. The singer-songwriter has now just brought out a self-released LP named ‘FAST TRAIN, SLOW THOUGHTS’ under the musical alias Early Maze. …”As a vinyl collector myself, it’s always been a dream of mine to have my own music out on vinyl, and I’ve finally been able to achieve it.” The LP, which is limited to just 100 copies, can be purchased in the Vinyl Attic. Jamie told the Courant he is also keen to promote independent, self-released music from other bands and musicians by stocking physical copies of either CDs or LPs in a section of the shop. He said all sales from these releases would go directly to the artists.
Kokomo, IN | Driven by vinyl, Indiana record stores make comeback: Record Store Day is like Christmas for music collectors. It’s a day when artists release special editions of their best albums, concert recordings or rare recordings. Most of the releases are on vinyl, some in different colors — greens and blues, swirled oranges and reds. Music fans begin lining up outside their record store of choice sometime in the early hours of the morning. When Goshen’s Ignition Music Garage, 120 E. Washington St., opened at 8 a.m. on April 22, over 100 people were in line. At one point, owner Julie Hershberger pushed out a television cart so those in line could watch old music videos she had recorded on video tapes. She said it was fun for the 40 people near the television. It was a smaller affair in Logansport, where 18 people waited outside The Record Farm…
Los Angeles, CA | The Rolling Stones – massive memorabilia collection acquired by Rockaway Records: As The Rolling Stones continue to celebrate their 60th anniversary, renowned Los Angeles landmark Rockaway Records has acquired an extensive collection of Rolling Stones vinyl and memorabilia with over 10,000 items including rare LPs & 45s, vintage t-shirts from 1973-1983, dozens of concert posters from 1969-1978, promotional items and more. Major highlights include a copy of “Beast Of Burden,” the 2nd rarest Rolling Stones picture sleeve 45 and a 1977 promotional hanging display designed by Andy Warhol. The collection comes from late longtime fan, collector, and famous skateboarder Brad “Squeak” Blanck, a well-known and beloved figure in The Rolling Stones community. This collection is already attracting buyers including Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson, who purchased a rare set of 1978 UK promo posters for Some Girls.
Atlanta, GA | Chad Radford’s book “Atlanta Record Stores” goes where vinyl is still king: Chad Radford, the former long-time music editor at Creative Loafing, began his fascination with vinyl and record shops as a teen growing up in Iowa. He’d haunt record shops in nearby Omaha, Nebraska, even as compact discs (remember those?) were replacing albums in the mass market. His obsession continued when he moved to Atlanta. Radford quips that he buys too many records, but he has turned his love of record shops into a new book: Atlanta Record Stores: An Oral History (The History Press, 126 pages). In the book’s introduction, Radford says that “you get a singularly unique perspective on a city’s history, its culture and its personality when viewed through the record store’s front window.” The book delves into the history of Atlanta’s independent record stores, beginning with Northside Records from the mid-60s and focuses on such stalwarts as Wax’n’Facts, Wuxtry Records and Fantasyland.
Isle of Wight, UK | Record sleeves star in Isle of Wight author’s book: With vinyl growing in popularity, an Isle of Wight author has collated some of the record industry’s more unusual offerings, ahead of his book launch later this month (May). 101 Terrible Record Sleeves by Michael Sumner will be unveiled at Ventnor Exchange, Church Street, between 12-6pm, on May 21. He said: “Through years of record digging in some far out lands…I have found some of the worst examples of sleeve design. “Here they are presented, for your shock and amusement, like some Victorian carnival.” Covers in the book include: A picture of a purple and white striped Cheshire cat with a human’s face on it – designed for the album Pussycats Can Go Far, by Buzzy Linhart; and the classic Black Lace single Agadoo.
A new book shares perspectives of the women at Factory Records: Featuring interviews with Gillian Gilbert, Gina Birch and more. White Rabbit has released a book examining the stories of women at Factory Records. I Thought I Heard You Speak: Women At Factory Records, written by Audrey Golden, tells an “in depth history has ever been told from the perspectives of the women who were integral to Factory’s cultural significance.” Featuring contributions from Gillian Gilbert, Gina Birch, Cath Carroll, Penny Henry and over 50 more interviewees, I Thought I Heard You Speak begins with a foreword from DJ Paulette. A press statement says that “the untold history of Factory Records is one of women’s work at nearly every turn: recording music, playing live gigs, running the label behind the scenes, managing and promoting bands, designing record sleeves, making films and music videos, pioneering sound technology, DJing, and running one of the most chaotic clubs on the planet, The Haçienda.”
Poughkeepsie, NY | Poughkeepsie rock station glitch forces DJs to go ‘old school:’ A major computer glitch brought a Poughkeepsie radio station to its knees on Monday during “morning drive time.” If you were listening to 101.5 WPDH this morning you might have heard something strange: old-school radio. A devastating computer glitch that was still unresolved as of 10am on Monday caused all of the station’s audio files to become unplayable. That means that music, commercials, pre-recorded imaging elements and any other audio aside from the DJ’s voices were completely gone from the computer. …Luckily, Robyn and I have a combined 70 years or more of radio experience and remember broadcasting during the days of vinyl records and CDs. Even though it’s been almost 25 years since we played a CD on the air, we still have a pretty large collection of albums that grace the back wall of our studio. Up until today, they were mostly there as decoration, but always standing at the ready “just in case.”
