Nottingham, UK | Record store to make return to Nottingham: Music and entertainment store, Fopp, is to make a return to Nottingham. The new outlet has taken the former Joules unit on Bridlesmith Gate in a deal brokered by Box Property Consultants. Frankie Labbate, director of Box Property Consultants, said: “This is a special deal for Bridlesmith Gate, which proves our initial strategy of repurposing large parts of the street with street art and creative leasing would breathe life and vibrancy back into the street. “This has ultimately has led to a lot of lettings and now we are attracting national retailers again to this exciting environment. “We have secured FOPP on proper lease terms in what was a competitive bidding situation and I encourage other landlords to make contact if they have vacant properties nearby as we have other exciting tenants waiting in the wings.” Fopp last had a Nottingham store in the now derelict Broadmarsh Shopping Centre in Nottingham. It was forced to close its doors in June 2020 as mall owner collapsed.
New York, NY | Record Store Crawl 2024: Busload of Vinyl Fans and Quarters of Change Usher in Return of Warner Music Tradition: Billboard’s Retail Track columnist joins NYC crawlers as they visit Academy Records, Rough Trade Records and other spots around town. Warner Music Group’s revived Record Store Crawl returned to New York City last weekend after a five-year absence, complete with a bus full of music and vinyl fans—including Billboard’s Retail Track—that kicked things off at Tower Records’ Tower Labs space in Brooklyn with a rocking performance from 300 Entertainment recording artists Quarters of Change. The crawl’s bus, transporting about 40 music fans, went on to visit Academy Records in Brooklyn, Audio-Technica showroom in lower Manhattan, Generation Records in the West Village; and finally, Rough Trade Records up in Rockefeller Center, all on Saturday (May 18).
CA | Vinyl cafés and listening bars are popping up across Canada—here’s where to find these hi-fi hangouts: A draw for audiophiles, these spots are setting the scene for intimate gatherings and dance parties. There was a time when the future of vinyl looked bleak. As convenience took precedence over the listening experience, music players seemed to only get smaller and audio files more compressed. But the physical format has been making a comeback. …Vinyl has been booming in Canada too, with sales more than doubling between 2019 and 2021. And while these figures don’t hold a candle to the billions generated by streaming behemoths, they do say something about the ways we’re engaging with music — and help explain why “listening bars” have been popping up in cities around the world. “We only play vinyl … we don’t even have the ability to play a digital file,” record bar co-owner Jodie Dewald told CBC Life. At Dewald’s downtown Toronto establishment, The Little Jerry, patrons can listen to recorded music in all its velvety, textured glory thanks to a custom high-fidelity sound system.
Coatbridge, UK | Coatbridge author takes a look back on the vinyl business that provided the music backdrop to our lives: Labelled with Love is a ‘unique encyclopaedic and insightful overview of the culture of record companies.’ A Lanarkshire author who wrote about his time touring with Nirvana has released a new “insightful” book charting the history of record labels. Andy Bollen’s latest offering, Labelled with Love, is a journey through a vinyl record collection and moments in time spanning several decades—from the jazz age to punk, the Beatles to Britpop, and Ella Fitzgerald to The Ramones. The Coatbridge man’s debut book was about his time touring with Kurt Cobain’s band, and he’s gone on to pen several since then – mainly on the subject of his other love – football. The 57-year-old author’s previously-published work could never be described as clichéd though, as it always attacks the reader from left-field. Labelled with Love is no different in that respect, and looks beyond the labels to the impact they had on the lives of the listener.
Melbourne, AU | On the record: Man to face the music after stealing $65k of LPs: A Melbourne music collector has been nabbed by the sleeve after stealing more than $60,000 (NZD$64,900) worth of vinyl records. The 33-year-old North Melbourne man visited CBD electronic stores at least 13 times over the past four months and allegedly made off with a handful of LP records, police said. Unique or popular LPs can sell for hundreds of dollars and often appreciate in value over time, especially when unopened or in mint condition. After identifying the record thief through CCTV footage, officers and store staff worked together to catch him in the act at a store on La Trobe Street on Wednesday. More than 400 records were seized in a subsequent raid on his North Melbourne home, along with a small amount of heroin and marijuana. The man is expected to be charged on summons, with investigators still determining if record thefts in nearby suburbs are linked.
45 rpm singles: ‘Key’ to the future of vinyl releases? Think Like a Key launches series of picture-sleeve vinyl singles. There was a time when singles – seven-inch, 45 rpm. discs with one song on each side – were the coin of the realm in the pop world. Fodder for portable phonographs and jukeboxes alike, singles were the preferred medium for consumers of popular music. But as the album era began in the mid 1960s, the LP supplanted singles as the format of choice. Yet singles never completely went away: they hung on – if tenuously – through the CD era. And as music morphed into a virtual, downloadable commodity, singles returned, enjoying a resurgence in the 21st century in a purely digital format. But with the return of the vinyl album as a popular medium for listeners and collectors alike, the humble 45 single has made something of a comeback. Helped along by scrappy indie labels, the 45 rpm. is once again taking a place on the musical landscape.
Sufjan Stevens announces 20th anniversary edition of Seven Swans: Sufjan Stevens has announced a 20th anniversary reissue of his 2004 album, Seven Swans. It’s out June 21 via Asthmatic Kitty, in two different limited edition vinyl editions: zoetrope picture disc, silver and split colored vinyl. Its vinyl versions includes a bonus flexi-disc featuring two bonus tracks, “I Went Dancing With My Sister” and “Waste of What Your Kids Won’t Have,” which will also be released with the digital edition of the album. Sufjan Stevens’ last album was Javelin, which is featured on our list of the 50 Best Albums of 2023.
Drive Home Furiosa: A Mad Max saga’s soundtrack on Mutant Vinyl: Oh what a day, what a glorious day for a Nerdist exclusive. We have your first look at how Mutant will let you bring the soundtrack to George Miller’s epic new film, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, home on vinyl. And we can also tell you viewers won’t have to wait long to get a copy. It is going on sale at the same time the film drives into theaters. The highly-anticipated prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road is finally here. As is its soundtrack. Mutant and WaterTower Music have teamed up for the first physical media release of composer Tom Holkenborg’s incredible Furiosa score. (And as someone who has already seen the film, I can attest “incredible” is actually an understatement.) Pressed on two separate 140 gram Mutant Webstore exclusive Color Vinyl (one green, another a golden brown), the album will come in a stunning tri-fold jacket. It will also feature exclusive liner notes by Holkenborg and a package designed by Mo Shafeek. The gorgeous artwork on the jacket—both inside and out—will make this a collector’s item even for fans who don’t have a record player.
