Record Store Day 2016: Singles And Vinyl Rule Once Again: Who says the independent record store is dead? Record Store Day 2016 took place close to two weeks ago, and now that the numbers are in via Nielsen, it is clear that the annual event was a smashing success. Album sales at independent record stores grew by 130% from the week before the celebration, and vinyl also did very well, with week over week sales growing 321%
Eight years strong, Record Store Day sees another day of success: Over the years what once started as a small list of limited edition and RSD exclusive releases of vinyl records has grown into list stretching hundreds of artists from both independent labels and big name performers. According to the Record Store Day organization website, 60 percent of RSD exclusives still come from independent artists and labels. Record collectors and casual listeners with hungry ears lined up at Canterbury and other stores before the doors were even open to snatch up some wax including well over 300 RSD exclusives.
Old stack of wax could be valuable: Jeff MacKinnon is not a bargain hunter or a vinyl record fan, but he knew a good deal when he saw one. Last week, MacKinnon went to a storage locker auction in Charlottetown and purchased someone’s life-long collection of vinyl records. The tenant had abandoned their storage unit and the owner of the facility, Jason Pitre, had posted on Facebook that he would be selling its contents, which was more than 4,000 vinyl records.
Retroplex Records Is the DJ’s Vinyl Shop That Dallas Has Been Missing: Owning a record store in the 21st century means a more than it used to. While vinyl’s return to favor has led to a host of new record stores in Dallas, simply selling records isn’t always enough for DJs. That’s why when Josh Kynd and his wife decided to open Retroplex Records and More in Garland, they decided to make it an all-out vintage store — but that just happens to have a top-notch selection of dance music.
Iconic Hip Hop Record Store To Close Its Doors: Iconic Melbourne hip hop store Obese Records has sadly announced today that it will be closing its doors next week after 21 great years. In a post shared on Facebook earlier today, management announced that the store will close on 7 May, with everything in store available for up to 50% off. A statement on the post reads, “I am so thankful for the times we shared, we ruled the country for a beautiful moment.
Metallica’s Lars Ulrich: ‘I Think It’s Important For Everybody That Record Stores Survive’: “Record stores have always had a very significant place in my life, and Metallica has always championed, obviously, independence, and championed autonomy and championed being edgy and kind of… I guess, to a degree, without getting too poetic about it, challenging the status quo and being the small fish in the big pond or whatever. So helping the independent record stores and all that out there, and shouting their worth from every rooftop is something that we’re quite happy to do.”
Wooden Tooth records finds a new home for music lovers in downtown Tucson: Walking into the new Wooden Tooth Records feels like entering someone’s home whose purpose is to share the gift of good music. The store sits between a marijuana dispensary and a metaphysical supply store just off Fourth Avenue where its vinyl record sign hangs as a beacon to the music lovers of downtown Tucson. As I entered, co-owner Kellen Fortier chatted with a customer about the recent loss of one of music’s greatest-, Prince…Casual but with substance, these conversations reflect the type of environment Fortier hopes Wooden Tooth Records fosters—an environment that differentiates it from other stores.
Eric Spitznagel Tried to Find His Actual Old Vinyl and Found Something Better: Journalist Eric Spitznagel’s life was rocking along quite nicely. The author of six books (and frequent contributor to magazines such as Playboy, Esquire, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Men’s Health and the New York Times Magazine) should have been resting on his laurels, but something was missing – a sort of je ne sais quoi – until a series of incidents compelled him to try to find the actual old vinyl records he used to own, and not just copies. Like any good snowball, it started slowly at first…
