Jackson, MS | This record store wants to prove that downtown Jackson, Mississippi, is a destination: While national retail sales have remained fairly strong, local economies can vary based on many factors, like population. That’s a major concerns for Phillip Rollins, owner of OffBeat, a comic and record store in downtown Jackson, Mississippi. “What we’re dealing with now is a lot of shrinkage in the population,” he said. “And that’s probably playing a big effect in our business.” The state capital is the fastest-shrinking city of its size in the country and has dealt with a number of infrastructure issues, including a breakdown last year that left residents without water for weeks. The city recently received $115 million from the Joe Biden administration to fix its water system, but retailers like Rollins are also making a pitch to attract visitors. He recently participated in an event called 601JXN, which aimed to bring people downtown.
Teesside, UK | Tom Butchart: Tributes pour in after death of ‘loved and respected’ Sound It Out Records owner: Hundreds of messages have been posted online paying tribute to Tom Butchart. Tributes have been paid to the “heart and soul” of a much-loved record shop. Teesside’s music community has been left devastated after Tom Butchart, the owner of Sound It Out Records, died suddenly in his shop on Friday morning from a suspected heart attack. The 50-year-old leaves behind his wife Clare, his parents, three younger brothers and hundreds of friends who adored him. Tom grew up in Eaglescliffe and attended Egglescliffe School before opening his vinyl record shop on Yarm Street in Stockton in 1998. Since then the shop has grown massively and is one of the most beloved vinyl shops in the North East. Tom’s wife Clare said she has been left “utterly devastated” by his passing and thanked the community for their messages of support.
Blackwood, UK | Blackwood record shop owner creates unique collection of every major Welsh band since the 1960s: Alun Kent has created a Gallery of Welsh Greats featuring rare original vinyl records. Record shop owner, Alun Kent, is much more than a vinyl collector and enthusiast. The self-styled ‘trusted custodian of rare recordings by Welsh bands and singers’ says he is providing a unique international service for vinyl collectors to fill gaps in their personal collections. Alun’s Heart of the Valleys record shop in Blackwood, Caerphilly, north of Newport, is a treasure trove of rare and iconic records going back to the early 1960’s. In total, Alun’s collection exceeds 17,000 vinyl records – from R&B, soul, Motown, rock, heavy metal to northern soul and jazz. Responding to new global interest in bygone Welsh bands, Alun has created a Gallery of Welsh Greats featuring rare original vinyl records, many in mint condition, from the early 1960s to the present day.
Oakham, UK | Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, who performed at Download Festival, visits Rocka-buy Records in Oakham: A music-lover was overwhelmed when “rock royalty” visited his record store. Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo dropped into Rocka-Buy Records in Oakham on Friday while staying in the area for Download Festival. Shop owner Dean Poole was visited out of the blue by the band’s management team during the morning and by 1.30pm the rock star was browsing his shelves. Dean said: “Metallica are the biggest rock band in the world. They are rock royalty and no one else comes close. It has made my year.” The band’s management team told Dean they follow him on TikTok and were keen to visit the shop while staying in the area. Knowing Dean is a big Oasis fan, they initially chatted about managing the band when they broke America before conversation switched to Metallica. Although Dean admits the band isn’t his cup of tea, he was keen to hear more about their history and their two headline performances at Download Festival in Castle Donington.
Chicago, IL | John Cusack to host screening of “High Fidelity” at Auditorium Theatre in November: Actor and Evanston native John Cusack will be heading to Chicago this fall to host a screening of one of his most famous films, the romantic comedy “High Fidelity.” The Auditorium Theatre will host the screening on Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m., followed by a conversation with Cusack about the making of the movie, and a question and answer session with the audience. Cusack stars in the 2000 film as Rob Gordon, a Chicago record store owner trying to analyze a recent breakup – by seeking out his old ex-girlfriends to ask them why they broke up with him. Presale tickets for the screening at the Auditorium Theatre will be available on Wednesday. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday. The movie was made into a stage musical on Broadway in 2006. In 2018, Hulu produced a streaming series based on the movie, starring Zoë Kravitz – whose mother Lisa Bonet appeared in the original film – as a Brooklyn record store owner reliving her past romantic failures.
Austin, TX | Coconut Club and Record Label Owners Team Up on New Musical Açaí Cafe: Community Garden combines a listening room, wine bar, and record store. …Community Garden functions as a hybrid space, blending açaí bowls until 4pm, and serving up vinyl DJ sets in a wine bar setting during the evenings. The free-form listening room also offers a DJ booth, patio seating, and a retail corner for Texas music and Harcrow’s electronic record label, Growth in Decay. The cassette-focused platform has fostered underground producers and artists, including Corduroi, Kinder, and saliYah, since 2016. “There’s a lot going on under this roof,” the label founder says of his new, plant-filled social hub. “I knew that I was doing the açaí bowl thing well, and I also knew that there was a lot of strength in the community that had been built around the label. I realized that those two are a strong foundation to build the space upon.”
Sgt. Pepper’s ‘Capitol executives’ copy sells for astonishing $175K: Fewer than 100 copies of the well-known Beatles album were made in fall 1967, as part of a celebration for Capitol’s executives. One copy recently sold for $175K in May 2023. This copy of the well-known Beatles album was made in fall 1967, as part of a celebration for Capitol’s executives. Instead of the normal cover artwork, Capitol replaced the heads of most of the figures with images of the Capitol executives themselves. Reportedly, there were fewer than 100 copies made. This copy first surfaced in 2009. Renowned record dealer, John Tefteller, purchased this copy and immediately sold it. When that buyer sold his collection, Tefteller bought it back. Now he has resold it at what appears to be a considerable profit. Perhaps someone sold his or her house in order to buy it!
Minneapolis, MN | For this collector of rare records, Nothing Compares 2 Prince: Angelo Schifano, a more than 30-year industry veteran and rare record collector, has spent a large portion of his life drawn to the magnetism and mystery of Prince. Making Vinyl, a conference dedicated to the vinyl record industry, set up shop at the Loews Hotel in Minneapolis last week, attracting hundreds of devoted industry leaders, experts and audiophiles from across the world. Among them was Angelo Schifano, a more than 30-year industry veteran and record collector, who’s spent a large portion of his life drawn to the magnetism and mystery of Prince. “It’s still kind of a magical place,” Schifano said of Minneapolis. “The first time [you visit] you think, ‘Why isn’t everyone wearing Prince t-shirts?’” This time around, and equipped with his own Prince t-shirt, Schifano came from his native Netherlands to host a presentation about his rare Prince records — a personal collection of roughly 2,000 Prince pressings that are regarded as among the most extensive and includes some of the rarest and most sought-after artifacts the larger-than-life artist left behind.
