Charleston, WV | Sullivan’s Records relocating to Downtown Charleston: A mainstay of the Kanawha County small business community, Sullivan’s Records has announced plans to relocate to the Downtown Charleston area. The establishment, known for its selection of vinyl records and vinyl accessories, was established in 2013 and has since been situated at its current Washington Street location. On Tuesday morning, Sullivan’s announced that renovations are currently underway at its future site in Downtown Charleston near Slack Plaza. In the meantime, hours at the Washington Street shop have been modified in order to accommodate the approaching move. Hours for Sullivan’s Washington Street location for the month of June will be as follows…
Brighton, UK | Brighton: The Record Album store boss George Ginn dies. A long-standing record shop has paid tribute to its former owner, who ran the business for over half a century. George Ginn ran The Record Album for 56 years up to his retirement in 2018 and was revered as one of Brighton’s best record dealers. George, 93, died at his care home in Patcham on Sunday evening, and now the current owners have praised him as a “steadfast champion” of vinyl in an era of digital streaming. Keith Blackmore, co-director of the Terminus Road store, said: “The great vinyl revival of the last 20 years may have caught many of us by surprise but not George Ginn. “When I was his customer, his advice on what to buy (and, just as importantly, what not to buy) was invariably right and like many people over the years I heard new things in new ways whenever I visited his shop.”
Peckham, UK | A new ‘hi-fi audio bar’ is opening in Peckham: Jazu will have bespoke horn speakers and and all-vinyl line-up. A new venue offering a bar, cafe and hi-fi audio is opening in Peckham this week. Jazu, which is in Market Peckham on Rye Lane, opens with a weekend roster of vinyl DJs from June 16 to 18. It previously operated as a pop-up in Shoreditch before moving to Camberwell for six months last year. The venue will open to serve coffee from 8am before operating as a cocktail and music bar in the evenings. “At Jazu, we’re using a vintage aesthetic with modern components. Solid wood speaker cabinets, a solid Elm Horn and state of the art drivers will give us a clear, full, un-compromised sound – with the room being able to talk freely about clay throwing, scoby growing and sourdoughing,” says a post on Jazu’s Instagram account. “A retro futuristic approach – we’re magpieing from the past and copy and pasting from the future – into the present.”
Verona, PA | Inner Groove Brewing Celebrates Four Years with a Disco-Themed Extravaganza in Verona: Party in the Park with live music, DJs, yoga, food trucks, vinyl record vendors, and six beer releases. Inner Groove Brewing is thrilled to announce its upcoming fourth-anniversary celebration, taking place on Saturday, June 17, 2023, at Railroad Park, located at 737 E. Railroad Avenue in Verona, across the street from their Verona taproom location. This all-day party in the park promises to be a sensational event filled with live music, food trucks, free yoga, DJs, six exclusive beer releases, and over seven vinyl vendors. …Music enthusiasts and vinyl collectors are in for a treat with over seven vinyl vendors setting up shop from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Discover a treasure trove of records from vendors such as Chocolate Milk Mountain, Flipping Records, The Government Center, Humancat Vinyl, Mostly Records, Pittsburgh Recordfest, “STRANGEWAYS” Vinyl, and more. Prepare for some vinyl record retail therapy and find that perfect addition to your collection.
Massillon, OH | Massillon Museum’s June 22 History Happy Hour focuses on records: The Massillon Museum’s next History Happy Hour, “For the Record,” will be presented in partnership with the Massillon Public Library’s Vinyl Club and Erie St. Vinyl. The event, scheduled for 6 p.m. June 22, is geared toward record collectors, music enthusiasts and history buffs. Attendance is free. The doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for those who wish to visit the museum galleries beforehand. Samantha Heaton, owner of Erie St. Vinyl, will set the evening’s tone with a selection of sounds available at Massillon’s boutique record store. A cash bar and concessions will be available, as will access to the museum galleries until the program begins. A brief question-and-answer session will follow the presentation. Heath Gmucs, creator and owner of Wax Mage Records and production manager for Gotta Groove Records, will discuss the record manufacturing process, the vinyl industry growth over the last few years, and share the story of how he changed the limited run and collectability of color vinyl.
‘Raised by Rap: 50 Years of Hip-Hop’ Vinyl Brings Together 25 Culture-Defining Anthems: From Three 6 Mafia to Lil Nas X. Sony Music Entertainment is paying homage to the rich history of hip-hop with a new compilation album coming out of Certified, a project dedicated to releasing music from its long-running archive. The commemorative double-vinyl Raised By Rap: 50 Years of Hip Hop LP will compile 25 anthems that have influenced and inspired rap culture. As 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, the album draws together hits from across the decades, from Wu-Tang Clan to Lil Nas X. Listeners will also hear selections from artists including Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock, RUN DMC, Three 6 Mafia, OutKast and BIA. Sony describes the album as intended to chart the evolution of rap as a genre while recognizing its expansive scope. Certified plans to release more vinyl throughout the year celebrating hip-hop, including a re-release of Project Pat’s Mista Don’t Play Everythangs Workin. Raised By Rap: 50 Years of Hip Hop is available for pre-order now ahead of its release on July 28.
Alligator Records To Reissue Three Classic Titles On Vinyl LP: On Friday, July 21, Alligator Records will reissue three classic titles on vinyl LP – all Grammy Award-nominated – from its unparalleled blues and roots rock catalog: Johnny Winter’s Guitar Slinger, Roy Buchanan’s When A Guitar Plays The Blues, and Delbert McClinton’s Live From Austin. All three albums, remastered under the supervision of the original producer, Alligator Records founder and president Bruce Iglauer, and pressed on 140g black vinyl, will be available for the first time on LP in 30 years. Originally released in 1984, Guitar Slinger was the first of three Alligator albums by the iconic American music legend, Johnny Winter. Winter was a fiery, dazzling guitar hero who played with high-octane intensity. Between 1968 and 1980, he cut 15 albums that defined the genre. In 1984 he signed with Alligator Records and made the three purest blues records of his career, solidifying his reputation as one of the top blues artists in the world.
Cassette Tapes: A Kitschy Collectible or a Failed Comeback? The dated format is enjoying a bit of a resurgence. But why? …Despite the arrival of new mediums, cassettes never completely vanished. A long while after CDs appeared, many cars still only had cassette players, so the appeal of making your own mixtape remained long after the aux cord came into play. Cassettes were also a staple among punk and indie artists who distributed their music on tape rather than the more expensive vinyl or CD. It is only in the past 10 years, however, that cassettes have regained popularity in the mainstream. The rise is most commonly attributed to the number of big label artists, including Taylor Swift and Harry Styles, releasing cassettes alongside CDs and vinyl copies of their albums. The BPI found that cassette sales reached a near two-decade high in 2022, with the format accounting for over 10% of the chart sales of the No.1 album on the UK weekly Official Albums Chart. Meanwhile, in the United States, cassette sales jumped 28% in 2022. The National Audio Company, the world’s largest cassette manufacturer, began making ultra-high performance cassette tapes in 2016 as a result of a resurgence in cassettes.
