Los Angeles, CA | People are buying records again. But is the Vinyl Revival going to last? The kids thought they had it all figured out. You could access all of your saved music and millions of other songs on a phone or digital device for eternity (or at least until the platform shuts down). It was so cool … until it wasn’t. Welcome to the Vinyl Revival, as it’s being called, where even the youngest kids have decided their grandparents had it right all along. Good old-fashioned analog LP records are back big time. The Recording Industry of America says revenue from record sales climbed to $1.4 billion in 2023 and accounted for nearly ten percent of all music format sales. …So why is vinyl back in style? Maybe it’s artists like Taylor Swift and Beyonce fueling the resurgence with special vinyl releases. Maybe it’s that people want control over their own music without paying streaming platforms or paying per download. Maybe it’s that people want to hold and feel—and even smell the albums they love so much.
Madison, WI | MadCity Music owner Dave Zero selling Madison record store: The owner of MadCity Music on Madison’s East Side announced this week that he will sell his record store to one of his current employees in July. Dave Zero is selling MadCity Music to employee Bobby Hussy, who has worked at the 2023 Atwood Avenue shop for 13 years. Zero bought the store in 2007 after working there for roughly a decade. MadCity Music was located on Williamson Street until moving to Atwood Avenue in 2017. Zero reminisced about how customers have become regulars and friends over the years, and said his favorite memories as the shop’s owner involve “just getting to share music with everyone” and “the day to day camaraderie that happens.” “I feel like it’s a natural evolution. I’m very proud of everything I have done with the store,” he said.
Oxnard, CA | In turntable we trust: Fidelity Record Pressing of Oxnard keeps the art of vinyl alive: Rick Hashimoto has been in the record pressing business for half a century. With help from his two sons and another business partner with interests in music publishing and high-end audio system sales, Hashimoto this year opened California’s first large-scale vinyl record factory in some four decades. Fidelity Record Pressing makes LP (long playing) phonograph records in a somewhat surprising location: a cavernous former bell pepper processing facility near the eastern edge of downtown Oxnard. Where carts of produce once rolled by, now state-of-the-art hydraulic pressing machines can create up to 10,000 records a day. The Ventura County Reporter had an opportunity to talk with Hashimoto and his sons, Edward and Alex, at a May 17 open house for friends, family and recording industry folks who have watched over a decade as the plan grew from idea to reality.
Why Modern Hi-Fi Is Leaving This Classic Component Behind. The power amplifier is an endangered hi-fi component. Here’s why. Today, vinyl is at its most popular since the late 1980s. Record sales have been on the rise for the last 18 years (every year since 2006) and new record plants are opening up for the first time in decades. Yes, we’re in the midst of vinyl resurgence. But one hi-fi component is getting left behind. Listening to vinyl isn’t exactly the same as it was back in the day. Of the four audio components that were necessary to listen to vinyl in the heyday of generations previous — the turntable, the speakers, the phono preamp and the power amplifier — the traditional power amplifier has fallen out of favor and is actually difficult to find in its historical form. Integrated turntables, or turntables with a built-in phono preamp, are more popular than ever.
Wedding guests can add the gift of gab when ‘signing’ an audio guestbook: The bridal couple can’t come to the phone right now. They’re busy getting married. Please leave your well wishes at the beep! Capturing recorded messages on vintage phones is the latest twist to the wedding guestbook. Couples who have embraced them said guests had a ball, returning to the phones again and again as their weddings unfolded. …Sean Taylor and her husband married last year in Richmond, Virginia. They set up a blue photo booth adorned with flowers to offer guests some privacy while leaving messages. She first heard of the phones on TikTok and used a rental service called After the Tone. “My husband is really into collecting records so we had them press the messages into vinyl,” she said. “I encouraged people to leave messages throughout the night. After a few drinks, the messages toward the end of the night are definitely a little more chaotic, but in a fun way.”
Milton, DE | Dogfish Head in Milton hosts Analog-A-Go-Go: For the first time, Dogfish Head in Milton held its popular Analog-A-Go-Go June 8 as a sort of unofficial kickoff to the summer season. Bringing together the worlds of music and craft beer, the festival featured 15 vinyl record vendors, food trucks, craft vendors, beer tastings and live music. Besides the time of year, the festival also brought other breweries both local – such as Dewey Beer Company – and from the Boston Brewing Company family of beers, including Angel City Brewery of Los Angeles. The event also saw the debut of Dogfish Head’s collaboration with music magazine Creem to release Boy Howdy! Cream Ale.
Birmingham, UK | Legendary Tour Manager’s Records on Sale to Benefit Charity: A local charity is giving music fans the chance to buy a piece of history, as it sells the record collection of a legendary music promotor and tour manager at a special event this month. On Saturday 29 June, youth homeless charity St Basils will be hosting a record fair in the Great Western Arcade selling vinyl records and music memorabilia. The items come from the personal collection of the late Dee McLoughlin, a well-respected tour manager and prolific vinyl record collector. Over his career, Dee worked with artists as varied as Anastacia, Billy Bragg, Bon Jovi, The Chemical Brothers, Simply Red and many more. He toured so frequently with Australian rock band Crowded House that they came to think of him as family. His record collection was amassed over decades of criss-crossing the country on tour and is as eclectic as the variety of musicians he managed on tour.
Canton, OH | The Auricle, Erie St. Vinyl, & Quonset Hut Proudly Present: Vinyl Record Drag Bingo! We’re thrilled to announce our first-ever Vinyl Record Drag Bingo, a unique event that combines two of our favorite things: vinyl records and fabulous drag performances! Hosted by the dazzling Kardi Redd Diamond and the sensational Jade X, this is an evening you won’t want to miss. What’s Happening? Join us for a night filled with laughter, music, and a touch of glam as we bring together the best of vinyl records and drag entertainment. This is your chance to win new and vintage albums to add to your collection, all while enjoying hilarious commentary and stunning performances from our lovely hostesses. Event Highlights Five Rounds of Bingo: Compete in five exciting rounds of bingo, with prizes from Erie St. Vinyl and Quonset Hut for the winners of each round. The competition will be fierce, but the fun will be even fiercer!
Chicago, IL | ‘Vinyl Thursday’ the special at Nicky’s: For people who enjoy casual dining and interesting conversations about popular music, Nicky’s of Beverly, 10500 S. Western Ave., is the place to be on Thursday nights. On those evenings from 6 to 9 p.m., John Dreznes spins records on the outdoor patio as part of his “Vinyl Thursday” program. Each week features a different theme or artist, with the topics covering everything from the British Invasion to the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and from classic rock to funk. Unlike typical disc jockeys, Dreznes adds a unique element to his sessions that makes them special: well-researched and interesting stories about the history of the music he is playing. This leads people into conversations and even getting up to dance together. Strangers turn into newfound friends. The extensive knowledge that Dreznes has about the history of “modern music” is a family thing. He is the third generation of owners of Beverly Records.
