Madison, WI | July 20 annual vinyl records sale will benefit Lakeview Library: Inspired by his love of records and his love of libraries, Tim Nelson has organized a vinyl sale for the past three years to benefit Lakeview Library. The sales raise money for the Friends of Lakeview Library, who in turn donate funds requested by the librarians to fulfill library users’ needs. The sales have benefited from renewed interest in vinyl recordings in the past decade. First year sales totaled $1,600, but sales have now settled at around $800 per year. The fourth annual vinyl sale will take place Saturday, July 20, from 9 am‒3 pm, at Lakeview Library. Most records cost $1‒$4, but collectables may be higher in price. Nelson, a Northsider who lives in Mendota Hills, has been fascinated by records since he was a child. “I really got interested in collecting when people started getting rid of their records when CDs came out,” he said. “There were all these good used records for sale. I started collecting classical music.”
Provo, UT | 3hive Record Lounge makes Provo a ‘hipper place’: 3hive Record Lounge owner and BYU graduate Sam Cannon said opening Provo’s only record shop last November was almost accidental. When The Mighty Baker moved from its spot on 500 North in Provo, the building owner let Cannon know the space was available if he wanted to set up shop. “The next thing you know, I have a record store,” Cannon recalled, laughing while donning a sweatshirt with the words “Delicious Vinyl.” “I have a day job, so I need this to pay its way, but I don’t need it to make a living. And so it really is just a passion project of mine.” Cannon didn’t open the 3hive Record Lounge on a whim, even if it may have been near accidental. He received encouragement from others in the Provo music scene, who agreed with Cannon’s belief that “a college town this size should have a record store,” and had success selling records both online and in pop-up shops. “I think the reason that people buy records is not necessarily for the sound quality, certainly not for the convenience, but because it’s a physical object made by a band or an artist that you love,” Cannon said. “If you have an emotional connection with something, but you have nothing physical to show for it, that doesn’t kind of feel right. It doesn’t feel complete.”
Whanganui, NZ | Local Focus: Vinyl finds a new groove at Record Fair in Whanganui: It looks like vinyl is back for another generation. Over the weekend, record collectors were out in force at the Record Fair in Whanganui. The foul weather was not foul enough to deter them from finding that special piece of vinyl. “They went out of vogue when CDs came in because CDs came in ’84 to ’85 and they started to take over from vinyl,” Vinyl Trader’s Tony Pill said. “But there were always collectors there that collected vinyl.” Pill said record collection is back in vogue, with young people especially. Record Fair boss Brian Wafer believes the demise of vinyl was a rock’n’roll swindle. “It was manufactured decline. You sell people whatever they like on vinyl, then you sell it to them in a new format on cassette. Then you go ‘hmmmm, how do we do it again? We’ll create a new format and tell them it’s better and we’ll sell it to them on that as well.’
Adelaide, AU | We chat to Revolver’s longest running resident DJ: While clubs welcome international guests most every weekend (who always do a pretty special job), sometimes it’s the locals that keep a place moving either opening floors or closing them in the early hours. Well, with one renowned club such as Melbourne’s slightly notorious jaunt Revolver (upstairs) comes a renowned resident DJ who has been holding the fort for close to 18 years – a record in Victoria, if not Australia if we say so ourselves. His name is Boogs and he is a critically acclaimed selector that has forged his skills minute by minute planted behind firmly the decks at all hours and all spots around Australia including his known 3-hour sets and 7am residency at Revolver. As you’d expect from someone who lets his mixing do the talking not a whole lot is known about the individual with more stamina than a newly minter 18-year old clubber. So in an effort to peel back some of the layers Thick As Thieves took to their socials and asked their fans for the questions they would ask Boogs!
Grand Rapids, MI | The first Record Store Crawl is happening in W. Michigan: If you LOVE music, this crawl is for you: The inaugural ‘Record Store Crawl’ is taking place in Grand Rapids this month! If you love collecting vinyl records, memorabilia, or just want to reminisce about albums you once owned, then this crawl is for you. The Retro Room came up with the idea and reached out to fellow record stores to make it happen. The event takes place on June 29. Tickets are $25 per person, $45 per couple and can be purchased at participating stores. For more details and schedule please The Retro Room at 269-397-1232. Tickets are limited so if you want in, now is the time to reserve your seat!
Ortofon unveils two new cartridges: With an affordable and high-end model. Danish electronics company Ortofon has announced two new cartridges will be released this summer. The Super OM 5E (£70) is a new addition to the company’s OM series: an affordable “optimum match” cartridge, featuring split-pole pin technology as in the Ortofon 2M series. The MC A Mono (£3750) is a high-end cartridge designed for playback of Mono recordings, modelled after the MC A 95 design, with a boron cantilever and flagship replicant 100 diamond stylus profile.
