UK | Record Store Day 2024 delivers fundraising boost for War Child UK: As the official charity partner of Record Store Day 2024, War Child UK has revealed the fundraising boost to support the charity. With the support of indie record stores and record labels for this year’s initiative, War Child UK has raised £42,000. It brings the total money raised to £120,000 across the five years of partnership. Across the RSD campaign in 2024, a series of special releases were created from the acts including The Cure, The 1975, Celeste, Patti Smith, Blur and more, with £1 from every unit sold being donated to War Child. In addition, Rega Research donated Planar 3 turntables, which were signed by artists and raffled from War Child’s crowdfunding site. This year, turntables were signed by Kate Bush, Blur and Young Fathers, with Robert Plant, Foals and Kae Tempest among those who have taken part in previous years, raising tens of thousands of pounds.
Vashon Island, WA | Former frontman of The Fray opens Vashon Island’s only record store: A few years ago, Isaac Slade, former singer of The Fray, was facing what many rock stars seem to inevitably confront during their careers: the tempest of relentless touring, coupled with personal and professional pressures finally becoming too much. After resigning as the band’s frontman in 2022, Slade and his family left his home state of Colorado and landed on Vashon Island, a place where many celebrities have moved to live a quieter life. They joined the likes of actors Joel McHale, Alex Borestein and John Ratzenberger as well as musicians such as Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin, Ian Moore and Rob Hotchkiss, a founding member of Train. …Although Slade wasn’t necessarily after anonymity like some of his peers, the “How to Save a Life” singer longed to find a community and set down some roots. That led him to open Side Stack Records, the island’s only record shop, in January.
Sacramento, CA | As vinyl sales soar, business is booming for one Sacramento record café: When it comes to music, what’s old is new. Soaring vinyl sales just set a record, and business is booming for one Sacramento record shop. Pressed Coffee & Records is the place people go for a mocha and a side of music. “They come in for a coffee and they’re like, ‘Hey, oh, whoa, records are here,’ ” said owner Dean Bardouka. It’s the business model that has kept the shop open for more than two years now. For Bardouka, the timing couldn’t be better. “Music is what brings us together,” he told CBS Sacramento. “It’s universal.” Specifically, vinyl. Believe it or not, old records just set a record. According to a report from the Recording Industry Association of America, for the first time in three decades, records outsold cds in the number of units. In fact, this marked vinyl’s 16th year of consecutive growth.
Spring Hill, TN | Inaugural Mid-Tennessee Record Fair to Take Place in Spring Hill: Hundreds of music collectors and enthusiasts are expected to gather in Spring Hill on Saturday, July 13 for the inaugural Mid-Tennessee Record Fair. Hosted by Rock-A-Rolla Records of Spring Hill, the fair takes place at the 14,000 square foot UAW Local 1853 Union Hall on 125 Stephen P. Yokich Pkwy, conveniently located right off Tennessee Route 396 in Spring Hill. “We’re excited to finally bring a real record show to Music City,” says Matt Baade, the owner Rock-A-Rolla Records. “There will be several well-known, established dealers from all parts of the South, as well as Kentucky and Ohio, who’ll be selling some rare and hard-to-find items. If you’re a music collector, this is the place to be.” With 70 tables, visitors can expect to see tons of vinyl records, CDs, DVDs, cassettes, 45s, music memorabilia, vintage clothing and t-shirts, stickers, pins, and more. In addition to door prizes and giveaways, there will be food trucks out front for hungry record collectors.
Cape Town, ZA | Get ready to groove at the hottest night of the year: Kfm’s Vinyl Classic Party 2024: Cape Town, you did it again! Kfm’s Vinyl Classic Party is back, and it’s hotter than ever. Tickets sold out in a record-breaking eight hours. That’s right – the buzz is real, and the excitement is off the charts. This sensational event is set to light-up Cabo Beach Club on Friday, 28 June 2024, starting from 7pm. This year marks the 6th edition of the Vinyl Classic Party, and it’s going to be a night to remember. Imagine the greatest hits, the best beats, and the most devoted Kfm fans all coming together for one unforgettable evening. It’s not just a party, it’s a celebration of music, memories and pure joy. Back in 2018, we kicked off Vinyl Classic with Kfm 94.5’s very own legends! And oh, we’ve grown! This year’s lineup is stacked with talent…
Croydon, UK | Melancholy and Madness of Bethlem art exhibition goes vinyl: Bethlem Gallery, the art gallery set in the grounds of Bethlem Royal Hospital, has released a vinyl album as part of its Live Lounge exhibition programme—a series of events exploring the links between music and mental health. The limited-edition album—it’s described as “experimental”—officially launches at the Live Lounge Festival this Saturday, June 8. It has been produced by Brit Award “Trailblazer” Gawain Hewitt, and was the brainchild of Live Lounge exhibition curator, The Artist Taxi Driver, also known as Mark McGowan. Melancholy and Madness was created in a process similar to folk music collecting, whereby McGowan, along with other members of the Bethlem Gallery team, visited wards and outreach centres, watched choir performances and facilitated workshops to find songs, poetry and music from Bethlem’s community.
Talking Heads Stop Making Sense Deluxe Edition Of Legendary Concert Film Soundtrack Returns On 2LP Black Vinyl, 2LP Crystal Clear Vinyl, and 2CD/Blu-ray: To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the celebrated Talking Heads and Jonathan Demme’s concert film Stop Making Sense, the set will be re-released as a 2LP and 2CD/Blu-ray set this summer. Released last year, the sold-out Deluxe Edition of the soundtrack will return as a 2-LP black vinyl on Rhino.com and retail and 2-LP crystal clear vinyl at Barnes and Noble. Both variants feature a 12-page booklet with liner notes from all four band members—Tina Weymouth, David Byrne, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison—and band photos. The 2CD/Blu-ray version includes the entire 28-page booklet from last year’s Deluxe Edition and a Dolby Atmos mix of the complete concert, mixed by Jerry Harrison and E.T. Thorngren, who also mixed the original release. Both will be available on July 26.
Best Audio-Technica turntables 2024: The best record players from an iconic hi-fi and audio brand: Audio-Technica have been producing high-quality turntables for over 60 years. Here, we’ve picked out the cream of the crop. Audio-Technica turntables have been a staple in audio for decades. The immediately-recognisable name is such for the brand’s irreplaceable contributions to audio, which stretch back to its humble 1960s beginnings as a small-scale manufacturer of innovative turntable cartridges. Since then, Audio Technica has positively pioneered in headphone, microphone and, of course, turntable design—maintaining an edge of quiet quality over its contemporaries all the while. Today’s Audio-Technica range is wider than ever, and its record players near-ubiquitous. If you’ve started hunting for your first, next or even last record player, chances are you’ve come across more than one ‘AT-‘-coded turntable. With such a rich roster of record players, choosing between them isn’t the simplest; here, though, we’ve made things a little simpler.
