Bay City, MI | Charity pinball event taking place at Bay City record shop during Tall Ship Celebration 2019. Any pinball aficionados who happen to be checking out Bay City for the upcoming Tall Ship Celebration have an opportunity to showcase their supple wrists within a downtown record store. Coinciding with the celebration from Thursday, July 18, through Sunday, July 21, a four-day pinball event is taking placed within Electric Kitsch, 917 Washington Ave. Three music themed-pinball machines — think Aerosmith, Metallica, and Rob Zombie — will be on the shop’s in-store stage. The machines are provided by Crazy Quarters Arcade, located at 1304 Kosciuszko Ave. in Bay City. The games are 75 cents per play, with all proceeds going to Major Chords for Minors. The Saginaw-based nonprofit provides free private instruction on piano, guitar, and drums to pupils who range from third to 12th grade. Crazy Quarters Arcade wanted the funds to go to a charity for children and Electric Kitsch owners suggested Major Chords, they said.
Brighton, UK | Independent record shop tragically closing: A much-loved independent record shop in the heart of the Lanes is tragically on the verge of closing. Despite their best efforts, co-owners of Vinyl Revolution Simon Parker and Rachel Lowe have conceded defeat in the uphill struggle against the big names on the high street. It’s an all too familiar story; independent retail outlets battling against business rates and the rise of online shopping, amongst other things. Simon had this to say, “Independent retail is in crisis, the government is doing nothing. When the banking crisis happened the government invested billions to save the industry.” The well-known shop is situated on Duke Street, and sits side by side with huge brand names as well as fellow independents. Whilst acknowledging that they do sell online, the owners pride themselves on great customer service, the interaction between staff and customer and also the experience of rummaging through their shelves before buying.
Saskatchewan, CA | Saskatchewan record collector reminisces about his life’s soundtrack: As the needle touches the spinning vinyl, a soft crackle spills from the speakers. A jazz song, recorded almost 70 years ago, floats through the air and brings a smile to the 83-year-old listener. Dave Doolittle has been collecting records for almost his entire life. And by his count, he has 35,000. “It goes way back to when I was about 17,” he said. “[I] always liked music, any kind I could get back then. I especially liked jazz. And I just started collecting; I’m sort of the collecting type.” For the past 20 years, he’s been storing all of his records in an old bank in the village of Maymont, Sask. After a recent disagreement over the rent schedule and payment, though, he was given six weeks to move.
Te Puke, NZ | Te Puke record fair at Anann this weekend: Vinyl, 45s, LPs, records — whatever you call them, they are part of many people’s past. They are also, once again, part of the present. Records have made something of a comeback in recent years, and that has sparked a rebirth of the record fair. Brian Wafer has organised several and, on Sunday, is holding one with around half a dozen vendors at Te Puke’s Anann – Pineapple Bar on Palmer Place. “I’ve done a few of them — just for a bit of fun really. This is my social life,” he laughs. “You get like-minded souls and you meet like-minded people.” He has organised fairs at Mount Maunganui’s Totara St venue and The Jam Factory in Tauranga, but this is his first in Te Puke. “I spend a lot of time in the Te Puke area at Little Waihī, so I thought let’s do one. I was having a beer [in Anann] and talking about it and I said ‘we should do one here’, and they said ‘OK, let’s do it‘.”
Dublin, IE | Record Pressing Plant, Dublin Vinyl, Announce Equity Crowdfunding Campaign on Seedrs. RWith sales at their highest in 30 years, Irish Startup Dublin Vinyl is setting its sights even further afield with plans to expand into North America and Japan. The plant began manufacturing vinyl for the music industry in January 2018 and is already working with some of the world’s biggest independent and major record labels. Euro 1.2 million has been invested in the business to date which currently employs eight full-time and four part-time staff in its 9,000 square foot facility in Glasnevin, North Dublin. The plant has a capacity to produce up to 20,000 records per week with plans to triple that over the next 12 months. Initially launched as a B2B company servicing local and international record labels and distributors, it soon became apparent that there is huge demand to manufacture and supply vinyl directly to the consumer.
British designer creates vinyl for David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’: The British designer Paul Smith has created a multi-colour vinyl version of David Bowie’s 1969 album Space Oddity to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the landmark release. This extremely limited edition pressing of 3,000 copies will be released on July 11th, 2019, 50 years to the day from the July 11th, 1969 UK release of the original ‘Space Oddity’ single. The front cover of this special edition mirrors the original 1969 UK Philips release of the album. It features the British photographer Vernon Dewhurst’s famous portrait of David Bowie, merging into a colourful optical art background of blue dots inspired by the work of Victor Vasarely. The rear cover is decorated with a surrealist image from another of Bowie’s regular collaborators, the illustrator George Underwood, titled ‘The Depth of a Circle’. In reference to the album’s famous opening track, ‘Space Oddity’, the new 12” record comes with a vibrant blue and yellow starburst pattern. This unique design is created by hand, making each vinyl a one-off piece of art.
Big Machine to re-release Taylor Swift’s early singles on limited-edition vinyl: And Swifties aren’t happy. Taylor Swift’s former label Big Machine Records is releasing five songs from her 2006 self-titled debut album on limited-edition vinyl. In celebration of the LP’s 13th anniversary this October, the record label announced on Wednesday (July 10) that Swift’s hit single, ‘Teardrops on My Guitar’, will be released on seven-inch for a limited period. Pressed on sea glass vinyl, the single also features on its B-side a live acoustic version of the track, recorded in 2007. It starts shipping on August 30. Swift’s debut single, ‘Tim McGraw’, also released on wax, sold out almost immediately after it was made available on Big Machine’s website on June 20, according to the Los Angeles Times.
