New Bedford, CT | Embrace the vinyl record comeback at these Southcoast shops: Vinyl records and albums are making a comeback and I am here for it. My parents were big record collectors when I was growing up in the 1980s. We had a full turntable setup and bookshelves full of albums, but by the 1990s compact discs took over and my parents eventually sold their record collection, replacing their favorites with CDs. Eventually, we graduated to MP3 players and iPods to where we are today: streaming services such as Spotify where all our favorite songs are right in the palms of our hands. About 10 years ago, I started to collect vinyl records again. I was at a yard sale and found an old Billy Joel album and took it home for 25 cents. I didn’t have a record player to play it, but it didn’t stop me from buying the nostalgic record and eventually, many more. Five years ago, I purchased a new, portable record player so I could play my collection but the sound was terrible. I’ve upgraded since then and now not only am I listening to records, my kids are, too.
San Francisco, CA | A New Record Store is Bringing Latin Vinyl Home to the Mission District: With its bold block letters above 24th Street, the Discolandia sign is an icon of the Mission District. But Discolandia, a Latin-focused record store, closed over a decade ago. Since then, there’s been no record store in the neighborhood that caters specifically to the Mission’s Latinx population. That finally changes this week with the July 15 opening of Discodelic, which specializes in vinyl from Latin American and Caribbean countries, offering Latin soul, cumbia, salsa, boleros, Cuban music, reggae and more. The store, a physical home for the record label of the same name, will operate at 3174 24th St., in a space where two vinyl record stores, Pyramid Records and Explorist International, once stood years ago. …Discodelic founders Ruben “Ruffy” Rangel, 43, and Maria Jose “Majoo” Salguero, 30, met through MySpace 13 years ago, bonding over their shared love of ska, rocksteady and reggae. Their conversations soon grew into travel plans.
Farmington, MI | Local Record Store Spotlight: Dearborn Music In Farmington: As you may know, Dearborn Music sponsors my Vinyl Frontier series, so I thought I’d start my Local Record Store Spotlight at their location in Farmington. As the name suggests, they also have a location in Dearborn. Around since 1956, Dearborn Music really has something for any music fan. Metal, Rock, Alternative, Pop, Country, Jazz, everything! As you can see from the pictures, it’s way more than just vinyl. They’ve got stickers, games shirts, and lots more. Go check them out for any music needs, or gifts you might be looking for.
Salt Lake, UT | Diabolical Records: 10 years of being a ‘lifeblood’ for Salt Lake’s music community: …Adam Tye and Alana Boscan, the husband-and-wife owners of Diabolical, started their record shop in a shipping container at Granary Row, a now-defunct seasonal pop-up festival that used old shipping containers to create small retail stores. Six months later, they were able to move into their brick-and-mortar location on Edison Street, supported by a small loan and Boscan’s job with the state. “When we first opened, there was literally just a table with three spray-painted blue cardboard boxes with records in them, this little desk at the front and me in a chair,” Tye said. “I’m sure people thought we were selling drugs.” It took several years for Diabolical to become successful, but Tye said making mix CDs for friends and recommending new music to people is something he’s enjoyed long before he got paid for it. “That’s always been the biggest part of it — there’s a bunch of cool music out there, and somebody isn’t going to play it for you, so I’ll play it for you,” he said. “It’s still my favorite thing to do.”
Portland, OR | Embrace your ‘Kenergy’: Portland record shop hosts Barbie soundtrack listening party: Attendees will have the chance to win t-shirts, sunglasses and visors. A Barbie party is underway for a popular record store in North Portland. Since the film was announced in 2019, people have anxiously awaited “Barbie” — which features “The Suicide Squad” star Margot Robbie, “The Notebook” actor Ryan Gosling and “Ugly Betty” lead America Ferrera. Fast forward about four years later, and the movie is just days away from its global debut on Friday, July 21. However, some fans are equally as excited about the movie’s soundtrack. “Barbie: The Album” drops that same day—unless you’re available for one of the early listening parties being hosted by record stores across the country. According to the official website, just one listening party is being held throughout the entire state of Oregon. This isn’t terrible news for Portlanders, who might not live too far away from the hosts at Vinyl Resting Place in the St. Johns neighborhood.
Seattle, WA | Capitol Hill Rewind: Fallout Records & Skateboards — ‘Did you know this used to be a record store?’ Exploring the neighborhood’s record-shop history. …Fallout Records quickly became the center of alternative, indie, and DIY music, ‘zines, comics, and skateboarding, hosting in-store performances by Hüsker Dü, Sonic Youth, the White Stripes, and many other bands and musicians. Artists and illustrators Peter Bagge, Daniel Clowes, Robert Crumb, and Jim Woodring visited the shop to sign books and hang out. The shop even had two late-night TV commercials featuring the U-Men rummaging through stacks of records and racks of T-shirts and skaters barreling down John Street and dodging traffic on Broadway en route to Fallout. Skateboarding icon Chris “Wez” Lundry worked at Fallout, as did Tim Hayes, who was hired in 1986 and bought the store from Russ and Janet Battaglia in 1999 (Pavitt left Fallout a couple of years after it opened to launch the Sub Pop record label).
Leicester, UK | Project launched to celebrate Leicester’s stories of black music and independent record stores: Organisers want to create an archive of oral histories, film, music, photography and other artefacts. A project to celebrate the cultural impact of black music and independent record shops is launching in Leicester and the East Midlands. Leicester-based organisation 2Funky Arts is to create ‘The Record Store and Black Music, A UK History’ to tie in with Black History Month this year. 2Funky is known in the city for running events and festivals that showcase BAME talent, as well as developing up-and-coming artists. It has received a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to make this project come to life. Residents are invited to share their own personal stories of black, African and Caribbean experiences and memories of music and the impact it had on them. The organisation is also keen to hear stories from record store owners and their customers, and from anyone who has relevant audio, photographs or film. Oral histories, film and audio and photographic memories will be compiled to create an educational resource, a website, a publication and podcast.
Brisk vinyl sales music to Rega’s ears: Vinyl records that had been given up for dead not too long ago are showing remarkable resilience and staying power in the age of streaming and digital downloads. According to the yearend report of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), revenues from vinyl records grew 17 percent last year to $1.2 billion, the 17th straight year that sales had gone up. And in a reversal of fortune, vinyl albums outsold compact discs last year for the first time since 1987, to the tune of 41 million versus 33 million units. “Music lovers clearly can’t get enough of the high-quality sound and tangible connection to artists vinyl delivers,” says RIAA chair and CEO Mitch Glazier. Indeed, vinyl is “cementing its role as a fixture of the modern music marketplace” and this suits UK-based Rega Research Ltd. co-founder and owner Roy Gandy just fine, as more vinyl records sold means more demand for its famed turntables and range of precision hi-fi products, including amplifiers and loudspeakers.
Pet Shop Boys album ‘Electric’ vinyl sold for $2,243 on Discogs: The world of vinyl records continues to thrive, with collectors and enthusiasts seeking rare gems to add to their collections. One such prized possession is the Pet Shop Boys’ album “Electric.” Recently, a vinyl copy of this iconic album fetched an astonishing price of $2,243 on Discogs, a popular online marketplace for music enthusiasts. This remarkable sale serves as a testament to the enduring appeal and value of the Pet Shop Boys’ music, as well as the growing interest in vinyl as a medium for music consumption. “Electric,” the twelfth studio album by the Pet Shop Boys, is a remarkable achievement in the duo’s discography. Released in 2013, the album garnered critical acclaim and made a significant impact on both the electronic music scene and the charts. With its infectious blend of pulsating beats, soaring melodies, and clever lyrical content, “Electric” showcases the Pet Shop Boys’ musical prowess and ability to reinvent themselves while staying true to their unique sound.
