AU | Vinyl continues to outpace CD sales in first half of 2021: Vinyl album sales in the US exceeded those of CDs for the first time in 34 years in 2020, and new data suggests their buoyancy is continuing this year. According to a new report from entertainment analytics firm MRC Data, vinyl grew by 108% Stateside in the first six months of 2021 to 19.2 million. CD sales were 18.9 million, up 2.2%. The top-selling vinyl albums at the midyear point were Taylor Swift’s Evermore, Harry Styles’ Fine Line, Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid M.A.A.D. City and Billie Eilish’s When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? Swift’s Evermore had the highest single-week vinyl sales in MRC Data’s 30-year history. In April, ARIA reported that in 2020 Australian vinyl sales were up 32% (translating to a value of $29.3 million), more than three times of the industry’s 7.3% growth, and constituting 5.4% of the market. Although in a 17% decline, CDs were still the dominant physical format shifting 3.92 million units (value: $30.5 million) and making up 5.6% of total revenue. ARIA predicted then that vinyl would take over some time later this year.
Mishawaka, IN | Local stores celebration National Record Store Day as vinyl sales continue to climb: Independent record stores across Michiana celebrated National Record Store Day with deals and sales throughout the weekend. This year, the observation comes as vinyl album sales continue to skyrocket. “We never did stop selling records but it hadn’t been a big part of our business,” said Doug Zimmerman, Owner of Orbit Music in Mishawaka. “For older people like me, it’s a nostalgia thing but for the younger kids its like the first time that they’ve actually held their music in their hand.” Music lovers like John Sholty say the growth in vinyl sales can be partially attributed to the better quality of sound a vinyl record can produce. “It gives you sweeter sweets, better highs, better lows,” said Sholty. “The whole spectrum of the sound, if you have the ear for it, vinyl provides while digital cuts things off.” According to Billboard, more than 40% of physical album sales in 2020 were on vinyl. That was a 46% increase from 2019.
Davenport, IA | Ragged Records, Trash Can Annie reopen in Downtown Davenport after flood, COVID: Bob Harington doesn’t mind time off, but after being closed for over two years, he was ready to get back to work. “It feels pretty good (to be back) it’s been two years and two and a half months so it’s kind of nice, it’s been a bit of a long, extended vacation but I’d rather be working,” Harrington said. Harington’s the owner of Ragged Records, and on national record store day on July 17, open up a new store along with Trash Can Annie, a vintage clothing store. “The long hours of being away from home and 16 hour days put in here just to get back up and running and we’re just really pleased with how it looks,” Trash Can Annie Owner Laura Heath said, “We curated it to become our own Bohemian Industrial Vibe here.” Both stores began their uphill battle to reopen after the 2019 flood of Downtown Davenport in 2019, and then the emergence of COVID in 2020. The two businesses, deciding to work together when reopening. …Although many businesses shifted commerce to more online options, Heath feels there is still huge value in a physical location.
CA | The SoCal 5: Vinyl record stores to visit: Los Angeles is home to some of the world’s best musicians, but it’s also home to some of the world’s best music curators. Here are some of the best places to find both vintage and new music albums on vinyl and CD, as well as vintage DJ and music equipment. Rockaway Records – Silverlake: Rockaway Records is a great place to buy and sell music collections. From vinyls to CDs to memorabilia, Rockaway is the place to get those hard-to-find, rare collectible items you’ve been looking for. Brothers Wayne and Gary Johnson began re-selling albums in 1979 after attending one of the legendary record swapmeets in Hollywood’s Capitol Records parking lot. What began as a hobby more than 35 years ago quickly turned into a business when they were forced to open a store to house their growing collection. Check them out. They’re open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday…
Reading, UK | Music Man: Meet Reading’s oldest traders in Oxford Road as we take a trip down memory lane: Shopping on Oxford Road has changed over the years but there are some shops which are still going strong after decades. If you’ve driven or walked past the Music Man recently you’ll have noticed that Elvis has left the premises. Don’t panic – he hasn’t been stolen but is being repainted. Music Man owner Peter Sirrell says Elvis will be back on the pavement by the end of the summer. Mr Sirrell is the third generation of his family to sell on the road. His grandfather Harold ran a general secondhand shop in the 60s and 70s called Reading Exchange & Mart. His son Jim ran the eponymous Sirrell’s from the 70s onwards until his son Peter took over. The shop with the red facade sells musical instruments and sound equipment and what would have been called a hi-fi back when it opened in 1991. Mr Sirrell says business is still strong for vinyl with record collectors coming to the shop from around the country as well as browsers. He often arrives at work to find vinyl collections left on his doorstep “as people can’t bear to throw them away.”
Here are 10 rock and roll records worth $100 or more. Do you own one? Vinyl Rock and Roll records are worth money these days because there are buyers willing to fork over good sized chunks of money for the collectables. Additionally, record players are back in style and experts say records provide a warmer sound for enthusiasts versus the sound delivered by digital content. Mighty John the Record Guy, John Marshall is the foremost expert on record values and offers up appraisals each month on WIBX’s Keeler in the Morning Show. Record owners can also see values of records on his website MoneyMusic.com. This month, John is offering 10 records worth $100 or more here in the summer of 2021. He also provides 2 major bonus records worth much more, and one is a country record and the other is Soul. Here are 10 records that if in really good shape, are worth more than 100 bucks. It’s all important to note that the picture sleeves and album covers are usually fry important when it comes to the record value.
Manila, PH | Vicor’s hot selling vinyl reissues grow with additional hit titles: Good news for vinyl record collectors and OPM fans. After a slew of amazing albums reissued from its storied catalog, Vicor Music’s classic vinyl series has released a new set of titles that OPM fans and audiophiles alike will love. New vinyl reproductions of classics such as Pinoy rock’s Mike Hanopol, Resty Fabunan’s Maria Cafra, Yoyoy Villame’s comedy album and Gary Valenciano’s early hits was recently released and is now available on independent record stores and audio specialty shops across the metro. Mike Hanopol’s “Awiting Pilipino” is the successful solo debut from the Pinoy rock singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. This vinyl record includes Hanopol’s Pinoy rock hit “Laki Sa Layaw,” a song that established Hanopol as a solo artist after his stint with the seminal rock group Juan Dela Cruz Band. Meanwhile, the “Maria Cafra” self-titled record was the vehicle for Resty Fabunan’s rock musings. This album includes the rock hit “Kumusta Mga Kaibigan” and is a veritable rock classic all throughout.
Yep Roc Records to Release Expanded and Remastered Anniversary Edition of Nick Lowe’s “The Convincer “on September 17: On September 17, 2021, Yep Roc Records will release an expanded 20th Anniversary Edition of Nick Lowe’s classic album The Convincer. Remastered from the original tapes, the album will be reissued as a blue vinyl LP, with accompanying blue vinyl 45 featuring three rarities from The Convincer era that have never before been released on vinyl or digital services, including covers of The Shirelles’ “Mama Said” and The Chi-Lites’ “There Will Never Be Any Peace (Until God Is Seated at the Conference Table),” plus the Lowe original “A Different Kind of Blue,” which Yep Roc has shared today. Originally released on September 11, 2001, The Convincer earned immediate praise, with Mojo Magazine stating “Nick Lowe has made the album of his career.” In the intervening two decades, its stature has only grown among fans, critics and other songwriters. In his 2019 biography Cruel To Be Kind: The Life and Music of Nick Lowe, author Will Birch wrote that The Convincer is “the album that many still consider to be his best.”
