Forty independent record stores are protesting major labels: Forty independent American record stores have co-signed an open letter to the music industry addressing major labels’ neglect of physical sales and distribution. The letter, first published by Billboard on July 16, was written in response to a decision made by 3 major labels — Universal, Sony, and Warner — to move their services to a new fulfilment partner, Direct Shot Distributing. This move was meant to streamline operations, increase efficiency and cut down on costs but the results so far have apparently been disastrous. Stores claim they have had their supply chain weakened to an almost critical point, citing incidents such as shipments arriving with only a fraction of CDs and vinyl ordered, shipments arriving as empty boxes, artist in-store appearances and other events happening without proper product, and new releases missing the Friday street day by up to months.
Bellingham, WA | Here’s what the iconic downtown businesses are asking for after Wednesday’s fire: While one iconic business damaged in Wednesday evening’s three-alarm fire in downtown Bellingham declined help from an online fundraising effort started in its honor, a second business asked for help over the weekend and has already exceeded its goal. Avalon Records owner Chris Lamb on Friday, July 19, started a GoFundMe account with the goal of reaching $10,000 to help the store’s “small crew of five, freshly unemployed with bills to pay.” In two days the account already had surpassed that goal by more than $1,000. “Any donation to alleviate the suffering of Team Avalon and help in their transitions would be deeply appreciated,” Lamb wrote in the GoFundMe post. In a Facebook post notifying the store’s fans of the GoFundMe account, Avalon said all proceeds would be evenly distributed among the employees. Unfortunately, monetary donations can’t make up for the loss of Avalon’s irreplaceable vinyl collection, which Lamb described on the GoFundMe account as “devastating and leaves a hole in the soul.”
Dhaka, BD | Rainbow: where mixtape lives on. Record store inspiring generations since 1982: From outside, the place does not look much — a small shop, around 7.5 feet by 5 feet, where hardly three-four persons can fit at a time. It may be small, but this record store has a lot of heart to it. In this day and age, a record shop can be a rare sight, but here, in Dhaka, “Rainbow Music Store” has not only stood the test of time, but also continues to inspire generations. Situated on the first floor of BS Bhaban on New Elephant Road, Rainbow has been helping melody lovers satiate their cravings since 1982 with an apt slogan, “Rainbow: where music never stops.” It was and to some extent still is the go-to place for music aficionados to find latest tracks and revisit old favourites. A passion for music is at the heart of the shop, which has earned it such a great reputation over the years. And what a collection it boasts — more than 10,000 compact discs (CD) stacked on the store’s shelves, forming a perfect pattern.
New York, NY | Discogs’ New York City vinyl fair is a must-visit for record collectors: If you’re a vinyl collector or music fan looking for something to do in New York City this Saturday, Discogs is hosting a neat little record fair that’s bound to take you back to the good old days. You don’t need a heap of cash to burn, either — the event itself is free, so there’s not reason not to head over to Times Square and take a look around. Scheduled to run from 10 AM through 6 PM at the PlayStation Theater, Crate Diggers will be a melting pot of a curated selection of the finest vinyl ever to hit the market, which can be admired and purchased on the spot by old-schools listeners of all walks of life. With that in mind, we’d recommend taking a few bucks with you — you know, just in case. If you can’t seem to contain your excitement while sifting through all of the best hip-hop tracks of the 90s, you may want to stick around for the after-party. Fueled by alcohol and live performances by DJ Red Alert, Method Man and Redman, and more, it’s destined to be the place to be this Saturday night — right through Sunday at 1 AM.
The Success Of Streaming Has Been Great For Some, But Is There A Better Way? …While streaming is the music industry’s most visible economic driver these days, its problems are historical in proportion. “Capitalism has a role in this problem,” says Henderson Cole, an entertainment attorney based in New York. “But I think also how our legal system is built is that instead of usually rewriting something, they’ll just build on it. And we’ve been putting Band-Aids on this for I don’t know, 100 years? So none of [the royalty system] makes sense… if a song is played on the radio, 100% of the royalties go to the songwriter. But if the same song is played on a streaming service, only about 20% of the royalties go to the songwriter. Where does that come from?”
Nirvana to release beloved ’90s live album on vinyl and streaming: Nirvana fans are being blessed as the beloved live album Live and Loud will be released for the first time on vinyl and on streaming services. The album was recorded in December 1993 at one of the band’s gigs in Seattle at Pier 48. It was recorded one month after the band’s iconic MTV Unplugged performance. The record was previously released on DVD and CD in September 2013 to honor the 20th anniversary of Nirvana’s final studio album In Utero. In total, it features 17 tracks such as “Pennyroyal Tea,” “All Apologies,” “Drain You” and more. The lineup at the time was Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear.
