Elizabeth City, NC | At Shut Up & Listen Records, Sunday is good day for business: Shut Up & Listen Records has become a popular “tailgate” spot for residents heading to Ghost Harbor Brewing and Seven Sounds Brewing Co. to hear live music, says Shut Up & Listen owner Kevin Blade. “We’re like a tailgate for the breweries,” said Blade, whose vinyl records store is celebrating two years in business this weekend. Shut Up & Listen Records also offers live music, but the performances at the record shop start much earlier in the evening than acts at the two breweries, Blade said. “We start our live music at 5 p.m. and go from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.,” he said. Guests visiting downtown can stop Shut Up & Listen Records, located at 610 E. Fearing Street, to enjoy live music there before heading to the breweries or other downtown nightspots.
Knoxville, TN | Closing soon: From the Strip to Happy Holler, this Knoxville record shop has history. One of Knoxville’s most established record stores will close at the end of August, but its owners plan to continue selling vinyl and other pop culture products from its large collection. Raven Records & Rarities started in 1985 on the Strip and moved around to different locations along Cumberland Avenue before closing in 1994. It returned roughly 14 years back, first in Bearden before moving to its current Happy Holler location at 1200 N. Central St. in 2012. Co-owners Jay Nations and Jack Stiles split the business, with Nations handling the records and Stiles selling the rarities. The two cited increasing overhead costs and their increasing age as the reasons for closing this time around. But the brand isn’t going away entirely. Nations will operate booths in three vintage stores across town to keep Raven Records alive.
Nashville, TN | Broadway’s historic Ernest Tubb Record Shop undergoing renovations: A Nashville landmark, Ernest Tubb Record Shop, is not closing along Broadway. The business is simply renovating its space for the next 10 months. On Thursday, July 25, the iconic Ernest Tubb Record Shop sign was taken down, causing concern that the business was closing. However, Nashville sign legend Bobby Joslin will refurbish the sign in six weeks. According to Ernest Tubb III, the shop will undergo renovations that will allow the use of all three floors in the building and allow it to meet current codes. Since opening, the business was only able to use the first floor. Tubb posted on Facebook Thursday night about the future of his grandfather’s shop: “Exciting news! The Ernest Tubb Records Shop will remain a staple of lower Broadway. Preserving such a significant symbol of Country Music and Nashville’s roots has been the focal point from the very beginning…”
Reading, UK | Pride of Reading: Record shop is ‘spirit of community and cultural enrichment.’ A record shop in Caversham is an “exemplary candidate” for the Independent Retailer of the Year Award because it embodies “the spirit of community and cultural enrichment,” said its nominator. Pop Classics Record Shop in St Martin’s precinct run by Damian Jones “goes beyond merely selling records,” they added. “It serves as a vibrant hub where music lovers of all ages converge, sharing stories and discovering music together, thus revitalising the local community’s engagement with music and the arts.” The shop hosts regular live events, from intimate concerts featuring local artists to vinyl listening parties that celebrate classics and new releases. “These events not only boost local culture but also support emerging artists, providing them with a platform that might otherwise be inaccessible,” said the nominator. They said the store, which sells and buys records, vinyl collections and memorabilia, plays a crucial role in the local economy by fostering a culture of support for independent businesses.
Jakarta, ID | In an age of music streaming, vinyl records strike a chord among Indonesians: Rising demand for vinyl records led to the setting up of Indonesia’s first vinyl-pressing plant in nearly 50 years last year. For most teenagers today, listening to music on their mobile phones is a way of life – but 17-year-old Melania Jacqueline Hapsari wants a change. The Indonesian, who has just purchased a turntable, told CNA about her excitement over getting her first vinyl record. She said: “Most of the time, I think people buy it in the sense that they do own something physical, and I don’t really see them doing that with digital or streaming. “I also want another way of listening to music … I couldn’t just keep using my AirPods anymore because it’s really damaging for my ears,” Melania added, referring to the Apple wireless earbuds. She is among a new generation of vinyl listeners who have emerged in Indonesia, bucking the popularity and convenience of music streaming. Growing sales in the Southeast Asian nation is in line with global trends, as more begin to appreciate the way vinyl adds richness and depth to music.
Seattle, WA | 10 Years of Wax Thématique Records: Sample the Seattle-Born Label’s Banquet of Spicy International Flavors. Wax Thématique has been surreptitiously heating up the musical underground for a decade. Led by Seattle- and Kunming, China-based DJ/musician Nathan Womack, the record label’s made a gradual, irrepressible ascent by championing both local and international talent. The former includes Afrocop, Gel-Sol, and Joel Ricci; the latter Israel’s VuVuVu, England’s Grandbaby, and Germany’s Feed LA. These artists are renowned for their beatmaking prowess, sampling savvy, improvisational ingenuity, and supreme funkiness. …Womack grew up in a peripatetic military family. As a child, he used music, as he put it in an email interview, as “a sort of emotional refuge when we’d land in new, unfamiliar places. So, there’d always be a Walkman by my side to help make sense of the landscape.”
Re-Tales #44: Allies in the Vinyl Revival: …The Vinyl Alliance was formed in 2019 “to strengthen awareness and the image of vinyl records worldwide,” according to the organization’s website. The VA is a membership organization with some 40 institutional members including vinyl producers, record companies (including all three major labels), music resellers, record-press makers, pressing plants, and turntable and cartridge manufacturers. The membership includes at least one rock star: Jack White, via his Third Man Records entities. Recent additions to the roster include Clearaudio and Gold Note; Ortofon has been a member for some time, as have Pro-Ject and Audio-Technica. Currently, there are 44 members across three tiers; the goal is to reach 50 by the end of the year. For now, membership is limited to companies and organizations; individuals need not apply.
Nashville, TN | New Vinyl Record Restaurant Set to Come to JW Marriott: 888 Vinyl will be a music-themed restaurant spot. 888 Vinyl is coming to 800 Clark Place, aiming to bring guests the very music that makes Nashville the Music City. The new spot will be at the JW Marriott in downtown Nashville. It will be vinyl record-themed, blending both music and cuisine, according to its website. 888 Vinyl’s website features a retro design, with the restaurant’s name and logo written on colorful album covers scrolling across the homepage. The spot is currently under construction, but an exact opening date and menu for the restaurant have not been announced yet. A representative for JW Marriott told What Now Nashville that the restaurant team is currently working on finalizing the project. …What Now Nashville has reached out to JW Marriott for more information on the concept and timeline for 888 Vinyl. Stay tuned for updates on this location’s opening.
