Albany, NY | Vinyl record sales boom with new national interest: For 9-year-old Avery Colomb, her love of Taylor Swift has no limits, but she’s not listening on a iPhone or CD. She’s listening to her favorite artist on vinyl. Her interest in records goes all the way back to last March. Avery is helping show her father’s record collection. “I get to have pictures taken of me and the records like every week,” Colomb says. Avery’s interest in records is part of a national trend. The Recording Industry Association of America said in 2020 alone, vinyl sales accounted for 62% of the physical revenue, marking the first time since the 1980’s that vinyl outsold CDs. That’s great news for Sound House Records in Troy and owners Matt Klein and George Weinish, who recently opened their doors. “We see across the board; young people, old-time collectors, people in the middle, people who have extensive collections, down to people who are just starting,” Klein says. Klein says this resurgence in vinyl sales is attributed to the nostalgic feeling of holding something and listening to music that is standing the test of time.
Furness, UK | Readers Choice: The best independent stores in Furness: We asked our readers to tell us who their favourite independent traders were. 1. TNT Records: Found on Duke Street, Barrow, this record shop won Record Shop of the Year in 2019. The store stocks vinyls from a variety of genres, as well as band merchandise so you can get kitted out with items from your favourite artists. 2. Bumblebee at the Hive: Tucked away on Scott Street, Barrow, is Bumblebee at the Hive. The unique shop sells giftware for all occasions. They specialise in painting, distressing and giving new life to furniture. 3. Crafty Hobbies: Craft Hobbies, based on Cavendish Street in Barrow, describes themselves as the number one model shop in South Cumbria for model railways, dolls’ houses and crafts. They cater for younger crafters as well as those with more experience…
Southampton, UK | Jack Savoretti heading to Southampton Record Store: Singer songwriter, Jack Savoretti is due to head to Southampton this September as he releases his new album. In celebration of his new album ‘Europiana’, Savoretti will be taking to the stage at Vinilo Record Store on September 14. ‘Europiana’ is the follow-up to his breakthrough 2019 album ‘Singing to Strangers’, his third consecutive gold seller and first UK number one. While ‘Singing to Strangers’ was recorded in Rome at Ennio Morricone’s studio, the new disc was conceived in between lockdowns at his home in Oxfordshire. Cam Blackwood (George Ezra, London Grammar, Florence & The Machine), has produced the album which was recorded late last year at Abbey Road with Jack’s longtime touring band. Now though, the performer has announced that he will head to the Southampton store to play an acoustic set and will also embark on a 12 date UK tour in spring 2022, kicking off at the Plymouth Pavilions and finishing up at London’s Eventim Apollo.
The Fluance RT81 Is A Perfect Starter Turntable For New Lovers Of Vinyl: I can still remember the first turntable I bought for playing my growing collection of vinyl records that I’d previously played on my parents’ audio system. The turntable was a Kenwood Trio 1033B and I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. Back then, in 1978, it cost me more than $100, which was a lot of money at the time. Later, I dreamed of owning a Linn Sondek LP12 but in the early 1980s, I was seduced by the CD revolution. I switched to digital music by selling some of my vinyl records to buy myself a CD player and silver discs to play on it. It’s something I regret to this day. If you are looking at getting into vinyl, then the good news is there are quite a few reasonably priced turntables on the market that will do fine for playing those old albums you still have from your teenage years or even for playing records from flea markets and thrift stores. You may even come across some real gems like an original Blue Note pressing of Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. I recently got the chance to review an entry-level turntable made by Canada’s Fluance that I think would be just perfect for anyone wanting to get into vinyl but who doesn’t want to pay out a fortune for something high-end like the new Solstice turntable released by Naim earlier this month.
For the Love of Vinyl: An Appreciation: Held on the edges, the platter is gently dropped on the turntable. The needle is lowered onto the vinyl and the hair goes up on the back of the neck. A warm blanket of music wraps itself around the listener. Perhaps more than any other form of recorded music, listening to vinyl is a participatory experience. From the stunning visuals of the poster-sized record sleeves to the feel of the edge of the vinyl on your fingers, to even its unique warmth and nostalgia-inducing fragrance, there is something truly magical about vinyl. Not to mention entering a record store is like joining a secret club. There’s a camaraderie there: Even if ones musical tastes are different than the owner or the other patrons, there is a mutual love of music — and a common emotional commitment to music that one just can’t get from streaming music from Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music…
