Cedar Rapids, IA | Analog Vault tries out new location. Vinyl store adjusts to bigger space: While it may seem as if everyone is downloading music from the internet, vinyl is alive and well in Cedar Rapids. So much so that Analog Vault needed a larger space after just a year-and-a-half in business. “We were bottlenecked,” owner Jeremy Vega said of the store’s original 15-by-18-foot location on the second floor of the Village Bank and Trust Building. “We couldn’t do anything more there. We had ideas, but didn’t have the space.” Since The Gazette last visited with Analog Vault shortly after its October 2016 grand opening, the business has moved to the ground floor. On June 1, the store relocated to the first floor of the CSPS Building, just down the street from its original location in the NewBo neighborhood.
Port Townsend, WA | Port Townsend’s Quimper Sound music store for sale: After 45 years and four locations, Quimper Sound is going strong. There’s a resurgence in vinyl album sales once again. But Mark Hering, who has owned the shop for the past 11 years with his wife, Marie Campanoli, is looking to retire, take a vacation and move on to other opportunities. They’ve put the place up for sale. Along with classic posters and collectible items, there’s an inventory of more than 50,000 albums in all genres up for grabs. It’s all going for $40,000. Quimper Sound is located in the Undertown Shops, only the fourth business location for the store. It’s gone from one side of Water Street to the other, moving the equivalent of about a block during its 45 years. “The record store began in 1974 where the Belmont restaurant is, next to the Imprint Bookshop back then,” Hering said. “It was there a year, then moved to the corner of Taylor and Water streets, where the Northwest Man is now for probably 33 years.
New York, NY | Vinyl Nights dance parties: Music and dancing filled 33rd Street outside Madison Square Garden, an area known as Plaza 33. The outdoor concert “revolves” around the 45 vinyl record, affectionately named Vinyl Nights. It’s a massive dance party where DJ’s spin all music genres from 1972 to 1992 every Thursday night until mid-September. “This is the greatest party in New York City,” said “Karloz” from the Bronx. “I love the idea they use vinyl” said Cheena Gallagher from East Orange. Two hours before the records start spinning, DJ Boogie Blind of the World Famous Heavy Hitters is getting the records set up while crews hook up the speakers, turn table and a sparkly Disco ball at Plaza 33. “Primarily all classic hits that shaped the club culture from 1972 to 1992. It brings you back to that time,” said Operator Emz, a disc jockey.
Minot, ND | Some work for money, others for hobby: Mike Lucareli collects and sells records. Do you or someone you know have an unwanted record collection? Do you or someone you know like to purchase and collect records? If the answer is yes to either of these, look toward Mike Lucareli. Lucareli was given a record collection that held 500 items from his parents. He decided to sell a few and he realized there was a demand for a record store that sold old records. He made the decision to devote his time and resources to his new hobby and job. He now travels the state of North Dakota purchasing record collections from those who no longer want or have a use of. “Records can take up a lot of space,” Lucareli explained. “And whenever people want to sell them, their only option really is to sell them at garage sales. Even then, they’ll only sell a few and then still be stuck with the rest.”
Cassette tape sales have doubled in the UK (but there’s a catch): Is cassette about to do a vinyl? Cassette tapes are having a mini-resurgence. Sales in the UK in 2017 more than doubled, and 2018 sales are currently running at 90% up year on year. Why? Who knows. Certainly a lot of artists are putting almost as much thought into their cassette releases as they are their vinyl releases. 2018’s best-selling tape so far is Kylie Minogue’s latest album, Golden, which came with a collectable, glitter-gold clear tape, while AC/DC’s Record Store Day special release of Back in Black also makes it into the top 20. Second on the 2018 top-sellers list is the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack, Awesome Mix 2 (with Awesome Mix 1 still at number 7), while albums from Snow Patrol, 30 Seconds to Mars and Manic Street Preachers also feature in the top 5. But there is something of a catch. While the jump in sales sounds impressive, the numbers being sold remain relatively low.
