London, UK | New record store to open in London this month: A new record store is opening in London in August. Next Door Records will open in Shepherd’s Bush on Wednesday 12th August as a store, bar and café. After smashing its crowdfunding target of £3000, the three-man team behind the store promise to provide a “mixture of new and vintage vinyl which will span a variety of sounds for both the living room and the dancefloor.” The record store also hopes to host live music and DJ events, book launches, exhibitions and workshops in future. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, record stores have been allowed to open in the UK since June. During lockdown, an interactive map was developed to show what independent record stores were still operating in a limited capacity, and how you can buy from them. In that time, Bristol record shop Idle Hands issued a stark warning on how the pandemic might affect small, independent businesses. Earlier this year, a new record store and dubplate cutting house, Disc World, opened in New Cross, south east London.
San Francisco, CA | Popular SF record store closes permanently: ‘There just isn’t a way forward in the city.’ Stacks of colorful indie comics have slowly begun to replace the massive collection of vinyl records sold at 1-2-3-4 Go! Records on Valencia Street. On Monday afternoon, owner Steve Stevenson announced the San Francisco location would shutter after five years in business, with comic book shop and former DIY record label Silver Sprocket taking over for the remainder of the lease. “Given the uncertain direction of the pandemic and the heavy revenue losses we’ve sustained over the last 5 months there just isn’t a way forward in the city,” Stevenson wrote in a Facebook post, encouraging his clientele to support the comic book publisher in the coming months. Silver Sprocket, previously located on Haight Street, moved into the record shop in late February after a seismic retrofit taking place at their former location prevented them from resuming operations. Since the comic book shop was operating out of the building as a pop-up business without a formal lease, they knew that once the renovations were over, their landlord would likely begin the search for a permanent tenant.
Boynton, FL | Boynton record store had a side business as an illegal gambling operation, cops say: A Boynton Beach record store owner is accused of using her business to run an illegal gambling operation, taking in thousands of dollars in bets a day. Police arrested Alison Henry Abner, 49, of suburban Lake Worth on Thursday after serving a search warrant at the Caribbean Record Store on Gateway Boulevard, near U.S. Highway 1. Henry Abner is the owner and operator of the business, police said. During a search of the business, officers found more than $6,000 in cash, including a bundle of cash with separate gambling tickets and payouts attached. Investigators found more than $2,500 hidden in a bathroom wall. Abner was advised of her rights and taken to the police department for questioning. There, she reportedly admitted to running a gambling game out of the business. She told investigators she did not know the name of the game, but described it as a game of chance in which a person would pick between one and four numbers and put money on each number.
Athens, AL | Vinyl Revival: Record store keeping it old school in Athens: The music industry has undergone many changes over the years when it comes to keeping up with the modern digital age. Most people stream music from one of many apps on their smartphones these days, but not so long ago, music was found primarily on physical media. Even CDs have been largely phased out, but there’s still those who prefer something more than a digital file. That’s where record stores like Vinyl Revival in Athens comes in. Places like this small, local shop cater to clientele who like to keep things old school and still get their music on physical media like vinyl records. “I think records, above all other mediums, are pretty unique,” said owner Keith Montgomery. “It’s a hands-on experience. You have a jacket. It’s got its own artwork and lyrics. It’s an organic experience. There’s an argument to it, but generally speaking, I think that vinyl records sound ‘better’ than digital formats. I like it.” Montgomery is from Athens originally. He moved to Detroit in the late 1970s to be closer to some family members, but after he got married, he decided he didn’t want to raise his children in Detroit. So, the family moved back to Limestone County.
Salt Lake City, UT | Future music picks: Record Store Day Multiplies. For vinyl-heads and other collector’s-item stans, Record Store Day is a giddy, holiday-like time of year. Records have regained some popularity in recent years, and no doubt that trend comes in large part from small-time record stores and their resilience. Record Store Day was born from a need to promote and support these small shops and their record-loving efforts by driving the sales of limited releases only available at those shops. …Instead of one big day of sales, Record Store Day nationwide will be a staggered event, allowing small record shops to keep crowds under control. There will be three drops, extending into October—perhaps good news for those who wish Record Store Day lasted all year long. The first drop date is Aug. 29, and record shops accept requests beforehand so they can stock up on what customers want, and not the stuff they don’t. So go ahead and view the list of drops online—from Cheap Trick to Charli XCX, Phillip Glass to Pink Floyd—and look up a record store near you.
Isle of Man, UK | Fed-up widow sells off husband’s hoard of 50,000 records for £1 EACH so she can finally move home – despite some LPs worth up to £2,000. A staggering collection of over 50,000 vinyl records is being sold by the family of a late collector. John Peel, from Ramsey in the Isle of Man, amassed the huge hoard of LPs over decades. Mr Peel spent a lifetime collecting music records and box sets and bought over 50,000 vinyls at record shops, auctions and car boot sales. He died in 2017 and they were left to his heartbroken family who have now decided to sell so his widow Rhona can move house. His daughter Julie Mattin said that she will sell each record for just a quid – even though some are worth up to £2,000. The collection features music from a broad range genres and also includes TT race coverage, radio promo discs and television and film soundtracks. Julie said: ‘Basically, we don’t want these anymore. ‘I would love it if somebody walked in here and found a record they have always wanted. ‘Whether it is worth 1p or a couple of hundred pounds, they will be able to buy it here for £1. ‘I want people to have as much pleasure out of these records as my dad did.’
Back to vinyl: Soul Asylum’s Dave Pirner on ‘Hurry Up and Wait’ and the glory of record stores: In April, Soul Asylum released a powerful new studio album from which they’d already managed to play a few songs live before being curtailed in California under COVID shutdowns. Their album, Hurry Up and Wait, has a title that’s proven eerily apt for our times, but is also one that explores relationships in a very thematic way. In our previously published interview with Soul Asylum’s Dave Pirner, we spoke about the ways in which the new album casts a wide net in terms of sonic possibilities, the role that New Orleans has played in expanding Pirner’s musical horizons, and what it was like to perform 100 songs on Facebook livestreams for fans. In today’s interview, we explore the sequencing of the album’s songs, possible interpretations for the album’s title, and the wonderful thing that is the resurgence of vinyl records. Are they the perfect form of media? Definitely not so much for 8-tracks.
Zoë Kravitz Calls Out Hulu for Lack of Diverse Shows After ‘High Fidelity’ Cancellation: One day after Hulu canceled her series “High Fidelity” after one season, star Zoë Kravitz called out the streaming service for not having shows with much diversity. Kravitz took to her Instagram on Thursday to post some behind-the-scenes photos with her “High Fidelity” cast members after news broke that the show was canceled. “I wanna give a shout out to my #highfidelity family. Thank you for all the love and heart you put into this show. I’m in awe of all of you. And thank you to everyone who watched, loved and supported us. #breakupssuck,” she wrote. Several actors, including Tessa Thompson, Reese Witherspoon, Halle Berry and others, commented on the photos, offering condolences that the show will not continue. “I will miss you alllllllllllll so much,” Thompson commented. Kravitz replied to her, “It’s cool. At least Hulu has a ton of other shows starring women of color we can watch. Oh wait.”
