Greenfield, WI | Not a fading fad: Return of vinyl lasts with revival of former Exclusive Company locations: When Jennifer Young learned the owner of Greenfield’s Exclusive Company location had passed away, she did whatever she could to keep the music playing. Jennifer is one of a handful of music-lovers who have stepped up in recent months to keep record stores in southeast Wisconsin open. “Music is very important to me. It’s a big part of my life. I’ve been going to record stores since I was a teenager and I actually came to this store to go to the Metalhaus,” said Young, now the owner of the newly-renamed Volta Records. “When I saw that article about the store closing and that they were looking for a new owner, I talked to my husband and I said, you know, this is essentially what we were looking to do in three years. It’s just happening a little faster.” She wants regular customers to know the Metalhaus, a section of the store which touts the largest selection of metal vinyl in the Milwaukee area, is here to stay.
New York, NY | You can now listen to and browse from 400 vinyl records at the library: The Vinyl Lending Library at Brooklyn Public Library opens Tuesday. Any vinyl record collector in NYC knows stashing your hoard is a challenge. Our small apartments aren’t fit for collecting hundreds of 12-by-12–inch squares, but tiny spaces be damned, we cram our beloved records into the smallest spaces. Well, Brooklyn vinyl lovers are in luck because the Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Library has just opened a Vinyl Lending Library to its cardholders, giving them access to 400 albums spanning genres (hip-hop, pop, classical, country, show tunes and more) that they can listen to on-site as well as borrow for up to three weeks. You just need your library card. Listening stations can be found on the first floor. This will definitely save some space!
Henrico County, VA | He’s collected over 1 million records, but he’s not unplugging any time soon: If you need a soundtrack for your trip back in time, Walt Smith can keep you on track. The 80-year-old combines his passion for music with his profession. “We’ve got it all here,” said Walt. He is the owner of Virginia’s Memory Lane Records in Henrico, where you’ll find just about every genre of music. “We’ve got probably half a million records here,” said Walt. “I grew up with Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Little Richard.” Smith’s specialty is vinyl. “So that is the biggest thing. We’re selling memories,” said Walt. Walt started amassing records when he was a young teenager in New York. “I still have my 45 collection,” said Walt.
Lincoln, NE | Retail roundup: The end of Lefty’s and a bunch of new stores at Gateway: Les Greer, who has owned and run Lefty’s Records for the past 11 years, announced that he is closing the store in Lincoln. Greer posted on Facebook recently that he plans to retire and will close his store at 2776 South St. at the end of August. Greer opened the store in August 2011 and told the Journal Star in a 2012 article that he did so because, “vinyl is coming back.” “I want to thank everyone for their support over the last 11 years,” Greer said in the Facebook post. Lefty’s closing appears to leave just two Lincoln stores dedicated to selling vinyl records, and none south of O Street. Backtrack Records, which has been in business since 1988, is at 1549 N. Cotner Blvd. The other store is Lincoln Vintage Vinyl at 908 N. 70th St. in the Meadowlane Shopping Center.
Perth, AU | Listen Up, Audiophiles: A Rad New Listening Bar Has Just Opened Down An Alleyway In Chinatown: It might be a sign of us getting older, but as time goes on – we’ve got less and less patience for the clattering, chaotic noise of a packed bar. A few too many years of tinny, poorly mixed music blasted into our ears has made us long for a sanctuary where we can enjoy a nice glass of wine, have a little sit down, and maybe even a conversation that doesn’t have to be screamed. An answer to our prayers: tucked away down the charming laneways of Northbridge’s Chinatown, you’ll find an audiophile’s oasis: Astral Weeks. Inspired by the listening bars of Japan and named after the Van Morrison album, the former herbalist’s shop has been fitted out with acoustics at the absolute forefront – walls are dotted with acoustic panels, the ceiling is insulated and the floors are carpeted. All this is to amplify (pardon the pun) the effects of the real star of the show: the hand-built Line Magnetic hi-fi system, mounted with pride of place behind the bar.
Clearaudio unveils new boomerang shaped turntable: Costs a fair bit more than a frisbee though… Clearaudio has released a new turntable, called Reference Jubilee. Building on the original Reference turntable of the 1980s, the Reference Jubilee features a “resonance–optimised chassis” made of laminated wood and aluminium. The turntable also boasts Clearaudio’s “optical speed control system”, which uses an optical sensor to control deviations in the sub-platter’s rotational speed. The company notes it has employed a new air-core 24-volt DC motor to ensure that everything runs as quietly as possible. Weighing in at 22kg, the Reference Jubilee measures 9.49″ x 13.50″ x 6.30″. The turntable is available now, for £17,500.
Record collector vents about 10 annoyances of the vinyl revival: Vinyl, vinyls, vynnnnills…. call them what you will. There are some things about the revival that are even worse than getting the name wrong. and don’t get started about etchings! There’s a lot of things to love about the resurgence in vinyl sales and releases. But there are a few things that can get under your skin.. Every record collector has their bugaboos. And here are 10 pet peeves, and we hope you will tell Goldmine your’s, too. 10. “How much did it cost?” Readers of a certain age will remember howling with rage when they discovered that CDs were going to retail at twice the price of the equivalent vinyl. The financial boot is now on the other foot — except that CDs often have twice as much music as their waxen counterpart…
