UK | ‘People are hungry for new music after lockdown’ …Before the pandemic struck, music retailer Rough Trade was selling more records than ever, with like-for-like 2019 UK sales up 25% overall. Its model of staging in-store gigs, with admission free to those who bought the band’s album, had proved a successful way of selling physical releases in the age of streaming. But then Rough Trade Retail had to close its four UK shops and director Stephen Godfroy says, “We will need a strong second-half recovery if we expect to end the year with sales matching 2019.” Now the shops are open again, although with fewer people in them. At the same time, the retailer has seen online sales rise so much that it had to set up a dedicated online fulfilment warehouse. “In essence, we’ve been forced to become an online-led business in just a matter of weeks,” says Mr Godfroy.
San Francisco, CA | Comic Shop Silver Sprocket Takes Over San Francisco Record Store: SFGate reported the closure of central San Francisco vinyl record store 1-2-3-4 Go! Records on Valencia Street, as a result of shutdowns, lockdowns and the general economic downturn that followed. …Silver Sprocket is a former record label-turned comic book publisher and comic book shop. Silver Sprocket has already had a presence in the record store, after renovations at their former store had forced them out. Now they have taken over the new location, replacing vinyl with comic books across the store. …SFGate reports that currently, Silver Sprocket is operating on weekends only, social distancing is observed, windows are left open and owner Avi Ehrlich isn’t forcing employees to return yet. “This is great for me, since I get to run my dream indie comic shop with the laziest commute, but it’s quite stressful to not know if or when we will be able to open or what’s safe. That could change at any time as case numbers change or new safety guidelines get announced. It still feels like an experiment.
“We’re uncool”: Almost Famous and High Fidelity celebrate music—but they’re warnings, too. …The Chicagoans at Rob’s store, Championship Vinyl, are “professional appreciator”s from afar who can barely hold it together in conversation with rising singer-songwriter Marie De Salle (Lisa Bonet). It’s a much more grown-up male adolescent fantasy (i.e. Rob winds up having a one-night stand with Marie) where the specters of age, responsibility, and purpose are always hovering around while only occasionally impeding on Rob’s daytime routine of listening to music and rattling off personal top five lists, or his off-hours regimen of listening to music and rattling off personal top five lists. High Fidelity is a film colored by a love of music, but it’s also about love love, the complexities of romantic relationships and the path toward becoming a better, fuller person. We watch Rob drink a lot, smoke too much, and put his records in “autobiographical” order, but we’re never really in his shoes. Though we’re invited into his head to see how he remembers his history of romantic fuck-ups, the choice to air so many of his inner thoughts in direct address is one of distance.
St. Cloud, MN | Vinyl is back: Vinyl swap in Sauk Rapids next Saturday: I remember being a kid, and the only thing available were vinyl records and cassette tapes. It was after the time of 8 tracks (never knew anyone with those) and before CDs. That came around in the mid-80s and I remember asking a friend “what is that?” And he, very matter-of-fact said “that… is a compact disc”. A few years later, vinyl disappeared. I thought it was a move in the right direction because vinyl was such a pain in the a**. And you could take the CDs with you and play them in your car, or on a disc-man or whatever device you had and it would sound as good as the vinyl without all of the pops. A few years later, everyone was downloading their music. I actually had an intern ask how I listen to music if I didn’t have some music app. Uhh… I listen to the radio. Now, in recent years, it seems that vinyl is making a comeback. And it’s easier to find a turntable to buy than it is to find a CD player to buy. A lot of people have some pretty amazing collections of vinyl albums. And this coming weekend, there is a big vinyl record swap at Capital Tavern in Sauk Rapids Saturday, August 22.
The Best Turntable Accessories, From $12 Sound Isolation Pads to Killer $349 Speakers: If vinyl is your preferred physical media format for music, and you’ve already set yourself up with the right turntable (we have suggestions if you need one), you can improve your listening experience with a few accessories. Playing records requires a lot of moving parts, not to mention worrying about physical problems, like vibrations or static causing audible distortion (a.k.a “pops” in sound). Going the analog music route also means setting up a multi-piece audio system that works in sync to deliver the best sound quality. Below you’ll find 10 accessories that will actually make a difference in how your records sound, or help you maintain them for many years. We also have a guide specifically dedicated to record cleaning and maintenance if you want even more recommendations.
