Madison, WI | Local Music Shop Hits a High Note with Madison Music Lovers: At a time when Wisconsinites are looking for an escape, Strictly Discs in Madison is hitting a high note. “Music has never been more popular than it is right now and it’s very accessible,” says Angie Roloff, owner of Strictly Discs. Music is especially popular during the pandemic as people are longing for connection. Music holds a different weigh for everyone. For some, it’s all in the family. “(Music is) everything. When I got out of the army, I became a mason just to support my music habit,” says customer Mike Winget. Winglet loves music so much, he named his 11-year-old son, “Lyric.” “I’m here for my son today, trying to find some stuff to give him some culture instead of him listening to the stuff on the radio,” says Winget. “Music is a whole world of rhythm,” says Lyric Winget.
New York, NY | These Businesses Lasted Decades. The Virus Closed Them for Good. The pandemic has wiped out the longstanding anchors of New York neighborhoods. Before the pandemic, Record Mart was a fixture of the Times Square subway station for more than 60 years, known for carrying vinyl recordings of Latin and jazz music. Lou Moskowitz left his job in real estate in 2006 to work full-time at the shop, which was owned by his father. Sales at independent record stores were on the decline nationwide, and many were shutting down throughout New York. Mr. Moskowitz’s friends had questioned why he had chosen to move into the industry. “I know it doesn’t make any sense,” Mr. Moskowitz said, “but I did it anyway because I wanted to work with my dad.” After his father died in 2012, Mr. Moskowitz took over the business. For years, Record Mart survived by selling electronics and headphones and drawing in passers-by to explore its extensive vinyl collection. The shop was not thriving, but revenue trickled in.
Dublin, IE | Barry joins band giving Dublin Vinyl a spin: Isee that new New Ireland Assurance chairman and former Canada Life boss Tom Barry is getting into the music business. Barry is one of the backers of Hugh Scully and Donagh Molloy’s rapidly expanding record music conglomerate Dublin Vinyl. Scully set up a vinyl-pressing plant in Glasnevin to meet demand from music purists. LP sales rose last year for the 14th consecutive year, with 18.8 million records sold in America alone. Scully’s Dublin Vinyl has pressed everything from Joy Division to Robbie Williams to Amy Winehouse. As the music industry changes dramatically, Dublin Vinyl has moved into the direct-to-consumer space, helping artists and labels to manage e-commerce and fulfilment. It also has its own Love Vinyl club.
Toledo, OH | Culture Clash leaving west Toledo to take its tunes downtown: The longtime west Toledo staple for music fans is now set to bring the hits to historic location at former spot of The Paula Brown Shop. Boogie Records shut its doors just before, in 2004, before rising from the ashes as Culture Clash at Secor and Sylvania. Culture Clash was hard to miss on Secor. O’Connor lined the roof with vinyl records, creating a visual icon that matched the quirky, fun atmosphere of the record shop that was uniquely “Toledo”. It caused a stir at one point, but remained long enough for the lasting impression… O’Connor continued on the spirit of spinning vinyl in an era when mediums changed from records to digital and he and his store were deeply woven into the community. After his death in 2016, Tim Friedman took over. Even more live music resonated throughout the shop on Secor, with over 100 artists from locally and well beyond holding shows over the past three years. But now, the future is bright, bold and downtown, according to today’s announcement.
Isle of Man, UK | Around 50,000 records on sale in Ramsey: Man left collection to family when he died in 2019. Music lovers have a chance to buy part of an extraordinary vinyl collection in the north of the Island from this weekend. Ramsey man John Peel left around 50,000 records to his family when he passed away last year. The sale gets underway at 10am, and is expected to continue each Saturday for several weeks until the majority are sold. Each record is being sold for £1, but John’s daughter Julie Mattin says some could be worth much more. The sale is being held at Manninagh on Bircham Avenue. Buyers are asked not to park at the house to keep space free for loading.
5 retro tech products that are far from obsolete: Record player. Any audiophile will tell you that there are a few universal truths when it comes to music, and one of them is that vinyl records have to be heard to be believed. Vinyl usually features higher quality recordings of an album’s master copy, and as such, there’s less compression. Vinyl is a lossless audio format as well, and as such records produce a warm sound that differs from the crispness of digital audio. Music feels a little more “real” than when listened to via other sources. That’s why a record player is a good thing to have. This particular Audio-Technica model is one that’s affordable and slick, and it can play any record. Plus, it’s a reliable name in the audio industry. It’s a small investment to make in terms of what you’ll get out of it in terms of the vinyl collection you’ll build when you fall in love with this retro form of media.
Massive 8-Piece Vinyl The Mandalorian Sountrack Announced: Star Wars fans and music lovers have something new to look forward to with Mondo’s upcoming LP featuring the music of The Mandalorian!. During their Art of the Soundtrack [email protected] panel, Mondo revealed some impressive new LPs for collectors, including an impressive deluxe set for The Mandalorian season one. While there are no current details on a specific release date, they mentioned during the livestream (which you can watch in full below) they are hoping to release it BEFORE the second season of the show, which is set to debut in October. There are eight discs, one for each episode, which feature individual sleeves with artwork from Paul Mann.
