New Orleans, LA | New Orleans’ First Record Store/Former Workplace of Louis Armstrong Destroyed by Hurricane Ida: As Hurricane Ida evaporates, Louisiana officials are taking stock of the damage done to New Orleans and its surrounding area.One such loss from the storm is the Karnofsky Shop, a pawn-shop-turned-New Orleans’ first record store that was the site of endless inspiration for a very young Louis Armstrong in the 1910s.“Every time we would come in late on the little wagon from buying old rags and bones, when they would be having ‘supper’ they would fix a plate of food for me, saying you’ve worked, might as well eat here with us,” Armstrong famously recalled of the store owners, who took him under their wing.The owners – the Karnofskys – also funded the purchase of Armstrong’s first cornet and – as the legend goes – the famous jazz musician wore a star of David for the rest of his life as a sign of gratitude to the Karnofsky family.The building was located at 427 S. Rampart St.
Longview, WA | Talking Business: Growing indie music scene centers around Stash Records in Longview: Acity sandwiched between two popular indie music scenes has few live music venues, or places to buy records, CDs or cassettes outside of big-box retailers. Tyler Wilson is hoping to change that. Portland and Seattle are known as breeding grounds for new musicians and genres, but Wilson is planting the seeds for local indie music in the middle. “Longview seemed like it needed a record store,” he said. The Vancouver transplant opened Stash Records on Commerce Avenue in August 2020 to sell used and new records, CDs and cassettes, as well as vintage high-end speakers. Like all good record stores, a community followed. “There is a purposeful sense of community you feel in Longview that you don’t get in Vancouver or Portland,” Wilson said. Wilson has held two live shows featuring Longview indie artists, and plans to hold more free, all-age shows inside the 1,300 sq. ft. store.
The LP turns 70 – good news for record fans: “Vinyl has been writing a success story for over a decade,” said Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Federal Music Industry Association (BVMI) Florian Drücke of the German News Agency. “What started in the niche has now grown into a real market segment.” On August 31, 1951, Germany’s first LP with 33 1/3 rpm was presented at the German Music Fair in Düsseldorf. After decades of boom, the LP media fell into crisis in the 1990s with the advent of the digital compact disc. According to the association, only 700,000 records were sold in 2011, but in 2020 it was more than four million. “For many, this is certainly based on the desire to slow down in a largely digital environment, but also on the haptic experience,” explains Drücke. “It now goes beyond hunting and collecting and extends to all genres. It’s a beautiful and truly remarkable success story.” The expert does not see any danger for the LP in the streaming trend: “For us, it is less a question of knowing if the disc will go out or not, what matters is that it exists as long as it has added value for the fans. That does not exclude that you are a mixed user and have digital music. “
Victoria, BC | Lyle’s Place, destination music shop for nearly 40 years, is closing: For nearly 40 years, Lyle’s Place in the 700-block of Yates Street has been an institution for music lovers of all stripes. While it’s been a destination new-and-used record shop on that block since it opened in 1982, Lyle’s has also been a second home for many, a school for those looking to broaden their musical horizons, a marketplace and meeting place for musicians and for years it was the place to get tickets for shows of all sizes in the city. It has also been the centre of Janice and Rod Lyle’s world since they opened the door in 1982, four years after starting a book shop in James Bay. Rod Lyle, who suffered a major stroke four years ago, said a confluence of factors ranging from his own health, family priorities, increased rent due to rising taxes and the effects of COVID have forced his hand. “It’s just time,” he said Monday, while preparing the inventory for a clearance sale that will start this week. “We’ve had a great run. It’s becoming too much for the two of us.”
DJ Shadow Announces 25th Anniversary Remaster Of Endtroducing. First released in 1996, the record is a genre-defying masterpiece that has helped redefine sample-based music. DJ Shadow’s groundbreaking debut album, Endtroducing, is a genre-defying masterpiece that has helped redefine sample-based music. In celebration of its 25th anniversary, Island Records are releasing a special remastered vinyl edition of this groundbreaking record, plus a 7″ single featuring isolated elements from the album. The forthcoming Endtroducing 25 Abbey Road Half Speed Mastered edition will be released on September 24 on gatefold, double 12″ vinyl and features totally remastered audio taken from the original master tape and cut at half speed – a technical, specialized process that results in significantly more detailed, high quality sound. “I was so happy to have recently discovered the original DAT tape that served as the final mix source of the album, and was able to provide it for the remaster just in time for this release. When comparing the new version with the old, I was shocked at how many audible details were revealed that I had completely forgotten about”, says DJ Shadow.
