Dayton, OH | Skeleton Dust Records opens in new Dayton spot: ‘I just feel like home here.’ Skeleton Dust Records closed its doors in Dayton’s Fire Blocks District on Aug. 31 and today it’s reopening in the Huffman Historic Area on East Fifth Street. After being located on East Third Street for nearly seven years, owner Luke Tandy said he is ready for a change. The move is largely motivated by the opportunity to be located next to Pink Moon Goods, which is owned by his wife of six years, Kathleen Hotmer. “It feels good to be a part of an area of town that’s growing and developing — especially on a grassroots level,” Tandy said. “I just feel like home here.” Skeleton Dust Records is known for offering a wide variety of music at affordable prices. From noise and experimental music to classic rock, all generations can find something special in the store.
London, UK | Rough Trade to open Denmark Street’s first ever record shop: Rough Trade have announced that they will open their new UK branch on arguably the most famous music street in the world—London’s Denmark Street, once known as ‘Tin-Pan Alley.’ This will be the very first time the iconic street has had a record shop. Rough Trade will join the many instrument shops and music venues on the street, making it even more of a must visit destination for music lovers. Although the Denmark Street store will not offer a live performance space, it will host album signings and work in partnership with neighbouring venues HERE and The Lower Third to contribute to Rough Trade’s existing out-store events programme. Lawrence Montgomery, Managing Director, Rough Trade UK said “We are thrilled to bring Rough Trade to London’s iconic Denmark Street, a location that holds such a profound place in the city’s music history…”
Liverpool, UK | Setting the Record Straight: Is Rough Trade a Rough Deal for Liverpool? …Tell anyone anywhere in the world you’re from Liverpool and they’ll start singing Yellow Submarine at you. There’s an argument to say that we live in the music capital of the UK, and so it’s worth asking the question: can our independent record stores, that have celebrated our music for the last sixty plus years, take the competition from this hulking, musical leviathan? At a time when vinyl sales are at their highest since 1990, increasing 11.7% year-on-year, and with five independent record stores within the same square mile, it’s reasonable to ask if Rough Trade is really a positive or necessary addition to the city. “Not really, no,” said a source that wished to remain anonymous. “Price point-wise, they’re the same as HMV, but market-wise they’re going for the in-stores which is what Jacaranda are already doing. They’ve already started losing in-stores.”
Philadelphia, PA | Exclusive: Doug Emhoff makes a pre-debate pitstop at my boyfriend’s Philadelphia record store: “Gavin Newsom might have helped us rearrange the shop a little.” …Marc had no prior knowledge of the surprise visit. “Ben, my clerk, noticed a Secret Service guy casing the joint,” Marc told me after Emhoff and his companion, Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., visited. “It turns out that a customer who had come in previously and was asking for a bunch of help was actually part of the campaign. She was scouting us to see if we were the type of shop that would be a good fit.” Secret Service, Marc noted, even found a parking spot right in front of the store, “which in South Philly, as you know, never happens.” Once inside, Emhoff and Newsom “asked a couple of questions about the shop, but mostly they just wanted to talk about music,” Marc told me. “Doug wanted to see all of our New Wave,” and picked up “Brotherhood” by New Order and the eponymous first album by the Stone Roses.
Tuscaloosa, AL | Abusements at Village Green Records for free Friday the 13th concert: Show celebrates new Abusements album Grievance Beerwater Reprisal, and features special guests Mara Nagra. Friday the 13th is a lucky day for punk rock fans. With a new album they consider their best yet, Montgomery band Abusements is ready to give its hometown a rare and free all-ages live show—in a pretty appropriate venue. The band will be at Village Green Records, 2960 Zelda Road, 6-8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13, to celebrate the Tuesday, Sept. 10 release of Grievance Beerwater Reprisal. They’ll also have music from special guests Mara Nagra, another Montgomery band that blends punk, garage, indie and stoner rock. “We’re super excited,” said DJ Fake Name, who does vocals and keys for Abusements. “We’ve got an album that we worked really hard on.” Guests can rock to the music, buy vinyl, and they’ll also have limited edition large posters available.
Brooklyn, NY | New record shop opens in Brooklyn: Park Slope resident Heather Carr still believes in vinyl. So for her, a new record shop opening in her neighborhood was a cool development. “I guess I like not having to have a phone or computer so, you put the record on and then just flip it, and you don’t look at your phone, and you are hanging with your friends, and yeah it’s great,” Carr said, who has a record collection along with her husband. Sterling Records on Fifth Avenue, near Sterling Place, is owned by Gary Giddens. Giddens grew up in London, but has been in New York for 40 years, most of them in Brooklyn. Friend and Depeche Mode, Yazoo and Erasure founder Vince Clarke is an investor. “I said to him one day, I said, ‘I think I am going to open a record shop,’ and he’s like ‘I’m in,’ and as soon as he said it I was like, “Ok, well that’s a start,’” Giddens said. The shop opened earlier this summer, featuring records—vinyl has made a big comeback.
Flagstaff, AZ | Vinyl record sales keep spinning and spinning—with no end in sight: Over the past decade, vinyl records have made a major comeback. People purchased $1.2 billion of records in 2022, a 20% jump from the previous year. Not only did sales rise, but they also surpassed CD sales for the first time since 1988, according to a new report from the Recording Industry Association of America. Who saw that coming? I certainly didn’t. In the mid-1990s, I sold off my family’s very large collection of records over my wife’s protests. I convinced her we needed the space, even if the buyer was picking up the whole stash for a song. Back then, of course, there were far fewer options for listening to music — it was years before on-demand streaming and smartphones. I now teach at a business school and follow the economy’s latest trends. Sales of records have been increasing since 2007, and the data shows the vinyl record industry’s rebound still has not peaked. Last year, the music industry sold 41.3 million albums, more than in any year since 1988.
Atlanta, GA | Vinyl store attracts Atlanta music scene: …Disorder Vinyl stands out from other vinyl and CD shops in Atlanta, as it is an open venue space that allows Doo and his staff to be closely connected to the Atlanta music scene. “I think the biggest attraction to Disorder Vinyl is the fact that I, and our staff, are hugely involved with the music scene in Atlanta, as well as having experiences playing music and touring,” Doo said. “We have a good ear to the ground of what we think is good and what the people want.” Recently, Disorder Vinyl hosted a performance by ‘Whatever She Is,’ a Midtown student-led band. Junior Oliver Sammons, the band’s bassist, said he thought the store was a balance of a venue space and a small house show. “I really enjoyed playing at Disorder; It’s a smaller store, but when playing a show, it really gives a home vibe,” Sammons said. “The atmosphere was really amazing, and it made everyone feel really connected.”
UK | Record Store Day’s RSD Unsigned competition returns to support new talent: Record Store Day and Breed Media have announced the return of the RSD Unsigned competition. The competition offers one UK artist the chance to have their music pressed onto 500 vinyl records. To enter, artists must upload their original music to YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram using the hashtag #RSDUnsigned, and then submit the link via the Breed Media submission page here. Submissions are open now and will close on November 9. The competition will be judged by a panel of industry experts, including: Karen Emanuel, CEO of Key Production Group and Breed Media, Nina Nesbitt, singer-songwriter, Gary Smith, Truck Record Store, Julie Weir, Sony Music. Karen Emanuel, CEO of Key Production Group, said: “RSD Unsigned is an unmissable opportunity that can open so many doors.”
