Oshawa, CA | One of Canada’s oldest music stores shutting down just shy of 100th anniversary: Wilson and Lee Music in Oshawa is closing in December. Oshawa’s Wilson and Lee Music Store has seen a lot in the last 97 years. The shop was there when player pianos and gramophones were the only way to play recorded music in your home. It was there as vinyl rose to prominence, fell out of favour, and then rose once again. It has been a fixture in the community for almost a century — but now, what is undoubtedly one of the oldest music shops in the country is closing its doors in December. The music business just isn’t what it once was, and so co-owners Bill and David Wilson feel the time is right to hang it up. “I’ve had a few people trying to talk me into another three years to make it 100, but I’m ready to go,” Bill Wilson told CBC News at the shop on 87 Simcoe St. N. “We’re just feeling a difference now. And that’s why we’re going.”
Buffalo, NY | Doughnuts, comic books – and records – coming to former Record Theatre: The redevelopment group that is buying the former Record Theatre complex has signed four retailers as the first tenants for space in the new $6 million mixed-use project. GObike Buffalo and Reddy Bikeshare, Gutter Pop Comics, a new record shop and Fry Baby Donut Co. will occupy more than half of the available commercial space, helping to reactivate the 33,000-square-foot building on Main Street that has been vacant since the store closed two years ago. “We’re excited about the emerging tenant mix,” said Jason Yots, president of Common Bond Real Estate. “We hoped to attract community-focused organizations to this site. GObike and Reddy Bikeshare fit that bill perfectly, given their neighborhood-building activities on both sides of Main Street.”
Dallas, TX | North Texas Record Stores Explain Rising Vinyl Sales Trend: In today’s America, where kids in high school don’t even know what a turntable looks like, the yearly gross of vinyl sales is on pace to pass CD sales for the first time since 1986. The Recording Industry Association of America released its midyear report last week, confirming what vinyl lovers have known for years: That vinyl is worth collecting. Cris B at Josey Records says he isn’t surprised about the midyear report. “Vinyl has been in a resurgence a little longer than people think. … It’s been a process that has been happening over time.” The report revealed that 8.6 million vinyl records were sold during the first half of the year, raking in $224.1 million in sales. CD units doubled the amount of vinyl units sold and made $247.9 million. But vinyl revenue grew by 12.8% in the last six months of 2018 and another 12.9 % in the first half of 2019, while CD sales barely budged. The RIAA report is just like a trustworthy weather report, and the projected forecast pretty much guarantees vinyl will surpass CDs.
North Bay, CA | Nostalgic games, comics draw crowds: Joe Kennedy was feeling nostalgic as he looked through the vintage video games and systems in the Callander Community Centre. He had his children, Logan, 7, and Tenya, 5, with him while he eyed up the old Sega Master System – a game system from the mid-’80s – still in its box. “That’s amazing,” he says, while Logan looks for Pokemon items and Tenya looks for princesses. They were among several hundred people attending the first NostalgiaCon, an offshoot of the Northern Game Expo in Sudbury. Thirty-five tables were set up featuring everything from retro games – the video games older readers may have grown up with – to classic vinyl records and almost everything in between. “It’s pretty well anything nerd,” Brad Davidson, , who with Michael Shanks, Jerrica Leblanc and Ashlee Shanks organized the event, said Saturday as the doors opened and the visitors began to pour in. Nostalgia, particularly for the classic video games and comics, is “huge right now,” Davidson said.
San Jose, CA | Check out the 5 top spots in San Jose’s White Oak neighborhood: The Analog Room. Topping the list is The Analog Room, a spot to score vinyl records and high fidelity audio equipment. Located at 3185 S. Bascom Ave., it’s the highest-rated business in the neighborhood, boasting 4.5 stars out of 54 reviews on Yelp. In addition to vinyl records, The Analog Room offers record players, speakers and other music equipment.
Four Madonna albums getting crystal clear vinyl reissues: Rhino has announced the reissue of Madonna’s first four iconic albums – three studio and one soundtrack – on crystal clear vinyl on November 8th. Madonna, Like a Virgin, True Blue and Who’s That Girl: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack will be available separately and as a bundle exclusively from the Rhino store. Madonna’s seminal, self-titled 1983 album is certified five-times platinum and sold over ten million copies worldwide, captivating audiences with Top 10 hits including “Holiday”, “Lucky Star” and “Borderline.” Madonna cemented her status as a cultural icon a year later with her follow-up release, Like a Virgin. Produced by Nile Rodgers, the record was her first to top the U.S. albums chart, its title track becoming her first No. 1 single. Certified diamond, Like a Virgin has sold over 21 million copies worldwide. The record features hits including “Dress You Up”, “Angel” and “Material Girl.”
The Who unveil new LP ‘Who’ and announce 2020 orchestra tour: …Frontman Roger Daltrey, 75, feels the LP – which has been co-produced by guitarist Pete Townshend and Oasis producer Dave Sardy – as their “best” since the iconic ‘Quadrophenia’. He said: “I think we’ve made our best album since ‘Quadrophenia’ in 1973, Pete hasn’t lost it, he’s still a fabulous songwriter, and he’s still got that cutting edge.” The record features co-writing from Pete’s brother Simon Townshend and the songs were made to compliment Roger’s “revived singing voice”, whilst the main theme is “the explosive state of things today”. The 74-year-old guitar-slayer added: “This album is almost all new songs written last year, with just two exceptions… “We started recording as The Who in March 2019, and have finished now in late August just in time to make some vinyl ……… maybe even some cassettes …… ready for release in November.”
