Singapore, MY | White Label: Record store by day, bar by dusk: Founders of social commerce #vinyloftheday have launched their first brick-and-mortar record store, White Label at Ann Siang Hill. In 2013, Darren Tan and Kurt Loy founded the music and lifestyle platform #vinyloftheday for vinyl records collectors and music enthusiasts. Following their social media success, they have launched White Label, an integrated record store and bar, in the hip heritage neighbourhood of Ann Siang Hill. The storefront is adorned with a neon signboard that reads, “You Make My Heart Spin”, with a playful pun on the soulful pleasures of listening to a vinyl. The store boasts an extensive selection of records from various eras, as well as a rotating selection of offerings from local and regional record stores.
Toronto, CA | Elton John stops by Toronto record store, adds to his vinyl collection: Elton John surprised employees at Toronto record shop Sonic Boom on Tuesday when he strolled into the store and bought a number of vinyl albums. Manager Christopher Dufton says he instantly recognized the legendary performer, who was dressed in black Adidas gear and black-rimmed shades. “I didn’t have to ask,” he said of spotting John’s famous face. “You would know, too.” On Instagram, the store wrote that John might be “the only knight we’ll ever have in Sonic Boom history.” John is in the midst of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which rolls into Toronto next week. His husband, David Furnish, is also from the city. The musician has fostered a reputation for collecting vinyl in recent years.
Chicago, IL | Oak Park board: No way on Val’s Way, Honorary street rejected by Oak Park Board of Trustees. The Oak Park Board of Trustees rejected a proposal to designate an honorary street sign for the late Val Camilletti, the beloved local record purveyor, who died in July. The honorary street would have run in front of Camilletti’s record store, Val’s halla Records, 239 Harrison St. Trustee Jim Taglia was the sole yes vote on the proposal and Trustee Deno Andrews recused himself from the vote, stating that it was a conflict of interest because he is serving as executor of Camilletti’s estate. Andrews is the trustee who proposed the honorary street for Camilletti. Trustees said they opposed the measure because of the slippery slope of honorary streets becoming more common.
Brighton, UK | Brighton is one of the best places to buy and sell records: Nine years ago, author Graham Jones documented the decline of record shops in his best-selling book Last Shop Standing. However, since then vinyl records have made a spectacular comeback and Graham has published a new book, The Vinyl Revival and the Shops That Made It Happen, which comes out on Friday. The book is a guide to independent record shops that sell vinyl. It also entails personal stories of shop owners who have helped make the vinyl revolution happen. Graham, a regular visitor to Brighton, said he highly recommends the city for vinyl lovers. He said: “I’ve spent 32 years travelling around the UK visiting record shops. Over the years, I must have visited about 2,000 different shops. “Independent shops are responsible for the vinyl revival.”
Forbes: Vinyl Is Bigger Than We Thought. Much Bigger. Music industry watchers know that vinyl records have been enjoying a resurgence since their near-death in the mid-2000s, and the market continues to grow. But vinyl sales are actually much larger than what industry figures report, because they don’t count used vinyl sales. Now, thanks to some new data, we know that with used sales taken into account, the true size of the vinyl market is at least double those industry figures. Revenue from sales of used records is particularly significant in the digital era, now that most of the attention is on streaming, where users can’t “resell” music. The music industry doesn’t bother to count used sales because no revenue from used sales goes to record labels, artists, or songwriters. “Given the size of the overall market, I am always shocked that these numbers are ignored when reporting sales,” says Ron Rich, SVP of Discogs Marketplace, one of the two largest online marketplaces for used records, along with eBay.
This TV Series Is About A Vinyl Record THAT KILLS PEOPLE: Everyone knows vinyl records don’t kill people. What this TV show presupposes is … maybe they do. Deadwax, an upcoming original short-form series from the horror-specific streaming service Shudder, takes its name from the space between the last track and the label on a vinyl record and its inspiration from the urban myths surrounding “backmasking,” the practice of hiding a backwards message — like, say, “PAUL IS DEAD” — in a recording. Directed by Graham Reznick, the sound designer for horror features like Stake Land, The House Of The Devil, and The Sacrament whose credits also include co-writing the video game Until Dawn and the Dave Bautista action-thriller Bushwick, Deadwax follows Etta (Hannah Gross from Mindhunter), a young woman with a talent for procuring rare records for rich collectors.
Art and artefact: Illustrators go on the record about vinyl artwork: …There are a few bastions of non-advertorial, physical art outside of galleries, among them magazines, art books, — and music album packaging. One happy side effect — or is it a driving force? — of the revivification of the vinyl format is the increase of opportunities for artists and designers to create compelling printed art to be spread across multiple 12” by 12” panels. In order to celebrate the medium of vinyl album artwork and sleeve design, and highlight some of the pieces that have graced Laced Records records, we spoke to many of the talented artists that the label has worked with so far. Specifically, we asked about what they personally like to see on albums; how they go about designing for the wider gatefold canvas; and some of their favourite album art from their own record collection.
