Marshalltown, IA | Wax Xtatic owner John Blabaum calls it quits on ‘one of a kind’ record store: In the week or so before he made his news official, Wax Xtatic Record Audio Stereo Shop Owner John Blabaum posted a series of songs on the business’s Facebook page that seemed to suggest the end of something — “The End” itself by The Doors, “In the End” by Linkin Park, Semisonic’s “Closing Time,” “Don’t Dream It’s Over” by Crowded House, Sid Vicious’s punked up version of “My Way” that famously played at the end of “Goodfellas,” Ozzy Osbourne’s “See You on the Other Side,” Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me in Your Heart” and Van Halen’s “Happy Trails,” to name a few. As it turned out, Blabaum, in classic Blabaum fashion, was sending some not so subtle messages to his legion of local vinyl junkies that the store at 18 W. Main St. would be no more, and after hosting a Customer Appreciation Day on Saturday, Sept. 7, he announced its permanent closure the following Wednesday in a heartfelt 26-minute video posted to Facebook.
IA | Vinyl records are surging in popularity with new retail trends in Eastern Iowa: Records and plants sprout together at Mount Vernon, Fort Madison. After decades of decline, vinyl records are taking another spin around the turntable. As the old technology finds a new resurgence in popularity, it doesn’t sound like a broken record. Driven largely by artists and audiences born in the digital age, vinyl records are now the highest selling form of physical media today—second only to online streaming platforms for music listeners, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. When Madonna asked the DJ to “put a record on” in her 2000 hit song “Music,” vinyl record sales were near their all-time low. By 2023, vinyl sales hit $1.4 billion, the highest figure since 1988 when adjusted for inflation—the same decade the pop star charted her meteoric rise to fame.
Raymond, MS | Positively Mississippi: Little Big Store. Claudia Schmitz, the owner of A Little Big Store in Raymond, Mississippi, has one of the most impressive collections of physical media in the area. The Little Big Store is housed in an historic train depot. “It’s a fantastic building. We’ve been here for a long time selling records. My mother was the founder of the store, Betty Strachan, and we’re continuing with her legacy.” Betty Strachan first started her journey at a strip mall in Jackson. She eventually found the train depot building for sale, bought it, and moved all the records to what is now known as the Little Big Store in Raymond. “There’s a lot of digital music, but nothing matches the warmth of an analog record album. Records are a work of art. The covers, listening to the records the way that the artist intended you to hear the songs. It’s not just dialing up a song, but listening [to] the record from the beginning to the end.”
Pasadena, CA | A record shop in Pasadena wants to be your friendly local ‘Tiny Desk.’ Nearly a year ago, Austin Manuel opened his Pasadena record store with an ambitious goal: to close the gap between big industry and new music. The singer-songwriter grew up around his dad’s vinyl collection in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2017, he made a tour stop in L.A. and stayed. From there, he regularly booked shows at Club Tee Gee in Atwater, and became steeped in the local music scene. He felt the importance of physical spaces in bringing people together firsthand. He watched musician friends back home in Nashville book gigs, and a buddy in L.A. open Jacknife Records & Tapes in Glendale. Then, with a nudge from his wife, Manuel decided to make things happen for himself. The result is Healing Force of the Universe in Pasadena. By day, it’s a record shop; by night, an event space for curious musicians and casual listeners alike with a mission focused on community, hospitality, and the love of good music. “It’s basically like a community center.
Leesport, PA | The Leesport Record Riot! Over 15,000 vinyl records in one room! Sun Oct 27th, Leesport Farmers Mkt: The Leesport Record RIot! A GIANTvinyl record POP-UP sale at the Leesport Farmers Market! Over 15,000 vinyl records in ONE ROOM! Great music and family fun. LPs, CDs & 45s. Indoors at the LFM pavillion. A giant record store lands in Berks County! Dealers from far and wide converge for a giant music sale! LPs and 45s and CDs too. All types of music from punk to funk to country to classic rock, hip hop, soul/jazz and more. Dust off that turntable and come on down. DOOR PRIZES TOO! Regular admission starts at 10 AM ($5) with early admission at 9 AM ($15). Don’t miss the BIG VINYL DIG!
Fort Worth, TX | Leon Bridges Shoots New Video at Record Town: The Grammy-award winning Bridges has been seen popping up at various places around Cowtown to promote his upcoming album “Leon,” which drops next month. Grammy award winning artist and Cowtown native Leon Bridges might be embarking on his biggest tour this fall, but that hasn’t deterred him from hanging out at his most beloved local haunts. For over a month now, Bridges has been spotted at the historic Sinclair Gas Station at 3725 McCart Avenue in the Rosemont neighborhood, the Boiled Owl Tavern at 909 W Magnolia Ave, and now Record Town at 120 St. Louis Avenue. Given his upcoming album, titled simply “Leon,” is all about growing up in Fort Worth, almost all of the promotional material he’s creating in honor of its release, is all being shot in and around the city. It’s gotten to the point where Bridges might pop up literally anywhere in Fort Worth to either shoot a video or play a quick impromptu concert.
PL | Polish Music Sales Surpass PLN 392m in H1 2023: The Polish music industry recorded impressive growth in the first half of 2023, with total sales exceeding PLN 392 million, representing a nearly 13 percent increase y/y. Digital platforms, especially streaming services, played a crucial role, generating 80 percent of the market’s revenue. Despite the dominance of digital sales, physical formats such as vinyl records and CDs also experienced growth, highlighting a continued interest in traditional music formats. The rise reflects Poland’s evolving music consumption patterns, driven by both streaming and physical collections.
The Japanese Hi-Fi Company Keeping a Classic Audio Format Alive: As vintage audio continues its renaissance, only one hi-fi company is making modern players for this classic format. Classic cassette tapes may not be as trendy as vinyl or even CDs but they’re still making some noise. According to recent reports, sales of the analog audio format have increased each of the last ten years. In 2023, sales reached a two-decade high. Part of the reason you might be tempted to get back into cassette tapes is the analog experience. You get to see the tape rotate, hear the player’s mechanical clicks and touch the cassette when rewinding or flipping sides. And, just like vinyl, it delivers a warm analog sound. Believe it or not, cassette tapes are still readily available, even for new albums. Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and Harry Styles all made cassette tapes of their latest releases.
