Dallas, TX | Best Vinyl Store: Forever Young. The giant jukebox-shaped arch over the door at Forever Young makes a great photo backdrop, but if you’re scouting for a setting with vinyl records as props for your latest TikTok video, go embarrass yourself elsewhere. Forever Young is a destination for true-blue lovers of music, in all mediums and all ages. Filled with troves of CDS, vinyl and cassettes, the massive store has a room dedicated to rare records. There’s an unmatched assortment of memorabilia, such as vintage Beatles masks and velvet Elvis paintings, and new posters that are perfectly priced for broke teenagers. If you’re looking for a Sir Mix-a-Lot T-shirt (because why wouldn’t you be?) and to grow your album collection, this must be the place.
Silver Spring, MD | ‘Love Your Stuff’: Silver Spring Shop Sells Curated Books, Records: Mojomala Books, Records & Cool Stuff has been attracting locals as well as customers from D.C. and Virginia to its Silver Spring store. Located off the beaten track in Silver Spring’s central business district, Mojomala Books, Records & Cool Stuff has been attracting local residents as well as customers from D.C. and Virginia to its store since early July. An avid collector since he was a young boy, Mojomala’s owner, Michael Abate, has amassed an impressive collection of record albums, clothing and books. Many of the items he had previously made available online can now be purchased in-person at reasonable prices at Mojomala, his curated store in downtown Silver Spring. Abate believes it’s his curation of the merchandise that makes his store stand out from the crowd. “What I’ve heard from customers is, ‘This is amazing. Every place I look, there’s something that’s interesting. It may not always be for me, but it’s cool. None of it is trash. It’s all quality stuff.”
Honolulu, HI | Inside the 15,000-strong record collection at Hawaii’s State Archives: A donation of two extensive collections is revealing new links to cultures at risk of being lost. Two of the world’s most comprehensive collections of Hawaiian music are now in the hands of the Hawaii State Archives in the heart of downtown Honolulu. In December 2021, a total of nearly 15,000 records almost entirely composed of Hawaiian music, with discs dating back to at least 1903, were donated to the organisation by the respective estates of Hawaii-born radio broadcaster Harry B. Soria Jr. and British-born, Toronto-based musician Michael Scott. From a collector’s standpoint, you could say this is the come-up of a lifetime — but that falls short of the true value at hand. Combined, these collections represent a direct connection to a long out-of-reach era of Hawaiian music and history, with the potential to form a greater understanding of the Islands’ heritage.
Iowa City, IA | Big Grove Vinyl Market returns to Iowa City, launches next month in Des Moines: “It’s a fun atmosphere to sell records in,” Brian Brandsgard told Little Village of the aesthetics and energy Big Grove Brewery in Iowa City. “It’s just a perfect place to have it.” Brandsgard is the organizer of the Big Grove Vinyl Market, which he has held periodically at the brewery since it opened five years ago. Now, in the wake of the brewery’s recent expansion to Des Moines, Brandsgard is testing the waters there, too. Big Grove Vinyl Market, coming up on Sunday, Sept. 25 at Big Grove Brewery Iowa City and Sunday, Oct. 2 at Big Grove Brewery Des Moines, will feature vendors from across Iowa and Minnesota. Included on the list of those selling is Brandsgard himself, whose introduction to selling vinyl arose out of a period of tragedy in Iowa’s history.
How to downsize a record collection: You’ve got a lot of vinyl records, and you’ve decided it’s time to let them go to a new home. What are your options? You’ve got a lot of vinyl records, and you’ve decided it’s time to let them go to a new home. What’s the best way to clear out a collection? We offer a few options based on what matters most to you, as well as what you’re willing and able to do. Before you start listing or selling your records, start by making an inventory. 1. Putting together a thorough list of what you have, including the artist name, title, record label, catalog number and the condition (along with noted faults) of every disc, sleeve and cover. Everything, including original posters, lyric sheets, etc. If the album still has a hype sticker on it, mention it. Yes, this can add to the appeal of a record. If the record is still sealed, you can only assume it is in mint condition. It’s better to list it as “sealed” than “mint.” It’s possible that a future buyer can open up the record and discover a manufacturing scratch or defect.
Top 5 Benefits Of Having Your Own Vinyl Record Collection: …Anyone who is seriously into music will have a pretty specific taste. With songs, genres and bands that will always bring them to mind when heard by their friends and family. So, what better way to show your musical taste than by building a collection of your most meaningful records? You might want to check out which new artists have vinyls available or discover which vinyl albums you can collect from some of the best artists in the industry. The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Elton John are just some of the best selling music artists of all time, according to Business Insider. Enjoy crate digging and searching for your prized albums, or buying new or used vinyl records, and try to develop a vinyl collection of the music that is most important to you in your life.
The Victrola Stream lets you listen to vinyl records on Sonos speakers: The new Stream Carbon connects with your Sonos sound system so you can enjoy all of your favorite vinyls wherever you are in your home. Victrola, one of the mot popular turntable and music brands in the world, has announced the Stream, the company’s first wireless vinyl record player that integrates directly with Sonos speakers and sound systems. It’s similar to other turntables from companies like Pro-Ject that also integrate with Sonos. It’ll initially hit the market as the Stream Carbon, a gussied-up version of the basic Stream with a nicer design. With the Stream Carbon, Victrola promises a “single, simple setup process via a Victrola Stream app” is all that’s required to get the turntable hooked up to your Sonos system. Once connected, you can play your records at both 33 1/3 and 45 RPM on its low-resonance veneered MDF plinth. You can control playback from either the control knob on the turntable or the Sonos app, and you have the ability to send the audio from the turntable to any Sonos speaker in your home, just like you can with digital music.
