Hagerstown, MD | Developer plans to buy former Massey property for record shop, game room: A vinyl record shop and game room are planned in a long-vacant building on East Baltimore Street in Hagerstown. The city council on Tuesday voted unanimously to introduce an ordinance authorizing the sale of the former Massey auto property, at 28-48 E. Baltimore St., to a private investor. Lloyd Thoburn, an owner of 339 Antietam LLC, has agreed to buy the property for $30,000, according to city documents. The company plans to invest $300,000 to $500,000 for renovation and fit-out work of the 20,000-square-foot building. About 5,000 square feet in the front of the building will be occupied by Hub City Vinyl, while the rear 15,000 square feet will house Gameroom Garage II.
Connecticut | Connecticut gets in the groove of vinyl craze: In a music industry where streaming is king, one tried-and-true format is making a resounding and timely comeback. According to the Record Industry Association of America’s mid-year report, vinyl record revenue has grown 12.6% from the first half of 2017, while CD’s have drastically fallen by 41.5%. Records are quickly taking over its CD predecessor as the primary format that people are using to consume physical music, despite the technology being more than three decades older. This popularity is evident in Connecticut, with the number of “mom-and-pop” record stores eclipsing 15 just in our small state. Shops like Redscroll Records in Wallingford, which specializes in metal and indie music, have noticed that business is booming despite the popularity of music streaming apps such as Spotify and Apple Music.
Zoe Kravitz to star in the female-lead reboot of High Fidelity: Let’s hope Championship Vinyl is still open in this adaptation. Zoe Kravitz has been announced as the star of a new series adaptation of Nick Hornby’s classic book, and the film High Fidelity. In a neat twist, Kravitz’ mum Lisa Bonet starred in the film version opposite John Cusack, as the impossibly cool Marie De Salle. The 10-episode series will reimagine the story of navel-gazing music store owner Rob Gordon from a female perspective. Hopefully, this reimagining will see the Big Little Lies actor still running Championship Vinyl record store. The film version follows Gordon, played by Cusack, as he attempts to get over a breakup by meeting ex-girlfriends, rearranging his considerable vinyl collection and obsessing over top 5 lists of records.
This new record stand is made out of recycled skateboards: A Dutch design studio have unveiled details of a new vinyl storage cube made from 34 thrashed skateboard decks. The latest in their Rip&Recycle range, Focused’s DecKube will allow buyers to store up to 70 records in a cube composed of recycled boards. The company – who collected the decks from stores across Europe – said, “No matter how old a skateboard deck is, the seven veneers of that deck are still full of life and should not be lost. Together with skateshops and parks we collect old skateboards and skateboard waste and give it a new destination.” Resting on a frame that keeps the cube hovering slightly above the floor, the holder is shaped to the size of an LP record cover. Once filled, it reportedly makes a “perfect cube.”
Denon’s Latest Turntables Provide Turnkey Vinyl Sound. Announced during CEDIA Expo 2018, the new Denon DP400 and DP-450USB turntables feature weighted, belt driven platters and integrated sensors to control playback speed. Coinciding with news from Neilsen that finds record sales are up from 6.4 million to 7.6 million in 2018—an increase of approximately a 20 percent—comes the introduction of the Denon DP400 ($499) and DP-450USB ($599) turntables. According to Denon, the launch of these two new turntables was driven by its years of experience designing consumer audio equipment, and as a result, the DP-450USB and DP-450 incorporate modern technologies to maximize the performance of classic analog audio. “We’re seeing a renaissance of vinyl listening. Whether it’s the high-touch process, superior sound quality or sense of nostalgia, consumers are hungry to experience and engage with their music with better sound and performance than we’ve seen in years,” states Joel Sietsema, senior vice president of brand management, Sound United.
