Interview: Graham Jones: It’s fantastic to see the resurgence in vinyl record sales and even better to see new record shops opening. Keynsham gained its own vinyl outlet when Longwell Records opened earlier in the summer… Graham Jones, an industry veteran, has done much to support independent record shops via his hugely entertaining book Last Shop Standing and spin-off tomes: he will be presenting clips from the associated film (with plenty of anecdotes); hosting a pop quiz and there will be live music from Julia Turner.
Playback: Big Henry’s Grooves Antone’s: Enter Big Henry’s Vinyl & Gifts, Antone’s new storefront shop selling records, cassettes, Antone’s merchandise, signed Susan Antone photography, posters, playing cards, and even dominoes. Always spinning are two turntables where clerks – whether it’s co-owner Will Bridges, his wife Noel, employees from Antone’s Records, or house musicians picking up day shifts – play records noon-7pm daily. The shop harks back to Antone’s original Sixth and Brazos location (1975-80), which enjoyed a synergistic relationship with next-door neighbor OK Records.
Is this the final spin for cherished Fremantle record store? One of Perth’s oldest and much-loved record stores is at risk of closing down with apartments proposed for its Fremantle home. Mills Records is one of the most recognisable buildings in not only the port city, but the whole of Perth. Despite the advent of music downloads, the store across the road from the Fremantle Town Hall at 22 Adelaide Street, has managed to stay afloat in a volatile and unpredictable market. But now there is a real risk Mills will have to pack up its records and CDs and move out, after the City of Fremantle received a development application for a five-storey apartment complex and a shop for the circa 1880s heritage-listed building.
25 years after Napster, The Beat (still) Goes On: John Rocchetta remembers the launch of Napster in the late 1990s all too well. The digital music file-sharing service would spell the death of his chain of used CD stores, went the predictions. “Give it up, you’re done,” the founder of The Beat Goes On recalls hearing. But Rocchetta was nothing if not confident in his strategy and determined that the business he’d started in 1991 at the age of 21 with a single store in Kitchener wasn’t just going to survive, but thrive. “We’ve always had a niche market, and we’ve developed that niche market year over year,” he says. “And we’re still here today.”
Huge vinyl record sale planned for Newmarket: Those who enjoy firing up their record players to listen to their favorite music in old school style are invited to an event that will give them an opportunity to purchase albums to build their collection, and meet with others who share their interest. All types of vinyl records, both 45s and LPs, will be available, as will an assortment of related paraphernalia such as record storage, sleeves, dividers, jackets, cleaning supplies to keep their collection in top shape, books, posters, CDs, equipment, and other collectibles. There will be 43 tables set up for vendors to sell their wares, and those from the sale’s previous years will be on hand, along with some new ones.
