Record Store Day 2018: Your guide to deals, free giveaways and parties in Tampa Bay: Yep, it’s time once again for Record Store Day. And trust us, you’re going to want a guide. You can head to Record Store Day’s website for all the details on this year’s hundreds of limited special releases, including vinyl LPs by Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen and Pink Floyd, plus collectible items by Run the Jewels, the National, Arcade Fire and many more. But the RSD site only gets you so far. As usual, it doesn’t tell you much about what’s happening in Tampa Bay on Record Store Day; it lists two stores (Vinyl Countdown and Gulfport Records) that are out of business. Here’s a better look at where to go and spend your allowance this Record Store Day.
Redditch indie shop Vintage Trax marks Record Store Day this Saturday: To mark the UK’s 11th annual Record Store Day this Saturday, Redditch’s only independent record shop Vintage Trax is promising something for everyone. The established shop on Birchfield Road, Headless Cross has compiled an extensive offering of collectable retro picture discs, shaped discs, coloured vinyl and limited edition issues of 7” and 12” singles, LPs and box sets for music fans. Plus, there will be hundreds of CDs from just £1 each. “Our customers are looking for good quality original albums and 7”/12” singles, and so rather than committing a big chunk of our stock budget to the RSD releases, we’re focusing on offering our biggest ever range of retro vinyl,” said owner Ros Sidaway.
Record Store Day 2018: Carnival Records in Malvern going back to its roots for vinyl’s big day: One of the biggest days of the year for vinyl lovers will be celebrated with a twist at a Malvern record store. Record Store Day, which is observed across the country on Saturday (April 21), offers music fans the chance to snap up limited edition vinyl across a range of genres. Whilst Rachel and Chris Heard, who own Carnival Records in Malvern, do celebrate the day, they do not sell any of the exclusive vinyl and instead reduce their entire stock by half price. Mr Heard said: “We are a real independent shop and celebrating and promoting shops like ours is what Record Store day was originally set up for.
Record Store Day 2018: The places to buy vinyl in and around Coventry: Record Store Day 2018 is just around the corner and music lovers in Coventry and Warwickshire will be able to get their hands on a number of exclusives on the day. The event is now in its 11th year of celebrating the independent music industry and promoting vinyl. In Coventry and Warwickshire, there are two stores taking part in the event, which takes place on Saturday, April 21. These stores will stock new releases which will be available exclusively from independent record stores. Records from big name artists make up the Record Store Day release list, including ABBA, David Bowie, Niall Horan, Wu-Tang Clan and many more. However, it is worth noting that not all stores will stock every release, and anyone interested is advised to contact stores in advance.
Ready to rock for Record Store Day: Record dealers in Swindon are gearing up for the tenth UK Record Store Day on April 21, promising a great selection of rarities and reissues. RPM Records in Old Town and Red House Records in the town centre are both taking part in the annual event, where independent record stores across the country receive specially-made releases of vinyl records. Greg Miszkowski has run RPM Records in Old Town with wife Karrie since 2016 and will be holding their second store day. “I would advise people to get here as early as they can. Some of my regulars turned up at four in the morning last year,” said Greg.
Vinylyte to stay open for Record Store Day: Music is a universal unifier. Jesse Yates is willing to bet the store on it. That’s why Vinylyte Records will open as usual to celebrate Record Store Day on Saturday – a day when many downtown businesses may choose to close or abbreviate their hours in anticipation of an afternoon neo-Nazi rally and counter-protest. “Our First Amendment right gives Americans the freedom of speech, through whatever medium,” Yates said. “Just as these individuals choose to demonstrate and attempt to sow their ideology, we choose to sow ours through the most influential medium of all: Music.” Yates said regardless of race, religion, culture or geographical location, music is the “antidote for life…“Our store provides a place where no one judges your tattoos,” he said. “We don’t care about your piercings. Seven colors in your hair? Come on in! There is a good possibility while you’re here, you’ll meet someone a lot like you.”
Kevin Buckle: Record Store Day is about shops as well as vinyl: For a few years record shops were almost forgotten about, despite the name, and many articles on Record Store Day spoke of nothing but supporting vinyl, but now at least the shops seem to be getting a look in again. Having said that, what has always been forgotten and continues to be is the quality of the music. There is always very little in the way of music from new bands or even new music from old bands and often what is on offer from older bands is at best interesting but hardly essential except for the fan who needs everything. There are less obvious dodgy releases this year, those live punk albums and novelty records, but that, I suspect, was more down more to sheer numbers than anything else. The organisers try to keep the number of releases down to 500, but such is the clamour to be involved that requests to be involved have far exceeded that number this year.
Hermès Plays a Hipster Tune: On Thursday evening, the ground floor of the Madison Avenue Hermès men’s store underwent something of a redesign. Ordinarily, silk ties hang from the oak-colored walls. Instead, there were only records, which had been placed in sleeves matched to the patterns of the brand’s scarves. By the doors were Pioneer turntables and JVC headphones. Fashion editors swayed to electronic tracks that seemed more suited to the chill-out tent at Coachella than the retail outlet of a 181-year-old French fashion house whose disinclination toward chasing trends is virtually unparalleled in the industry, but whose dedication to the classic can occasionally seem a bit like fustiness. Particularly when big shifts are taking place in fashion land. Gucci is selling faux vintage AC/DC concert shirts for $750.
Berlin antique shop acquires thousands of vinyl records: A massive collection of over 10,000 vinyl records will be for sale this weekend at Turnpike Antiques and Vintage on the Berlin Turnpike. “There are some great names in there,” said Patrick Rhodes, manager of the antique shop, 1660 Berlin Turnpike. The shop recently acquired the records from a family who had been collecting for decades. “It’s a little bit of a variety,” he said. “From theatrical scores to classic 70’s and 80’s.” The shop staff initially tried to sort through the genres and organize them before deciding to sell them on a “first-come first-serve” basis starting Friday.
Vinyl Record-Inspired Bathroom Sinks Will Have You Dancing While Brushing Your Teeth: Music lovers with an affinity for the vintage vinyl sound are going to love the new turntable-inspired Vinyl collection by Olympia Ceramica. Designed by the brand’s artistic director Gianluca Paludi, the new line of bathroom sinks are modeled on a mix between ‘70s record player consoles and DJ setups. Although the concept might sound like a novel take on vintage design, the collection’s aesthetic is modern and elegant. Made in a variety of sizes and colors, each piece features a wooden base with recessed sink basins. Resembling a retro sound system, vinyl artwork is featured in the center of the basin; the sink’s faucet mimics a stylus; and taps, styled as “volume” knobs can be used to adjust the water flow and temperature.
Australia’s Recorded Music Market Posts Highest Annual Growth Since 1996: …As music fans flocked to subscription services, the income generated by these businesses grew by A$60 million ($46 million) in the 12-month period to A$169 million ($131 million). This is a “remarkable performance given the revenue from this segment of the market was negligible just five years ago,” the trade body notes. With the exception of vinyl, all physical formats saw declines during the reporting period. CD albums, once the most powerful category of them all, diminished to A$74 million ($57 million) in 2017, down 14.4% from the prior year. CD albums now account for less than 20% of the market. On the flip side, the market for vinyl albums came in at A$18 million ($13.9 million) in the January-December 2017 period, up nearly 20% from the year before.
