Category Archives: A morning mix of news for the vinyl inclined

Newport, UK | Retro Records in Newport closed in May 2024: A popular record store in Newport, with thousands of second-hand singles and albums on offer, has closed. Retro Record Shop, on Corporation Road, was a collaboration between Gwent Radio founder Sean Rafferty and veteran record seller Andrew Young, who for two decades has traded at Abergavenny Market. The store closed on Thursday, February 29, after business owners Mr Raffery and Mr Young chose to go their separate ways. Mr Young told the South Wales Argus that he has decided to focus on selling records as a mail order operation, with an ongoing presence at Abergavenny Market, every Wednesday. He said: “I have always been self-employed, and being a man who has Aspergers it suits me more to work by myself as I have trouble fitting in. “I have been selling records for the past 15 years, which I mostly do by mail order, and I have a stall at Abergavenny which I used to do a couple of days a week.

Harrogate, UK | Harrogate independent shop marks the day 30 years ago it first opened as it prospers from vinyl records revival: A Harrogate shop is celebrating its 30th anniversary today with the offer of a whole host of bargains for customers. It was 30 years ago that P&C Music—Harrogate’s oldest independent record shop—first opened its doors under new owner Peter Robinson. The store had evolved from classical music emporium Pomp and Circumstance which had been founded by Geoffrey Webber and was located, variously at Westminster Arcade off Parliament Street, and Commercial Street, in Harrogate. Having moved to 6 Devonshire Place off Skipton Road, the specialist music shop, renamed P&C Music, has become a mecca for vinyl record fans in a wide variety of genres from the classic era of rock music to today’s new releases. Renowned for embracing the annual Record Store Day when queues of vinyl fans form in the wee small hours, P&C Music’s Peter Robinson is proud to have reached this major milestone.

Edmond, OK | Vinyl Record Show: Don’t miss your chance to pick up a can’t-miss addition to your record collection from the massive selection of items available at the Vinyl Record Show. At this shopping event, you’ll find one of the largest selections of vinyl records, CDs, tee shirts, posters and cassettes for as low as one-dollar as well as rare collectibles that are worth hundreds. These records will span musical genres of all kinds, providing something worth finding for everyone.

Oxnard, CA | Fidelity Record Pressing ‘officially’ opens industry wide—the inside story and more: The world’s most revered record pressing plants are now joined by the planet’s newest hi-tech record pressing facility. Goldmine has the story, interviews and ‘exclusive’ pictorial. …The facility is located in southern California, just north of Malibu, just off of Pacific Coast Highway in the ‘beach municipality’ of world famous Oxnard, CA. Geographically recognized as North Los Angeles, Oxnard is the gateway to the state’s Channel Islands National Park, as well as being the world’s largest producer of strawberries, prompting the annual International Strawberry Festival. Ironically but beneficially, Fidelity is located roughly 10 miles north of the iconic and legendary RTI record pressing plant, making viable every opportunity for both operations to collaborate in many ways. Some fun historical facts: the pressing facility’s physical location is in extreme close proximity to many musically relevant icons.

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Dallas, TX | KDT Presents Love and Vinyl Set in Good Records Store: Love and Vinyl, by award-winning playwright Bob Bartlett, has its area premiere with Kitchen Dog Theater in a unique setting. All performances will take place inside indie record store Good Records in Dallas. The romantic comedy marks the final production of KDT’s “out of the box” season of theater. For the production, KDT has assembled a great team of Artistic Company Members. The three-person ensemble features Max Hartman (Zane), Karen Parrish (Sage), and Jamal Sterling (Bogie). The small production team is comprised of Sean Hennigan (Assistant Director), KDT Co-Artistic Director Tina Parker (Costume and Prop Design), and KDT Company Member Ruth Stephenson (Stage Manager).

Moorhead, MN | Facing closure, Mother’s Music owner rallies to keep 51-year-old family business open: Owner Brady Bredell hopes donations and a benefit concert can help cover bills. ‘It’s a historical store,’ he said. ‘I feel like the curator of a museum rather than a business owner.’ Days after ominously posting that his family’s store of more than 50 years may have to close, Brady Berdell was singing a happier tune on Monday. On May 15 Berdell posted on the store’s Facebook page that the Moorhead business needed to raise $5,000 in two weeks to get caught up with bills or face eviction. He asked for donations of cash and used media he could sell to keep the store afloat. Citing the 1995 movie “Empire Records” as inspiration, he also suggested throwing a benefit concert similar to the one that saved the store in the movie. By the morning of May 20, Bredell said things had started to turn around. “I’m feeling optimistic,” Bredell said.

Dayton, OH | ‘You can get a lot for very little at our shop’: Skeleton Dust Records moving in September: Skeleton Dust Records is planning to move from Dayton’s Fire Blocks District to the Huffman Historic Area on East Fifth Street in September. “I love that location and part of me will miss being there, but I’m excited for what’s to come,” said Owner Luke Tandy said. “This part of town, there’s stuff happening and I want to be a part of it.” …The move is largely motivated by the opportunity to be located next to Pink Moon Goods, which is owned by his wife of six years, Kathleen Hotmer. Tandy is expecting to have a “seamless as possible transition.” He’s planning to close the record store in mid-August. With the move to the Huffman District, the record store will be a little bit bigger. Tandy said customers can expect an expanded selection of music, as well as a new selection of books and movies.

Wichita, KS | Local Spotlight: The Record Ship. It’s been close to two years since The Record Ship opened at 230 N. Cleveland. They are a family owned and operated independent record store in Wichita who buys, sells, and trades records, tapes, CDs and more. What they really specialize in though are vinyl records. If you didn’t know, vinyl is back and has been for some time. For the last two years, vinyl record sales have surpassed CD sales. And if you’re curious, people do buy cassette tapes. Nearly half a million were sold in the past year. With the surging popularity of vinyls, it makes sense to have another record shop in Wichita and that’s where The Record Ship comes in. The Record Ship carries new and used spanning all the genres, pop, rock, hip-hop, you name it. It was incredibly nostalgic browsing through all the albums and seeing so many records I listened to as a child and into my teens, like Soundgarden, Nirvana, Alice in Chains and more. You could literally spend an hour or two just flipping through the selection.

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Moorhead, MN | Mother’s Records needs $5,000 to stay in business: Moorhead record shop Mother’s Records says that if they can’t raise $5,000 in the next two weeks, they will be forced to close. Mother’s has been in business for 54 years and is the second oldest record store in the region. In a Facebook post the owner says that the business has been struggling since COVID, and has been unable to turn a consistent profit in 3 years. They say that they have kept running the store because it’s their father’s legacy. They are asking for the public’s help through donations, and spreading the word to help the store.

Ontario, CA | Be a part of a retro revival: …Will McGuirk has managed Kops Records in Oshawa for the past five years. Originally from Ireland, McGuirk is also a music writer and has seen the industry change thanks to such artists as Taylor Swift, who has embraced the idea of limited-edition records as well as playing with the physical medium so that each record becomes a collectible. “I think the artfulness of the whole experience is appealing to a much younger generation who like the connection they make to the artist and want to collect everything they put out,” McGuirk says. “What I’ve noticed is that more customers are buying new classics and records. Kids who don’t have a record player come in here; they love the idea of having a library of records.”

Sustainability drive is putting a fresh spin on vinyl production: A new survey has revealed that two thirds of music lovers would buy more vinyl records if they were made more sustainably. The Key Production study comes after Billie Eilish hit the headlines after slamming the the “wasteful” practice of artists releasing a multitude of vinyl packages in an interview with Billboard – and it seems greener vinyl options are something people want to see more of. The survey was carried out between February and March this year, with 503 people taking part and found that 69% of responders would purchase more records if they were manufactured with a reduced environmental impact. In addition, 77% reported they’d pay more for sustainably produced vinyl and that although there has been an emphasis on heavyweight 180g vinyl products in recent years, 83% didn’t perceive heavier records being a more valuable prospect.

Hit Me Hard And Soft: What makes Billie Eilish’s records ‘eco-friendly’? Each year, the UK’s vinyl habit is estimated to produce the same amount of emissions as 400 people. But Billie Eilish is hoping to change the record with her new album Hit Me Hard and Soft, which came out on Friday. Albums will be pressed on to recycled or eco-vinyl and the packaging will also be made from recycled materials. There’s scepticism about how much difference that can really make when it’s linked to a huge world tour. But Billie is keen not to be the Bad Guy, and has also been praised for drawing attention to sustainability in the music industry. …”My parents have always kept me well informed and hyper-aware that every choice we make and every action we take has an impact somewhere or on someone, good or bad, and that has always stuck with me,” she said.

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Moorhead, MN | One of the region’s oldest record stores on verge of closing: A long-time record and gift store in Moorhead says they may be forced to close if they can’t find a way to make ends meet. Mother’s is located at 431 Main Avenue and has been operating in Moorhead for 54 years. They say the store has never fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that shopping behaviors have changed with people streaming and ordering online. Another factor is the spike in record and CD prices. They say all of these things combined have left them in limbo for several years. “Unless we can raise $5,000+ dollars in 2 weeks, after 54 years, we’ll likely permanently close on July 1st. Our rent went up 20% about a year and a half ago too. Other expenses like insurance & utilities have gone up as well,” Owner Brady posted on social media. The owner says for the past three years they’ve barely turned a profit, and when they do, the money goes to past-due bills.

Vashon, WA | Former lead singer of The Fray finds his happy place on Vashon Island: He recently opened the island’s only record store. As lead singer of the multi-platinum selling band The Fray, Isaac Slade has lived the dream of every rock musician. “The Fray was incredible. It was a journey that I thought would last for three to four years, and then I’d come back home with some stories,” said Slade. “I told somebody it was like a rocket ship; we all just tied our lanyards onto him like, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if,’ and then the thing started to go and we’re like, ‘Oh, gosh, here we go!'” …Now instead of the spotlight, Slade spends his days as a happy husband and a stay-at-home dad. …But you can’t separate a musician from music. Recently Slade opened a record store in downtown Vashon. “It’s Side Stack Records. We have 6,000 vinyl records and then a bunch of cool stuff I like,” said Slade.

Tauranga, NZ | Anonymous customer tries to have record store shut because of ‘disgusting’ cat chilling near coffee maker: A New Zealand record store has reached out to an “anonymous” customer who complained about the shop’s resident 15-year-old cat in an effort to shut the place down. Vinyl Destination in Tauranga sells records, CDs, DVDs, comics and other pop-culture pieces. It is also home to deaf and beloved cat named Callaway, hailed as the store’s mascot. Storeowner Luke Wormald took to Facebook on Wednesday to hit back at an anonymous customer who complained that having Callaway on the premises was “very unprofessional”. Rather than take go elsewhere, the anonymous customer felt it necessary to point out the “cat was in a place where you sell food – it’s disgusting.” So the Vinyl Destination team responded to the complaint, informing the anonymous customer that it was legal for cafes to have a cat on site for “the purpose of rodent control.”

Chattanooga, TN | The Record Store: Need Some Furniture With That Vinyl? Today we’re profiling St. Pete’s Records in Chattanooga, Tennessee. “I have a customer who sets up and services aquariums…” says Keith Wilson, of the large fish tank adorning his office at St. Pete’s Records, ironically located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. “The fish are African Cichlids. They’re one of the most territorial species of fish. They basically chase each other around all day.” St. Pete’s isn’t hard to find. But when I went there for the first time about a year ago, I was confused by two things: that it was surrounded by industrial parks and the large red-lettered sign on the building that read Furniture & Records. I questioned if I was in the right place. “You know, there’s a saying…” Keith says. “The way a shop treats its records is how customers will look at them. The more you can organize, the bigger your sales will be. Having only been up here [in Chattanooga] a little over two years, I’ve just watched sales keep going up.”

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Berkley, IL | Marijuana is made musical at new Berkley dispensary: A new cannabis dispensary in Oakland County promises to create an experience that immerses customers in marijuana’s musical connections. Diverging from the typical cannabis dispensary model, Seven Point aims to create an approachable and active atmosphere for customers that provides education about products and advances the cannabis purchasing experience through music. The shop is intended to be a place where cannabis and music intersect, doubling as a record store with newly released vinyl albums and turntables for sale. Opening in August at 28557 Woodward Ave. in Berkley is the business’ second location. The first opened in Illinois on April 20 to coincide with 420, a traditional marijuana-related holiday. Brad Zerman, the founder and CEO of Seven Point, said the concept of putting music and cannabis together seemed to be a “natural fit” given their intertwined history.

London, UK | London Record Shop Next Door Records Has Opened A Second Branch In The City: Music and wine lovers alike can now enjoy the popular West London record store Next Door Records in a stunning new location in East London. Popular London record shop Next Door Records has officially opened a second new branch in city—Next Door Records Two (NDR2). Originally nestled at the end of Uxbridge Road in Shepherd’s Bush, Next Door Records not only doubles up as both a record store and solid hangout spot but also has an ever-evolving wine list, pizza and special live music events with DJs regularly performing at the space. Already home to the best community of music lovers and artists with NTS radio station and iconic music venue EartH in the area, it comes with no surprise that NDR is now making its way to a second location in East London. With NDR2 officially launched on May 3, the space features a bespoke DJ booth with turntables and CDJs, as well as a bar where you can order pint-size wine ‘carafes’ incase you fancy a little more than a glass and a little less than a bottle.

Beloit, WI | New heart, vintage vinyl: Jeff Livingston opened Tin Dog Records after major transplants, stroke. After surviving heart and kidney transplants, and a stroke, Jeff Livingston is living a peaceful life as owner of Tin Dog Records, a vintage-record shop. The overhead music, decorations, album range and Livingston’s enthusiasm keeps customers in the quaint store, but Livingston stays for the happiness the store brings him. “I come here, I play albums all day and figure out what they’re worth, Livingston said. “People come in for two hours and they’ll just look at (things). We’ll talk about it and it’s a lot of fun.” The former attorney attended the University of Wisconsin Law School from 1982-89. After moving to Chicago and struggling to find work, Livingston found a gig in Beloit and has been there ever since. He’s almost done it all in the court—from being a defender to writing wills—but it’s not something he misses today.

Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee’s Locally Owned Record Stores: For some of us, every day is Record Store Day. In Milwaukee we are fortunate to have several vinyl-centric shops that cater to that particular addiction. Each record store has its own personality. The honor roll of defunct shops includes Radio Doctors, Flipville, Atomic Records, Ludwig Van Ear, Earwaves, The Exclusive Company, Great Lakes, Dirty Jack’s, Spin Dizzy, Lotus Land and more. Here’s a look at what’s what today. Once again there is change in the air with Bullseye Records closing shop and Irving Place Records taking its place. Bullseye Records and Irving Place Records: Luke Lavin has been behind the counter of record stores most of his adult life. Beginning at Mainstream Music at the corner of Farwell and Brady, he moved to Second Hand Tunes. When he heard that Earwaves was going out of business he decided to open Farwell Music in 1996 next to the Oriental Theatre…

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Los Angeles, CA | Los Angeles’ oldest record store up for sale: Los Angeles’ oldest record shop is looking for its second act. With over half-a-million vinyls, “The Record Collector” has been a fixture in the Melrose Arts District for decades. Walking into the The Record Collector takes you back in time. Owner Sandy Chase knows a thing or two about music as he’s a trained violinist and comes from a music family, with his mother meeting Thor Johnson, conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony. …Every record in here is sequentially arranged, so we can find anything on demand,” Chase explained. However, Chase said the time is now for someone else to take over the store. “The establishment is up for sale, the business and the building,” Chase added. The building was one of the first built on the stretch of Melrose in the 1920s. “There’s a cultural imperative. A musical imperative that this establishment be kept going,” Chase declared.

Bloomington, IL | Anniversary bash toasts Reverberation Vinyl’s 13 years — as records reasserted themselves: Every spring, John Anderson converts Bloomington’s Reverberation Vinyl into a mini concert venue. It’s his way of marking another turn around the sun for the Main Street record store he opened 13 years ago. It’s as good an excuse as any to get some of Anderson’s favorite bands to play Bloomington-Normal, in what he’s haphazardly labeled Reverberation’s annual anniversary/pre-Milwaukee Psych Fest/general bacchanal. To be clear, Reverberation Vinyl is not a concert venue; their May 9 anniversary bash felt something akin to a house concert with fewer places to sit. A rack filled to the brim with LPs in the center of the store relegates bands to two corners of the room with a small, donut-shaped crowd surrounding them. Stage lights consist of a couple strands of red twinkle lights hung at ceiling level. Craft services is a cooler labeled “band beer.” And yet, it was magical.

Louisville, KY | Underground Sounds moving to new Shelby Park location: A popular independent record store has found a new home in Shelby Park after being forced to close its former location in April, Louisville Business First reports. Craig Rich, owner of Underground Sounds, said he plans to reopen his record store at 1153 Logan St. near Atrium Brewing in a few months. “I’m gonna take a couple months off. It’s going to take me a month to prep it and then probably a couple weeks to put it back together,” Rich said. “We’ve got Underground Sounds in four different storage places. So, I’m hoping to open by the end of spring, at least, by the middle of the summer.” Rich launched Underground Sound in 1995 at 2003 Highland Ave. He moved to the store to the Barret Avenue location in 2019. Rich said he is still tweaking the store hours for the new location, but as the only employee, he no longer plans on working seven days a week.

Liverpool, UK | The Mysterines to rock Jacaranda Baltic as part of record store tour: The Mysterines are gearing up to hit the stage at Jacaranda Baltic as part of their Record Store Tour on June 19, 2024. The Mysterines, from Merseyside, are on the brink of releasing their highly anticipated second album, ‘Afraid of Tomorrows’, the much-awaited follow-up to their critically acclaimed Top 10 debut, ‘Reeling’. Originally slated for release on June 21, via Fiction Records, ‘Afraid of Tomorrows’ will delve into deeper and darker territories within The Mysterines’ psyche, reflecting the band’s maturity and growth. Lead vocalist Lia Metcalfe said: “Afraid of Tomorrows is a mirror where you find you’re nothing more than a formless being, one made from celestial constellations – of traumas, of the old and new, mistakes, addiction, fear and happiness, loneliness, but ultimately a desire for life and the fight to keep living. It’s a collage of what’s been lost and of love unbounded.”

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Tokyo, JP | Tokyo Record Shop Offers Precious J-pop Memories of Bygone Era; No Age Restrictions When It Comes to Being: Showa-era idols, American cars and other striking images catch the eye at Diskunion Shinjuku Showa Kayou Store in Tokyo. The record shop carries tens of thousands of vinyl records from the 1970s and 1980s, and store manager Kenji Shinoki, 48, allowed me to listen to Showa idol Akina Nakamori’s 1983 album “Fantasy.” He placed the LP on a record player, and as I listened to her record through earphones, I realized that she sounded a bit clearer than when I listen to songs on my phone. “Songs made back then were meant to be played on vinyl, so you can hear them at their best,” Shinoki said. Showa Kayou Store opened in Shinjuku in 2013, when the popularity of Showa-era (1926-1989) J-pop was growing. The shop moved to its current location last year. I was expecting the store to be filled with middle-aged men and older customers buying records they could not afford when they were younger. But to my surprise, I saw quite a few foreigners and young people in the shop, too.

Athens, GA | Sense of Place: Wuxtry Records is the heart of Athens’ musical legacy: If you were to plan a musical pilgrimage to Athens, Ga. — one of the birthplaces of alternative rock and home to bands like R.E.M., Pylon, Drive-By Truckers and The B-52s — you would be smart to schedule in a whole day to visit Wuxtry Records. It’s the kind of record shop you could spend forever in. As part of our Sense of Place: Athens series, World Cafe stopped by the independent record store to find out why it’s such an important part of the Athens music scene and its music history. In this session, we’ll meet the folks who run Wuxtry, like owner Dan Wall and longtime manager Nathaniel Mitchell. Wall talks about some of Wuxtry’s former employees who went on to become famous, and about how this record store has survived thanks to their dedication to vinyl.

AU | Vinyl revival: What went wrong for music megastores like Sanity and Brashs. Major music chains like Brashs, HMV and Sanity have largely disappeared from the retail landscape, yet small independent record stores are still going strong. How did we get here? During the 1990s – the last truly lucrative decade for physical music sales – brick and mortar record stores were found on every high street and in every shopping mall across Australia. In Sydney alone, more than 50 record stores existed within an eight-block radius of the city’s CBD – not including the 20-plus specialist stores in neighbouring Darlinghurst and Surry Hills. Today, within those same eight blocks, only three stores remain – Birdland, Red Eye Records and Utopia Records. All of them are independent.

Portland, ME | Maine’s vintage record sellers thrive on the chase of finding vinyl treasures: There is nothing like walking into a record store and seeing the shelves and rows of different vinyls just waiting to be gone through. The excitement peaks when one store may have the Def Leppard “Pyromania” vinyl you’re after, and the other has the Fleetwood Mac “Rumours” album that you’ve searched high and low for. As soon as you step foot into Electric Buddhas, you are immersed into another world of everything retro. You are greeted by the owner, Mike Breton, who is cashing out customers at his tiki-inspired cash register stand surrounded by a wide variety of things — everything from a “Godzilla” poster to albums to old video game systems, cassettes and VHS tapes. There are rows and rows of different albums to file through, ranging from Frank Sinatra to Elvis to Duran Duran. There’s a range of rock and roll, country, R&B, jazz, classical, hip-hop and everything in between.

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Regina, CA | Friends, customers reflect on legacy of beloved Regina X-Ray Records owner Dave Kuzenko: It’s been a hard week for Regina’s music scene as it mourns the loss of longtime local record store owner Dave Kuzenko. Kuzenko was well-known in the Queen City as owner of X-Ray Records downtown. He was also a long-running columnist at CBC Saskatchewan and co-founded the community radio station 91.3 FM CJTR. His daughters Ivy and Anastasia Kuzenko confirmed his death in an Instagram post Friday. “We are so heartbroken to share the news of Dave’s sudden and unexpected passing in hospital,” the post reads. “His family was by his side, and he went gently and with humour as was his nature. This community and the friendships you shared meant the world to him, and we know how much he meant to the music community in Regina. Our dad will be deeply missed and loved forever.” Kuzenko opened Records on Wheels in the Scarth Street Mall in 1987. By 2004, he moved to 11th Avenue and opened X-Ray Records.

Rochester, NY | Records on the rise in Rochester. This is why we love vinyl again. You see signs of it in Rochester and similar cities, with new acolytes and prodigal consumers returning to the fold — the lasting re-birth of vinyl has happened. If you are young and love Taylor Swift, this might feel new. It’s actually a re-boot of a long-standing American hobby of form and function appreciation that lasted a century before almost dying in the early 2000s. One of many vocal fans of the vinyl rebirth is Sigmund Bloom. His mantra: “Get a record player. Start a record collection. Because it’s the ritual. It is marrying music back to ritual. And whenever you take your record out and you handle it very gently, because it’s a precious thing. … it’s a moment in your life when you slow down and you make yourself ready to receive something.” …Love of vinyl has more crossover than ever. Rochester’s recent Record Store Day showed that.

Chattanooga, TN | The Decline of Music Stores: As a longtime music lover, Jay Purdy still gives his money to music stores. Even as everything music has quickly turned into one big online subscription, Jay still prefers the physical copy of the music. If he is making dinner, the Crosley is going to bump some Justin Timberlake. In the car, he still pops in a CD and jams out to TakingBackSunday. Jay believes that the value of music has been diminished by streaming platforms. “There used to be a certain feel on Tuesday’s when new music would come out, everyone anticipated Tuesdays because that’s when new music was released,” Purdy said. “It’s just another day when music comes out on a streaming platform”. In a technology-forward world, will music streaming be the demise of music stores or will vinyls and CDs become vintage and a possible trend for the future?

Indio, CA | Geodes and Musical Gems: Indio’s New Rocks & Records Store Combines Vinyl and Fossils—With an Emphasis on Community. As the city of Indio continues to pour money and effort into revitalizing downtown, new businesses and events are popping up that celebrate arts, culture and community—and one of the latest additions is Rocks & Records. Rocks & Records sells … well, rocks and records. Music fans hoping to add to their vinyl collection, or perhaps start one, can browse the shelves filled with used and new selections, while mineral enthusiasts can view beautiful fossils, crystals, jewelry—and even edible chocolate rocks! While the pairing seems odd, fans of both records and rocks have been in the store since it opened in early February, often after grabbing coffee from Encore Coffee/Little Street Music Hall, or before heading to shop vintage clothing and oddities at Urban Donkey, or after grabbing a bite at Indio Taphouse or Gabino’s Creperie.

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Kokomo, IN | American Dream Hi Fi owner looks to sell record store after a decade of operation: Downtown Kokomo might be losing its record store. American Dream Hi Fi’s owner Mike Wilson took to social media Monday to announce his pending departure from the record store business. The shop isn’t likely to disappear overnight, though. In a video posted to social media, Wilson explained his lease ends in December 2025. He hopes to find someone to purchase the record store (he later told the Tribune a few people have already expressed interest). Otherwise, he plans to liquidate his inventory. The move comes after a decade of running the shop, which is nestled between a comic book store, toy store and book store on Kokomo’s Geek Street. “It’s something to celebrate, being open in a small town for that long,” Wilson said. With a smile, he added it was the longest he’s done anything, other than his relationship with his wife.

Toronto, CA | Dead Dog Records Is One Of Toronto’s Must-Visit Record Stores: Exploring One Of Toronto’s Legendary Record Shops. Dead Dog Records has established itself as a must-visit destination for music enthusiasts. Since opening in 2015, the shop has expanded to multiple locations, including Bloor Street West, Church Street, and Queen Street West. Known for its welcoming atmosphere and eclectic inventory, Dead Dog Records offers a treasure trove of both new and used vinyl records, CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Rays. It’s a place where music lovers can spend hours flipping through albums, discovering everything from mainstream hits to obscure indie gems. The inception of Dead Dog Records is as unique as its name. The journey began with the founders deciding to open their own record store, which led to several creative brainstorming sessions, often fuelled by drinks, to decide on a name. The team cycled through numerous ideas—from overly cute to impractically long names—without finding one that stuck.

Grand Junction, CO | Local Grand Junction Colorado record store looking for musicians: Downtown Grand Junction, Colorado is a wonderful place for the arts in numerous ways. You’ve got music venues like The Mesa Theater and The Avalon Theater, countless art galleries that participate in First Friday events each month, a shop for musical instruments in J.B. Hart, and plenty of sculptures and statues all along Main Street. You can find live music not only at the aforementioned venues, but also right in the streets in many forms, at First Friday art walks, and this summer the city’s beloved independent music store Triple Play Records will be hosting local musicians as well. …Now, a recent Facebook post from Triple Play Records indicates that not only will patrons be able to get their fix of recorded music, but they’ll be treated to live music as well.

Cambridge, MA | Vinyl Index goes beyond spinning and selling with the addition of sipping and its own label: Dig, drink, listen. That’s the motto at Vinyl Index, a hip little record store on the second floor of Bow Market in Union Square. A standout Somerville stop on our Cambridge Day Record Store Walk. The “dig” refers to “crate digging,” the zen art of guiding your fingers along the squared-off, sometimes weathered, edges of record inventory until you find the hidden gem. Like ditch digging or grave digging, you’ve got to put your back into it, but the rewards beat a hole in the ground by a mile. The “drink” refers to the list of cocktails you can enjoy at the store, a feature presumably intended to placate the “good and goddamn ready to go home” crowd while their vinyl-fiend significant other can’t be extracted. Order a Carmen San Diego (rye, plus a bunch of other shit), a Pleated Khakis (bourbon, plus a bunch of other shit) or a Transition Lenses (rum, plus a bunch of other shit), and quaff in good health at a high table on the sunny deck.

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Alliance Entertainment Announces Largest Sales Month for Independent Retail Division Coinciding with 2024 Record Store Day Event: “…We are excited to see our hard work rewarded once again during Record Store Day and the positive feedback from the retail community,” said Ken Glaser, Alliance Senior Vice President of Sales. With much contribution from Record Store Day product sales, we saw our largest sales month ever. It takes a group effort from all parts of our business to ensure that such a large number of units are received, prepped and shipped in such a short window of time. Our goal is to always ensure timely and accurate shipments to our customer base.”

London, UK | Next Door Records Two Opens In East London: With a venue downstairs, too… In the mile-long stretch from Kingsland High Street to Stoke Newington Road in north-east London, underground music culture has always been supported here. …Now, the popular West London record store Next Door Records has opened a second branch at 182 Stoke Newington Road, hoping to bring something new to the music community in the area. Having been friends from their childhood and through studying music at universities in Leeds and Newcastle, co-owners Louis Raworth, Thom Parris and Alfie Aukett decided to open their flagship store in Shepherd’s Bush back in 2020 from a desire to share their love for record digging, gigs, and electronic music within a cultural space.

Washington, DC | The 6 Best Vinyl Shops in Washington DC: Plus, what to buy, where to eat and stay, and what to do in the nation’s capital. While visitors often flock to Washington, D.C.’s iconic museums and monuments, truly understanding the city is to experience its deep influence on another aspect of American culture: music. Spanning genres such as jazz, punk, and go-go—D.C.’s distinctive blend of funk, rhythm, and blues—the capital’s contribution to the nation’s musical heritage is evident in the vibrant live music scene and thrives within its vinyl culture. To get to know the capital beyond the marble and memorials, we compiled a list of the six best vinyl shops in D.C. and suggestions of where to eat and stay nearby. For first-time and frequent visitors alike, exploring the city through its vinyl record shops offers a unique perspective on the city’s musical influence.

Berkeley, CA | Amoeba Music is More Than a Record Store: Berkeley’s iconic store is a relocated garage sale, a clubhouse and a shrine to vinyl. Amoeba Music opened its iconic store on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley on Nov. 17, 1990. A crowd of customers had already gathered on the sidewalk outside. As soon as the doors opened, they ran into the store and began flipping through the bins of new and used records. “Before we opened, we spent a year going to every garage sale and estate sale to buy old LPs,” said Marc Weinstein, one of Amoeba’s owners. “The word had gotten out that you could find almost anything you wanted on vinyl in our store, and the people lined up. We did great business that first day, selling albums and buying used records, and we haven’t stopped.”

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Sao Paulo, BR | Revival of vinyl records in Brazil spares a 77-year-old singer—and others—from oblivion: It took almost a half century for Brazilian singer Cátia de França to find her audience, but she finally has — with the help of a near-obsolete audio technology. Born in Paraíba, a state in Brazil’s poor northeast region, 77-year-old de França’s blend of psychedelic rock with traditional rhythms and modernist poetry long went overlooked, even as she toured the nation in the 1970s and ‘80s. During the pandemic, she retreated to a conservation area in the mountains above Rio de Janeiro, “where you can’t even imagine an internet signal,” she told The Associated Press. Then one day in 2021 her phone rang. It was the co-founder of an independent label in Sao Paulo who wanted to reissue her 1979 debut album, “20 Palavras ao Redor do Sol” (20 Words Around the Sun), on vinyl. “I thought, ‘This must be a prank,’” de França recalled.

Taipei, TW | Vinyl Record Shopping in Taipei: …Used records in Taipei are generally more expensive than Japan but that was not unexpected. I did not buy any used records but I had a good haul of Hong Kong and Taiwan-pressed Chinese records that are generally harder to get outside these territories and more expensive due to lack of international shipping options. For international records, many of them are even more expensive than from Amazon or closely-priced. I had little incentive to rush into purchase given I have very little cost savings. I did buy a few international records because of their rarity. My most significant haul would have to be the Yiruma: The Rewritten Memories. I had spent over a year searching online and offline for a decent-priced listing (forget eBay). I recalled searching in the Taiwan online record stores like Eslite and Chia Chia but not available. Then when I was at Taipei, I did a search again and found that Chia Chia Record listed as available.

Jeddah, SA | DJ rediscovers Saudi music through vinyl: The timeless ritual of visiting record stores to unearth original Saudi and Arabic vinyl records fuels Yaser Hammad, a Saudi DJ specializing in Arabic musical treasures. “I prefer to label myself as a selector rather than a traditional DJ,” he tells Arab News. “This allows me to introduce the audience to classical songs that may be new to them, setting my offerings apart from other DJs in the region.” DJing with vinyl is an art that can be a bit more complicated: “Being a vinyl DJ involves more than just playing music … it’s about carrying physical songs, which is quite valuable. Unlike digital formats using a USB to carry songs, vinyl DJing requires a hands-on approach and adds a unique quality to my performances, creating a distinct ambiance for the audience.”

Kolkata, IN | Vinyl—another record comeback: A musician by accident and music lover by choice unravels the spools of the ‘vinyls are better’ argument as they make another endless loop comeback. Disclaimer: This is NOT another Audiophile’s Decisive Comparison between vinyl, CD, cassettes and streaming mp3s. But it has been triggered by yet another post about some music icon who still visits music stores to buy vinyls! And of course, the string of comments, on the whole listening experience, both for and against. Vinyl. Pronounced “vie nil”. Yes, I checked it with Google and a few other erudite scholars. The 12-inch polystyrene repository of musical memories, usually black, but other shades these days, are vinyls. The pedestrian buyer in Calcutta called them ‘LPs’ for Long Playing Records. Well, in my day folks around me said “vee nile”. It rhymes with phenyle, but has nothing to do with cleaning or a clean sound. These days, everyone and his uncle is rushing to purchase ‘vinyls’ because they are the best possible listening experience since Edison.

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Miami, FL | Indie Record Store Owners Speak Out About Direct-to-Consumer Vinyl Sales: Vinyl sales continue to rise, but independent record stores are being cut out of the deal by major artists and record labels. By the time Taylor Swift released her 11th album, The Tortured Poets Department, on April 19, most Swifties who wanted a physical copy had already preordered directly from Swift’s online store in February or during one of the several special-edition flash sales the pop star announced over social media in the lead-up. There was also a Target exclusive—a “phantom” clear vinyl, 24-page jacket, rare photos, a replica of Swift’s handwritten lyrics, and a bonus track—that was available to preorder online. But if you wanted to support your local independent record store with your preorder, you were out of luck. Shops were under an embargo that forbade them from the album until the official release date. The practice isn’t new, nor is it unique to Swift.

Newark, NJ | Rainbow Records: Behind the scenes of the Newark staple. At Rainbow Records, no two days are alike. Owner Melissa Forsythe and Chrissy Morgan, the store’s main employee, agree on this immediately. In fact, the only thing they can name as a set routine would be coming in and turning the lights on. “It really depends on if it’s a new release day, if we’ve got a lot of new records, if somebody comes in with a collection,” Forsythe said. “But otherwise we’re pricing records, pricing shirts.” It’s not just the employees who never know what the day might hold at the store. With collections of records, CDs, cassettes, posters, magazines, stickers, clothing and music equipment that are added to the store every day, shoppers never know what they might find (though they can get hints by keeping up with Rainbow Record’s social media, where new records are posted daily). From the record currently spinning in the back to the bins of $5 shirts out front, the store is constantly changing.

Pinellas Park, FL | Check out this Gem of Tampa if you like vinyl records or 8-tracks: If you’re a fan of vinyl records or even 8-tracks, make sure to visit this Gem of Tampa Bay. Sound Exchange is a record store that’s been around since the 80s, with locations in Tampa and Pinellas Park. “What brings an instant memory back more than hearing a few notes of a song? I mean, that transports you immediately,” Sound Exchange General Manager Erin Stoy said. Inside, customers can browse through new and used CDs, cassette tapes, 45’s, 8-tracks, DVDs, VHS tapes, comic books and even video games. “There’s still life and there’s still value in these items,” Stoy said. “There’s no reason for any of this stuff to go into a dump or anything like that.” Stoy also said records and music from the 1980s have been becoming more popular. “I really enjoy seeing the young people come into the store and get excited,” she said.

Montavilla, OR | New Montavilla Bar Replicant Wants to Become the Record Nerd’s Watering Hole: Replicant Bar and Bottle Shop will open alongside the new location of City Noise Records. Montavilla locals will soon be able to nurse a beer or a glass of Mexican wine while they shop for records. Replicant Bar and Bottle Shop will open alongside the new location of City Noise Records, with an extensive wine and beer selection, nonalcoholic cocktails, and listening stations for folks to drink and listen. City Noise Records owner Gianpiero Milani originally opened his punk-focused record store in November 2021, but he knew he wanted to find a larger space. While he and his partner, Lydia Crumbley, began shopping for new locations, he pitched the idea of opening a bar alongside the store, to make it more of a space for record nerds to connect. “He wanted to grow the community around [the record store],” Crumbley says. “We’re making it more of a hangout.”

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Los Angeles, CA | LA’s oldest record store hits the market for nearly $5 million: Los Angeles’ oldest record business has officially hit the market, and it could be yours for a cool $4.9 million. The Record Collector, located in the Melrose Arts District, houses over 500,000 rare and irreplaceable records. Owner and seller Sanders Chase has amassed the collection over a span of 60 years. The original Record Collector first opened on Highland Avenue when Chase was just 22. At that time, he started with just 10,000 classical recordings. Famous faces have been through the Record Collector’s doors, including Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, and Bette Midler. “The Record Collector” has carried the analogue torch for 50 years. Sandy is ready to pass the torch to someone for the next 50… The Record Collector has made its groove and is here for eternity,” the listing said in part. The property spans 3,338 sq feet on the north side of Melrose Boulevard.

Pittsburgh, PA | From cassette tapes to vinyl records, physical media is trending in Pittsburgh: Cassette tapes brought Veronika Cloutier to Pittsburgh. Vinyl LPs have kept her here. Before moving to Pittsburgh from North Carolina in 2021, the former vocalist and guitarist for the band Attack Cat measured the city’s livability by connecting with a local indie label that releases cassettes. “The fact that there was going to be a music scene that was accepting was important,” said Cloutier, 26, of Allentown. “It was good to know I could come here and do my thing.” Within weeks of arriving in Pittsburgh, Cloutier landed a job at The Government Center, the popular North Side record shop, bar and performance space. Today, she aids music aficionados as they snap up LPs at The Government Center Outpost, a satellite of the original location that recently opened on Dormont’s Potomac Avenue. “What people buy is all over the board—I’m always surprised by the stuff that people pick up,” said Cloutier, the shop’s manager.

Albuquerque, NM | Six local record stores to check out in Albuquerque: With vinyl records making a comeback, the question is: “Where can I find a local record store in Albuquerque?” 1. One Long Groove One Long Groove focuses on restoring old records to help bring that vinyl back to the community. Collectors can purchase a vinyl to add to the collection, sell any vinyl collections at the store as well. Before selling, One Long Groove also machine cleans the records to ensure the best sound quality. 2. LongHair Records LongHair Records holds a large stock of vinyl records, cassette tapes, VHS tapes, compact discs and more at their store. The store even holds a small collection of books with vintage pressing. There is a wide variety of genres in stock for every listening platform someone might be interested in, and all devices and stock are tested before being sold. LongHair is also available for small repairs on audio equipment. Besides selling a wide range of music, the store also hosts music events…

Hawkesbury, AU | Behind the Counter: How One Conversation Led to Owning a Record Shop: The sweet songs of Richmond Records have been serenading the Hawkesbury since the 1980’s, with the store being pivotal to our local music scene. But this year the store is getting some fresh paint, so we would like to welcome to the stage the new owner… Spyda! Spyda, or Paul, is a retired Police Officer of 32 years, who has always held a passion for music. He said he is still “giggin’ around” and that on a typical Sunday afternoon you can find him playing in a band at a local pub, or writing his own music. Spyda becoming the owner of the store seems like it was fate. He told us the story of how he and his wife Laney fell in love with the store in early 2023 while adventuring through Richmond… “Laney said ‘oh look at that cool little shop on the corner!’ so we pulled over, walked in, and just fell in love with it”. With his love of a chat, Spyda got talking to the former owner Mark and his son Zac, and even did an interview with them both. Not long after that day the shop went up for sale, so the pair got talking to Mark again and ended up becoming the newest owners.

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Taylor Swift and Record Store Day see highest weekly vinyl sales in 30 years: Last year marked the 16th consecutive year of growth for the format. Vinyl sales recently enjoyed their highest weekly total sales in three decades, thanks to Record Store Day and Taylor Swift. The report was shared by digital entertainment and retail association ERA, which confirmed that one week last month saw the sales of vinyl records reach a new high in recent years. It was the week that Record Store Day (April 20) took place that the figures marked the highest in 30 years, as countless music lovers flocked to both physical and online stores to purchase physical copies of their favourite releases. As well as seeing lots of exclusive releases from musicians, Record Store Day also happened to take place one day after pop icon Taylor Swift shared her latest album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’, which immediately topped the charts, took over social media and shifted over 2.6million copies in the US alone. Thanks to both, data from the Official Charts Company has shown that the week saw 269,134 vinyl albums and 37,656 vinyl singles sold—making for a total of 306,791 units.

Chicago, IL | Let’s Boogie Record & Tapes: Local record store celebrates the future of physical media: Customers rifle through records and cassettes of their favorite artists in Let’s Boogie Record & Tapes as the morning sun streams through the store windows. Behind the counter, co-owner Jason Keller keeps track of the day’s sales while greeting new patrons. His brother-in-law and co-owner, Phil Lesnik, organizes albums around the shop. The small record store in the Bridgeport neighborhood buzzed with activity Saturday, April 20, as customers and employees celebrated Record Store Day. Started in 2008, Record Store Day is a globally observed celebration of independent music stores that takes place each year. The goal of the holiday is to celebrate these small businesses’ role within the communities they serve while also emphasizing the importance of physical media. In an age when music is available at the tap of a finger, many still opt to support their local record shop.

UK | Our Price share more details of their plan to relaunch iconic music store: “We want [customers] to grow with us and see this progress – feel part of it – influence it” Our Price have shared more details about their plans to relaunch the iconic UK music store and plans to grow the business in 2024. The classic music store was a popular chain of record stores across the UK and Ireland, which launched in the 1971 and became a famous presence on high streets across the country up until the early ‘00s. Despite once having over 300 branches on UK high streets and being named the second-largest retailer of records and tapes in the ‘80s, the company saw a gradual decline over the early ‘00s and was ultimately forced to close its doors in 2004. Now, 20 years on, the brand announced that it would be relaunching today (April 30) with an online store containing 20,000 vinyl, merchandise and a range of hi-fi and audio equipment. To celebrate the launch, Our Price have shared more details about their plans to return, as well as what music lovers can expect to see in the coming months.

Gainesville, FL | After 30 years in business, Hear Again Records owner says the shop is here to stay: There is a music store in downtown Gainesville that’s so old, it saw vinyl make a comeback. In the years it’s been open, Hear Again Records, located on 201 SE First St., has survived two locations, two owners and a pandemic. Now, the store has a milestone to celebrate: its 30th anniversary. The store opened in 1994, first owned by Perry Johnson. Andrew Schaer started working there in 1995 and became the owner in 2006; he’s kept it ever since. “When I started working,” Schaer said, “CD was king.” The store originally sold CDs and DVDs, only switching its main inventory to vinyl when it moved to its current location in 2009. As Schaer explained, sales decreased as the burning of discs became more common. While this was happening, vinyl started to make its comeback. “It was a decision I was happy to forcibly make,” Schaer said of the switch.

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Luminate Expands How It Counts Indie Retail Sales for Billboard Charts Via New Partnership: The data firm will now collect indie physical music sales data from StreetPulse as Billboard’s Tastemakers Albums chart is rebranded Indie Store Album Sales. Luminate, which provides data to the Billboard charts, has signed a new partnership that will enable it to report more direct U.S. independent music retail data than ever before, the company announced Wednesday (April 24). Under the partnership — which took effect Friday (April 19) and was jointly reached by the Coalition of Independent Music Stores, Alliance of Independent Media Stores and Department of Record Stores (who work together as Record Store Day) along with the Music Business Association — Luminate will collect independent physical music sales from StreetPulse, a music industry data provider that receives daily sales metrics directly from retailers. The data, which encompasses sales of CDs, vinyl and cassettes, will be incorporated into the physical sales data Luminate already collects directly from other stores.

Pembrokeshire, UK | New Dead Sea Records vinyl store opens in St Davids: Situated in the heart of St Davids, Dead Sea Records adds a new dimension to the city’s lively music scene. This cosy vinyl haven might be the second smallest record shop in Wales, but it is making big waves with its well-chosen collection of vinyl records that span a variety of genres. The shop assures that there always will be something new for customers, thanks to a focus on maintaining quality and rotating stock regularly. Dead Sea Records’ owner, Christian Senior, spoke of the uniqueness of owning a small store, stating: “We believe that being small has its advantages. “Our compact space allows us to maintain a diverse selection of vinyl records while also providing a cosy and intimate atmosphere for our customers to explore and enjoy.” Mr Senior also emphasised the store’s role as a community hub where music lovers can gather, exchange their interests, and find new favourites: “We’re more than just a record shop; we’re a community hub for music lovers to come together, share their passion, and discover new favourites.

Bradenton, FL | Jerk Dog Records Celebrates 10 Years In Bradenton: The record shop, which focuses on punk and garage rock, opened in Bradenton’s Village of the Arts a decade ago. It’s “surreal” for owner Douglas Holland as Bradenton’s Jerk Dog Records celebrates a decade in business. “‘Surreal’ is the right word because it doesn’t seem like it’s been that long,” he told Patch. “It takes me a while to realize it sometimes. ‘When did I start this? Has it really been 10 years?’” To honor his 10 years of selling vinyl records with a focus on music outside the mainstream — garage rock, punk, metal, jazz, country and indie — in the Village of the Arts, he’ll host a party and concert Saturday evening, starting at 6 p.m., at the nearby Birdrock Taco Shack. The event will feature local acts, including the Burke Brothers from Have Gun Will Travel, Tiger 54, Teen Cobra, Sir Sympathy and Holland’s own band, Las Nadas. The show will serve as a benefit for ALSO Youth, which supports and empowers LGBTQ+ youth ages 10 to 24 in Florida.

Burlington, VT | Soundbites: Burlington Record Plant On the Move. Justin Crowther comes across as a humble man. Speaking about the decade-long history of the business he helped launch in the Queen City’s South End, the owner and founder of Burlington Record Plant claimed little credit for his venture’s accomplishments. “I don’t like to talk about legacy or things like that,” Crowther said about starting a boutique pressing plant in Burlington in 2014, as vinyl began staging its grand 21st-century comeback. “But if there’s one thing I’m proud of, it’s coming up with the idea to make the first record ever in Vermont.” Crowther concocted that dream while touring with his former band, Waylon Speed. According to him, he knew “jack shit” about the resurgence of vinyl; he just wanted to start something cool and make records for his home music scene.

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