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Vinyl display inside Waterloo Records & Video in Austin, Texas

Photo: Sinclair Fleetwood

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still-spinning

Still Spinning

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A look at the iconic record stores of yesterday and the stores still thriving today
Phil Gallo
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

With the growing popularity of Record Store Day in recent years, local record stores have continued to enjoy a rebirth of sorts. But in an industry marked by new subscription-based services and increased digital sales, can record stores continue to hold their collective ground?

While nothing is certain, the fact remains that record stores remain a cultural touchstone in cities nationwide, a point underscored with the recent premieres of two films celebrating iconic shops no longer with us and the possible imminent closing of a popular Atlanta record store.

Earlier this month, owner Eric Levin recently announced his Atlanta-based Criminal Records will close in November if he does not raise $150,000. In existence for 20 years and known for its regular artist performances and in-store events, Criminal Records has become an unfortunate victim as costs have surpassed profits since moving to a new space that tripled the store's size three years ago.

A "Save Criminal Records" campaign has been launched with T-shirts and stickers available to help raise money. A local benefit concert is scheduled for Oct. 15, with a portion of the proceeds to be contributed to Criminal Records.

Rhino Records, the iconoclastic Los Angeles store that closed in 2006 only to resurface recently with "pop-up" stores, is the focus of Rhino Resurrected. Directed by Keith Shapiro, the film premiered at the Don't Knock The Rock Film and Music festival in Los Angeles in August.

Shapiro's film tends to not make one nostalgic for surly clerks or feeling inadequate on the hipster scale when bringing a selection to the checkout counter. It does certainly make ardent music fans long for the day when their local record shop cared as much about music as they did, hired employees who absorbed music at a psychotic level and were more than happy to deliver their opinions in rants, whispers and enthusiastic spiels.

It's similar to Jeanie Finlay's Sound It Out, a documentary detailing the last vinyl record store in the Teesside region of northern England. The film, which premiered in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Sept. 16, celebrates the record store as a popular hangout. Sound It Out garnered the praise of The New York Times, which described it as "like a mint pressing in a bargain bin...a rare find."

Given this activity, here are two celebratory best-of record store lists. The first list looks at the record stores that, similar to Rhino Records, blazed the trail and created models that other stores would follow; the second highlights the retail outlets that continue the tradition today.

Top 10 Iconic Record Stores

1. Tower Records, Hollywood, Calif.
A music hotspot that was so good, artists from Elton John to Bruce Springsteen frequented it from its start in the early '70s. Nestled on the popular Sunset Strip, the store became Tower's flagship (until its shuttering in 2006) due to the depth of its selection, the hip records it had on sale and the flow of customers shopping there until midnight daily.

2. Jazz Record Mart, Chicago
More than 50 years old and still run by its founder Bob Koester, Jazz Record Mart has moved numerous times and still manages to have the deepest inventory of jazz and blues from around the world. Enhancing its reputation is the fact that Koester started Delmark Records, a label that featured important blues and avant garde musicians and continues to release new music today.

3. Commodore Music Shop, New York
In the late 1920s, Milt Gabler started to convert his father's radio shop into a record store that eventually would be a hot bed for jazz in the '30s and '40s — to the point where the biggest musicians in the genre shopped there. The store also has ties to a label, Commodore Records, which began as a reissue imprint and would later feature jazz luminaries such as Billie Holiday.

4. Jerry's Records, Pittsburgh
Singled out by publications for its inventory of nearly 1 million albums and staggering assortment of 78s, Jerry's Records store is coming up on its 35th anniversary. Owned by Jerry Weber, this is one store vinyl enthusiasts insist is a must-visit.

5. Schoolkids Records, Ann Arbor, Mich., Athens, Ga., Raleigh, N.C.
A brilliant concept that is in the midst of its final chapter. The idea was that a loose coalition of record store owners could open under the Schoolkids Records banner, provided they were in a college town. Today, the Raleigh location still exists and boasts an impressive vinyl inventory. At its peak, the franchise had 26 stores and was a crucial establishment for college students in Michigan, Georgia and North Carolina in the '70s and '80s.

6. Wallichs Music City, Hollywood, Calif.
Wallichs was the model of the gigantic music emporium, a store that not only carried thousands of 45s, but sold instruments and sheet music. The store, located at Sunset and Vine, opened in 1940 and closed in the mid-'70s. Its customers included stars working nearby at RCA and NBC radio. Capitol Records was launched with the assistance of owner Glenn Wallichs.

7. Ernest Tubb Record Shop, Nashville
Opened in 1947 just a short walk from the Grand Ole Opry, honky tonk pioneer Ernest Tubb's store not only offered an extensive selection of country music, but he also played host to the "Midnite Jamboree," a post-Opry radio gathering of country stars that continues to this day. The store currently has locations in Nashville and Texas.

8. Village Music, Mill Valley, Calif.
After being in business for 40 years, Village Music closed in 2007. John Lee Hooker, Elvis Costello and Jerry Garcia were among the artists who did in-store performances. Costello described Village Music as maybe "the greatest record collector store in the world" and owner John Goodard owns one of Billie Holiday's passports. Can you get any cooler?

9. Bleecker Bob's Records, New York
The Greenwich Village record stores of the '70s were specialty shops and Bleecker Bob specialized in punk — both in terms of records and attitude. A haven for 45s, Bleecker Bob's was a must for any out-of-town visitor and an important place for any band to have their record stocked. The store is still in business and is open every day of the year, including Christmas.

10. Newbury Comics, Boston
Newbury Comics opened in the Back Bay section of Boston in 1978. The store sold comic books initially but soon expanded to offer vinyl. The store would go on to play a significant role in helping Boston punk acts get their music into the hands of fans. Today, Newbury Comics has 29 stores throughout Massachusetts.

Top 10 Current Record Stores

1. Amoeba Music, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley, Calif.
The modern interpretation of a superstore, the three Amoeba Music locations in California are among the only vast warehouses of CDs and LPs left in the United States. Every genre is represented, from Top 40 to the most underground of underground music. Thousands of music lovers pass through Amoeba's doors each day.

2. Twist & Shout Records, Denver
Aside from being Denver's No. 1 record store, Twist & Shout has a blog with a regular feature, "I'd Love To Turn You On," which doubles as a Beatles reference carrying the store's ethos: They have the all the latest goods but there's a lot of great stuff from other eras.

3. The Sound Garden, Baltimore
Located in the Fells Point section of Baltimore, Rolling Stone magazine has singled out the store for its stylistic range, DJ equipment and the fact that it is an enjoyable hangout spot, a crucial element to the stores in the upper echelon of this list. The Sound Garden is also known for having a friendly, knowledgeable staff.

4. Downtown Music Gallery, New York
The avant-garde superstore, now located in New York's Chinatown sector, has CDs and vinyl from the edges of jazz, rock, folk, and classical. Downtown Music's in-store performance schedule boasts an eclectic mix.

5. Aquarius Records, San Francisco
If ever there was a record store designed to specialize in obscure rock music, Aquarius Records is it. In business since 1970, the store maintains a stock of "cool, weird and wonderful" records from every corner of the universe.

6. The Record Exchange, Boise, Idaho; Music Millennium, Portland, Ore.
It would be easy to write the same description for both stores. Important members of the music community convening in stores in historically rooted cities; mainstream but thorough in their selections and keen on providing support to local acts.

7. Waterloo Records & Video, Austin, Texas
Perhaps the only store that does not believe in genre distinction and files music from every artist alphabetically. Founded in 1982, Waterloo is an important stop for any act visiting Texas' capital. The concert lineups in their parking lot during the SXSW and Austin City Limits festivals are as good as most music festivals happening elsewhere.

8. Grimey's New & Preloved Music, Nashville
A home for rock in the country's country capital, Grimey's is one of the top indie stores in the United States in terms of selection. The store has a regular calendar of special events and their Record Store Day celebrations have attracted thousands.

9. Dusty Groove America, Chicago
A specialty store steeped in Brazilian music, funk, jazz, hip-hop, soundtracks, and African music, Dusty Groove has become the country's most significant supplier of imports and hard-to-find-titles. Their website is packed with enthusiastic album reviews.

10. Fingerprints, Long Beach, Calif.
When it comes to in-store performances, no store treats artists with more respect. Posters are designed to advertise the events and, in many cases, CDs have been released of the performances, Weezer's Rivers Cuomo and Damien Rice among them.

(Phil Gallo is the co-author of Record Store Days: From Vinyl To Digital And Back, published by Sterling. He is a senior correspondent for Billboard.)

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Join Record Store Day On April 21

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RSD co-founder Michael Kurtz and Amoeba Music co-owner Marc Weinstein discuss music's biggest holiday
Crystal Larsen
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

According to Record Store Day co-founder Michael Kurtz, Fin Brown, the son of Record Store Day visionary Chris Brown, may have said it best: "For religion, we have Christmas, but for music, we have Record Store Day."

Music's annual worldwide party, Record Store Day, is set to take place April 21 at independent record stores around the world. But before music lovers seeking to snag one of the many limited-edition releases, or take in one of the various live performances happening at record stores around the country, GRAMMY.com has your exclusive interview with two of the principals behind Record Store Day and independent music retail — Kurtz and Amoeba Music co-owner Marc Weinstein.

Kurtz discussed the beginnings of Record Store Day, including early artist participants such as Paul McCartney and Metallica, some of this year's exclusive releases, and the evolution of Record Store Day at, among other topics, at Amoeba Music in Hollywood, Calif.

"In the end we decided to call it Record Store Day because that was something that everybody could relate to," says Kurtz. "Metallica were the first band to say, 'We love it.' … And then Paul McCartney sent us an email … saying it reawakened his love of record stores. When we got the email from him, we knew we were onto something. And it just exploded from there."

Today, one of the main highlights of Record Store Day is artist participation, from exclusive limited-edition releases to live in-store performances. This year the Flaming Lips will release an exclusive two-disc vinyl package, limited to 10,000 copies, of The Flaming Lips And Heady Fwends, the first-ever album recorded specifically for Record Store Day. The album includes collaborations with Bon Iver, Coldplay's Chris Martin and Ke$ha, among others. A limited amount of releases contain the actual blood of some of the project's collaborators, perhaps as a metaphor of how much of themselves artists put into their craft. Additional Record Store Day exclusives included releases by Arcade Fire, David Bowie, the Civil Wars, Foster The People, Buddy Guy, Paul McCartney, Metallica, and Katy Perry, among others.

"What [frontman Wayne Coyne is] doing is creating something really unique and it sends the message [that] this is made by real people," says Kurtz. "He's epitomized what Record Store Day is about."

With Amoeba Music housing hundreds of thousands of vinyl LPs, Weinstein shared a similar sentiment: Record Store Day celebrates music as it was meant to be celebrated — as a form of art.

"[Record stores are] a place to express your passion about music that is unlike anything else in the world," says Weinstein. "In order for people to go experience visual art, they have to go to a museum … it's a place people can go to really express how much they love art. … To me, that's what a record store always was [and] always should be. And Amoeba kind of makes that a real part of who we are."

Launched in 2007 as a means for music fans worldwide to celebrate the unique culture of independently owned record stores, Record Store Day takes place on the third Saturday in April each year. Record stores and artists come together to celebrate the art of music with special vinyl and CD releases and various exclusive promotional products, as well as live performances. This year's Record Store Day Ambassador is Iggy Pop.

Founded in 1990, Amoeba Music has emerged as one of the largest independent record store chains in the United States, with three California locations in Berkeley, Hollywood, Calif., and San Francisco. Renowned for its diverse selection, from Top 40 to underground rock, hip-hop, soul, electronica, and world music, in 2010 Amoeba Music was named one of the best record stores in the United States by Rolling Stone. In addition to housing its own record label, Amoeba Records, Amoeba Music administers initiatives such as Home Grown, a program highlighting local independent music.

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Record Store Day Rescheduled For Fall record-store-day-2020-moved-three-separate-rsd-drops-fall

Record Store Day 2020 Moved To Three Separate "RSD Drops" This Fall

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The announcement of August, September and October installments comes after the independent record store celebration's initial move from April to June
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Apr 30, 2020 - 8:59 am

Record Store Day 2020 has moved once again, and will now involve a series of “RSD Drops” occurring on three Saturdays this fall: Aug. 29, Sept. 26 and Oct. 24.

https://twitter.com/recordstoreday/status/1255482105494192139

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Originally scheduled to take place on Apr. 18, Record Store Day was initially pushed back to June 20 due to the coronavirus crisis. But the new model of the annual celebration of independent record stores is built to fit the uncertainty of the of 2020's musical landscape. 

"2020 is different. So what we're doing this year is going to be different too," RSD posted. "No one knows what kind of party we'll all be in the mood for, or able to hold safely, at any time this year, in any part of the world. So we're focusing this year not on the party aspect of Record Store Day, but on getting the great releases on the RSD 2020 List into your local record store, and then into your collection."

The three RSD Drops will still get exclusive titles into participating indie record stors, and an updated list of RSD releases will be available June 1. 

The aim of Record Store Day continues to be, "Bringing revenue to the stores, as well as to the artists, labels, distribution and every other business behind the scenes making record stores work."

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Record Store Day 2020 Moved To June record-store-day-2020-moved-june-amid-coronavirus-concerns

Record Store Day 2020 Moved To June Amid Coronavirus Concerns

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The global event, which sees many go out to their local record stores to purchase vinyl and other music merchandise, is being moved from April 18 to Saturday, June 20
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Mar 13, 2020 - 10:30 am

Record Store Day 2020 is the latest social gathering to be rescheduled as the U.S. and other parts of the world take safety measures amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

The global event, which sees many go out to their local record stores to purchase vinyl and other music merchandise, is being moved from April 18 to Saturday, June 20.

"We think this gives stores around the world the best chance to have a profitable, successful Record Store Day, while taking into consideration the recommendations of doctors, scientists, the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control, and the need to be good citizens of both local and worldwide communities," a statement said. 

RELATED: Going Viral: The Music Industry Grapples With The Worldwide Coronavirus Outbreak

Organizers also said they postponed the event to ease fear or concern.

"RSD is worldwide and celebrates a record store's place in their community. As good citizens of those communities we want everyone to be safe, healthy and feel comfortable coming to the party," a statement on Twitter said. 

Coachella and Stagecoach are other major music events that have been moved to a later date this year. 

Record Store Day organizers are working with partners to ensure the change is "as smooth as possible for everyone who participates in Record Store Day: customers, record stores, artists, labels and more."

Record stores in every continent, except for Antarctica, participate in Record Store Day today, according to the Record Store Day website. 

The Aces Talk "Daydream," Getting A TikTok Challenge & Keeping Calm Amid The Coronavirus

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Vinyl's resurgence stoked by millennials why-vinyls-popularity-continuing-rise

Why is vinyl's popularity continuing to rise?

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A legion of music fans will be coming out in droves for Record Store Day on April 22, but you might be surprised by the age group that is driving the continued resurgence of the vinyl LP
THE GRAMMYs
GRAMMYs
May 15, 2017 - 2:36 am

Be honest. You've been eyeing up your parents' vinyl collection in the basement, craving the feel of a physical record in your hand, gently dropping the needle on the turntable as vinyl's classic, rich and arguably superior sound emanates into the room. We're right there with you, and so are the millions of vinyl fans who will celebrate Record Store Day on April 22.

Independent retailers participating in the 10th annual Record Store Day are expecting a surge in vinyl sales by as much as 321 percent. This tracks with Nielsen Music's year-end report that showed vinyl finishing out 2016 with 13 million in sales, the format's highest tally since 1991. The majority of those adding to their vinyl collections — an estimated 72 percent, according to Music Watch — are under the age of 35.

Why is vinyl making a resurgence in the middle of the digital age of streaming?

"Millennials, a/k/a 'kids these days' are who we were back when we, or any generation, was spurred into a mania for records," Miriam Linna, president of independent label Norton Records, told CNBC. "Now with the internet and instant gratification, the younger record fans still love the feel and sound of a physical artifact. It's highly personal."

"It's a tangible form," Clement Perry, the publisher of The Stereo Times, told CNBC. "It's a little personal contact with the music that no other format can really match. It's really special in that regard."

Clearly, vinyl isn't a generationally bound format anymore. Kayla Greygor, a senior communication and philosophy major at the University of Pittsburgh, is one of the many millennials embracing their parent's preferred music medium.

"I started my own record collection separate from my parents' in my senior year of high school," Greygor told The Pitt News. "I liked the idea of being able to pass records around. It's totally different and more special to me, rather than just listening to the new stuff on Spotify."

And high-profile vinyl releases from modern-day and legacy artists alike are spurring on the trend. The vinyl version of GRAMMY winner Kendrick Lamar's new album, DAMN., is available as a pre-order ahead of Record Store Day, offering those who order by April 20 a signed copy accompanied by a digital download.

The Oscar-nominated film La La Land also got in on the action, with the vinyl version of the soundtrack clocking in at No. 1 for 2017 vinyl releases thus far. GRAMMY winner Ed Sheeran also made Nielsen Music's Top 10 vinyl list for his recently released Divide, along with releases from Bob Marley, Ryan Adams, Amy Winehouse, the Beatles, and Twenty One Pilots.

Monthly Music Roundup: What was new in music in March 2017

Following 11 years of year-over-year growth in sales, now comprising 26 percent of total physical music shipments, vinyl's popularity seems to show no signs of waning.

"Vinyl is huge across all age groups," Jim Johnson, a sales and marketing employee for music distributor Alliance Entertainment in Florida told The Pitt News. "But with popular events like Record Store Day and many younger, hip bands releasing their music on records, it has really allowed vinyl to take off once again."

Check out the Record Store Day exclusives coming your way on April 22

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Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy.