Just as our beloved Ella Guru closes, in fact the exact same day, a once-defunct record store will open in East Atlanta Village. Reactionary Records will relaunch on February 28 at 465-A Flat Shoals Ave., right across the road from The EARL. According to Creative Loafing, the store "will cater to discerning vinyl shoppers." Chad Radford reports:
Despite the lingering retail doom and gloom, [owner Paul] Tilghmon seems unfazed. "I
can't really worry about those things," he says with a dismissive
shrug. "It's a risk I have to take, but I don't think it will really
affect me that much. People who want their music on vinyl are dedicated
to it, and they'll never be satisfied by looking things up on their
computer. They love to hunt for it. But until now, there hasn't been
anywhere to hunt for it on this side of town."
The numbers don't lie. According to Criminal Records owner Eric Levin,
January '09 sales for new and used vinyl at the Little Five Points
indie-music hub surpassed CD sales for the first time ever, with vinyl
accounting for 60 percent of Criminal's music sales last month. Stats
from the Recording Industry Association of America reflect the trend's
national upswing. In 2007, revenue from vinyl sales increased by nearly
50 percent across the country, while CD sales revenue dropped more than
20 percent. Even those numbers fail to account for the popular used
vinyl market.
Reactionary Records will host an opening party at the Star Bar on Friday, February 27. Dark Meat, American Cheeseburger, GG King and more will play. Read more here.
