New record store opens in Limerick
A new record store has opened in Limerick, Ireland. Check out more details below.
Downbeat Records opened last weekend (August 3) in the centre of Limerick City. The record store was founded by Frankie O’Mahoney, former head music buyer for used records at Rough Trade, and is mainly dance-oriented but offers an eclectic mix of vinyl that includes jungle re-issues, reggae, rock, jazz and work by local artists and producers.
Speaking to Hot Press, O’Mahoney said the record store is intended as a space for “the local music community.”
“We hope to welcome anyone with an interest in records and music to stop by and hang out, chat music, buy music and meet other people interested in a wide variety of sounds,” he continued.
Downbeat Records also features an in-store listening deck to assist customers in their shopping and will be open Wednesday-Sunday.
The news follows an upward trajectory for vinyl sales this year, which has seen a handful of new record stores open. Earlier this week, Grub Records, a new record store and music venue, opened in Sheffield with hopes of becoming a “worthy addition to the city’s wonderful scene”, launching a Crowdfunder in a bid to raise £2500 to “hit the ground running”.
In January, Rubber Ducky Records, the Manchester record store on a canal boat, reopened after sinking last year, while the classic record store chain Our Price has reopened this year after two decades. HMV also reopened its flagship store on London’s Oxford Street last year.
(@rubberduckyrecords)In July, it was reported that physical music sales are on track to see their first increase in two decades. This marks the first time the sector has seen an increase since 2004, when a shift to digital music consumption and streaming began.
Taylor Swift‘s ‘The Tortured Poets Department‘ has been the biggest contributor to the increase in sales, shifting 254,241 copies in the first six months of 2024.
Other records in the Top 5 for most physical sales were Billie Eilish‘s ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft‘, which sold 45,434 copies, The Last Dinner Party‘s debut album ‘Prelude To Ecstasy‘ (42,352 copies) and the self-titled album from Liam Gallagher and John Squire (46,982 copies). Rod Stewart and Jools Holland came second to Swift, selling 48,540 copies of their collaborative album ‘Swing Fever’.
In April, vinyl sales enjoyed their highest weekly total sales in three decades, thanks to Record Store Day and the release of ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ in the same week. Data from the Official Charts Company showed that the two events resulted in 269,134 vinyl albums and 37,656 vinyl singles sales – making for a total of 306,791 units.
News of the increased popularity of physical music also follows reports that the number of independent record shops in the UK hit a 10-year high and that sales of vinyl records in the UK had hit their highest level since 1990.
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Laura Molloy
NME
