The Sleevewise Journal

The Journal

News from the vinyl world, market reports and guides for collectors.

Extreme macro photograph of a phonograph needle tracing a vinyl record's groove

SLV-029News2026.09.245 min read

UK Counterfeit Vinyl Boss Jailed 3.5 Years After £2.7m Scam

Rehan Ahmed made £2.7m selling fake vinyl by Taylor Swift, Coldplay and 106 others. He was jailed for three and a half years on 18 September 2026.

Sounds of the Universe, an independent record shop on Broadwick Street in Soho, London

SLV-028Culture2026.09.24

National Album Day 2026: 'Icons' Lands 17 October

National Album Day returns 17 October 2026 with the theme 'Icons', bringing anniversary vinyl reissues from Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, The Who and more to UK shops.

The 1931 Congrescentrum building at the Brabanthallen complex in Den Bosch, the Netherlands

SLV-027Stores & fairs2026.09.24

Mega Record & CD Fair 2026: Den Bosch, 14–15 November

The Mega Record & CD Fair's 63rd edition runs 14–15 November 2026 at the Brabanthallen in Den Bosch, billed as the world's largest vinyl and CD fair.

Close-up of a turntable's tonearm and cartridge resting on a record on the platter

SLV-026Guides2026.09.24

How to Grade Vinyl Records: The 8-Grade Goldmine Scale

The Goldmine scale grades records from Mint to Poor, media and sleeve separately. Here is what each grade means, and how to apply it honestly.

Red shopfront of the Analog Collector record shop in Paris, with used-records and vinyl signage

SLV-025Market2026.09.24

France Vinyl Sales Rise 5.8% in H1 2026 as CD Falls 14.4%

French vinyl revenue grew 5.8% in H1 2026 and stayed the country's top physical format by value, SNEP reports, even as the wider physical market shrank 3.4%.

Storefront of Discos Revolver, a record shop in Barcelona, with red signage and vinyl sleeves in the window

SLV-024Market2026.09.24

Spain Vinyl Revenue Jumps 27.7% in H1 2026, Now 73% of Physical

Spanish vinyl revenue rose 27.7% to €15.3m in H1 2026 and reached 73% of physical music sales, as the wider market grew 11.6% to €181.4m, Promusicae reports.

Floor-to-ceiling crates and shelves of vinyl records inside Platten-Pedro, an independent record shop in Berlin

SLV-023Stores & fairs2026.09.24

Rough Trade Berlin Moves to Neukölln for Its 50th Year

Rough Trade's Berlin shop left Karl-Marx-Straße for a bigger Neukölln space on 2 September 2026, with a stage and bar, as the chain marks its 50th anniversary.

The bright yellow Third Man Records storefront on Marshall Street in Soho, London

SLV-022Stores & fairs2026.09.24

Third Man Records' Five-City UK & Ireland Pop-Up Tour

Jack White's Third Man Records ran pop-up shops in five UK and Irish record shops in 2026, selling exclusive vinyl and hand-printed bootleg records.

Macro photo of a matrix number etched into the runout groove of a vinyl LP

SLV-021Guides2026.09.24

How to Tell If a Record Is a First Pressing

No single clue proves a first pressing. Matrix numbers, labels and catalogue numbers have to agree — here's how to read each one properly.

A Technics SL-1200MK2 direct-drive turntable

SLV-020Gear2026.09.24

Technics' SL-1200 55th Anniversary Edition: 12,000 Units

Technics unveiled a 12,000-unit SL-1200 55th Anniversary Edition on 18 August 2026, with a gold tonearm and seven colourways, for release in September.

Stacked cardboard shipping boxes used for packaging and postage

SLV-019News2026.09.24

EU's PPWR Packaging Law Could Cost Record Sellers €16k

Since 12 August 2026 the EU's packaging law treats small cross-border sellers as packaging producers, with compliance quoted at up to €16,000 a year for all 27 states.

Close-up of a black vinyl record and tonearm on a turntable

SLV-018Culture2026.09.24

Suno Presses AI Songs to Vinyl as Bandcamp Bans AI Music

Suno opened a waitlist in August 2026 to press AI-generated songs onto vinyl, seven months after Bandcamp banned AI-generated music from its platform.

Interior of OYE Records, a record shop in Berlin, with crates and shelves of vinyl

SLV-017Market2026.09.24

Germany Vinyl Revenue Up 9.8% in H1 2026, Now 47.8% of Physical

German vinyl revenue rose 9.8% in the first half of 2026 and reached 47.8% of the physical market, BVMI reports, as industry revenue overall grew 5.4%.

Interior of a record shop with crates and shelves of vinyl for collectors to browse

SLV-016Guides2026.09.24

How to Catalogue Your Record Collection

Pick one system, identify the exact release, and log a few key fields per copy. Here's a practical way to catalogue vinyl and keep it current.

A vintage portable toy phonograph record player

SLV-015Gear2026.09.24

Tiny Vinyl's $49.99 Player for 4-Inch Records Hits Target

Tiny Vinyl's dedicated $49.99 turntable for its 4-inch, one-song discs launched exclusively at Target in July 2026, alongside a $19.99 storage crate.

A postal worker sorting incoming letters and parcels at a military post office in Germany

SLV-014News2026.09.24

EU's New €3 Customs Duty on Record Parcels From Abroad

Since 1 July 2026 the EU charges a temporary €3 customs duty per item type on parcels up to €150 from outside the EU, ending the old duty-free threshold.

The yellow and red TOWER RECORDS sign atop the company's flagship building in Shibuya, Tokyo

SLV-013Stores & fairs2026.09.24

Tower Records Opens a 16,000-Record Vinyl Shop in Kyoto

TOWER VINYL Kyoto opened on 27 June 2026 with about 16,000 new and used records, Tower Records Japan's second standalone vinyl-only shop after Osaka's Umeda store.

The storefront of Amoeba Music, an independent record store in Hollywood, California

SLV-012Pressings2026.09.24

Warner Tests Recycled Vinyl on 10,000 Unsold Records

Warner Music and GZ Media re-pressed about 10,000 unsold LPs with up to 100% recycled PVC. Blind listening tests found no meaningful loss in sound quality.

A record press used to manufacture vinyl LPs

SLV-011Pressings2026.09.24

Oregon's Only Vinyl Plant: Inside Object Permanence Records

Object Permanence Records began pressing vinyl in Salem, Oregon, in June 2026, becoming the state's only record plant after Cascade Record Pressing closed.

Workers on the production floor of a vinyl record factory, 1943

SLV-010Pressings2026.09.24

GZ Media Turns 75: Inside the World's Largest Vinyl Plant

Czech pressing plant GZ Media marked 75 years in 2026, having pressed over 930 million records and about a third of the world's vinyl in 2025 alone.

SLV-009Guides2026.09.24

How to Spot Counterfeit Vinyl Records Before You Buy

Blurry artwork, a pixelated barcode and a runout that doesn't match the catalogue number are the clearest signs of a fake. The full checklist.

A customer and shop assistant at the counter of Rough Trade East record shop in London on Record Store Day, with stacks of vinyl on the counter

SLV-008Stores & fairs2026.09.24

Record Store Day 2026: UK's Biggest Ever, US Best-Sellers

Record Store Day 2026 saw UK shops post their best day yet, sales up 25%, while Pink Floyd's clear 4-LP topped US sales and Paris hosted 70 labels.

Chemical plant buildings and piping at an industrial site in Wesseling, Germany

SLV-007Pressings2026.09.24

Universal Music Germany Makes BioVinyl Its New Standard

Since April 2026, Universal Music Germany presses its local releases on BioVinyl, a bio-based PVC that cuts vinyl production emissions by more than 80%.

Blue LP record rack holding vinyl records upright

SLV-006Guides2026.09.24

How to Store Vinyl Records: What Archivists Recommend

Store LPs upright, never stacked flat, with stable temperature and humidity. Here's the shelving, climate and sleeve advice from archival guides.

A Nitty Gritty record-cleaning machine with a vinyl LP resting on top of it

SLV-005Guides2026.09.24

How to Clean Vinyl Records Safely: Brush, Wet or Machine

A soft brush before every play clears most dust; stuck-on grime needs a wet clean. Here's what conservators recommend, and what to avoid entirely.

The United States Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C.

SLV-004News2026.09.24

Supreme Court Tariff Ruling: Vinyl Stays Duty-Free in the US

On 20 February 2026 the US Supreme Court ruled IEEPA tariffs illegal. Records remain exempt as 'informational materials', but turntables and hi-fi gear do not.

A 7-inch vinyl single showing its large centre hole

SLV-003Guides2026.09.24

What RPM Is My Record? 33, 45 and 78 Explained

12-inch LPs play at 33⅓ rpm, most 7-inch singles at 45, and old shellac discs at 78. Here's how to tell which speed your record actually needs.

A 12-inch vinyl LP photographed edge-on, showing its thickness

SLV-002Guides2026.09.24

180g Vinyl vs Standard Weight: Does It Sound Better?

180g and standard records use the same stampers and groove depth. The extra weight adds durability and a premium feel, not automatically better sound.

A collection of colourful vinyl records fanned out to show their different colours

SLV-001Guides2026.09.24

Colored Vinyl vs Black: Does It Sound Worse?

Solid and translucent colours generally sound the same as black vinyl today. Marble, splatter and picture discs are the riskier tiers to know.