https://sleevewise.app/blog/ Vinyl news, market reports and collecting guides, from the makers of Sleevewise, the vinyl collection app. en-US Fri, 25 Sep 2026 00:51:03 GMT https://sleevewise.app/blog/uk-counterfeit-vinyl-factory-sentence-2026/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/uk-counterfeit-vinyl-factory-sentence-2026/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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. https://sleevewise.app/blog/national-album-day-2026-icons-vinyl-reissues/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/national-album-day-2026-icons-vinyl-reissues/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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. https://sleevewise.app/blog/mega-record-cd-fair-den-bosch-november-2026/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/mega-record-cd-fair-den-bosch-november-2026/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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. https://sleevewise.app/blog/how-to-grade-vinyl-records-goldmine-scale/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/how-to-grade-vinyl-records-goldmine-scale/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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. https://sleevewise.app/blog/france-vinyl-sales-first-half-2026-snep/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/france-vinyl-sales-first-half-2026-snep/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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%. https://sleevewise.app/blog/spain-vinyl-sales-first-half-2026-promusicae/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/spain-vinyl-sales-first-half-2026-promusicae/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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. https://sleevewise.app/blog/rough-trade-berlin-new-store-50th-anniversary-2026/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/rough-trade-berlin-new-store-50th-anniversary-2026/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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. https://sleevewise.app/blog/third-man-records-uk-ireland-pop-up-tour-2026/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/third-man-records-uk-ireland-pop-up-tour-2026/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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. https://sleevewise.app/blog/how-to-tell-if-a-record-is-a-first-pressing/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/how-to-tell-if-a-record-is-a-first-pressing/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT No single clue proves a first pressing. Matrix numbers, labels and catalogue numbers have to agree — here's how to read each one properly. https://sleevewise.app/blog/technics-sl-1200-55th-anniversary-edition-2026/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/technics-sl-1200-55th-anniversary-edition-2026/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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. https://sleevewise.app/blog/eu-ppwr-packaging-rules-record-sellers-2026/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/eu-ppwr-packaging-rules-record-sellers-2026/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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. https://sleevewise.app/blog/ai-music-vinyl-suno-bandcamp-2026/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/ai-music-vinyl-suno-bandcamp-2026/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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. https://sleevewise.app/blog/germany-vinyl-sales-first-half-2026-bvmi/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/germany-vinyl-sales-first-half-2026-bvmi/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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%. https://sleevewise.app/blog/how-to-catalog-your-record-collection/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/how-to-catalog-your-record-collection/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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. https://sleevewise.app/blog/tiny-vinyl-player-4-inch-records-target-2026/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/tiny-vinyl-player-4-inch-records-target-2026/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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. https://sleevewise.app/blog/eu-3-euro-customs-duty-record-parcels-2026/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/eu-3-euro-customs-duty-record-parcels-2026/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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. https://sleevewise.app/blog/tower-vinyl-kyoto-record-store-opens-2026/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/tower-vinyl-kyoto-record-store-opens-2026/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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. https://sleevewise.app/blog/warner-music-recycled-vinyl-pilot-record-stores-2026/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/warner-music-recycled-vinyl-pilot-record-stores-2026/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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. https://sleevewise.app/blog/object-permanence-records-oregon-vinyl-plant-2026/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/object-permanence-records-oregon-vinyl-plant-2026/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT Object Permanence Records began pressing vinyl in Salem, Oregon, in June 2026, becoming the state's only record plant after Cascade Record Pressing closed. https://sleevewise.app/blog/gz-media-75-years-worlds-largest-vinyl-plant-2026/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/gz-media-75-years-worlds-largest-vinyl-plant-2026/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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. https://sleevewise.app/blog/how-to-spot-counterfeit-vinyl-records/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/how-to-spot-counterfeit-vinyl-records/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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. https://sleevewise.app/blog/record-store-day-2026-results-best-sellers/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/record-store-day-2026-results-best-sellers/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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. https://sleevewise.app/blog/universal-music-germany-biovinyl-optimal-media-2026/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/universal-music-germany-biovinyl-optimal-media-2026/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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%. https://sleevewise.app/blog/how-to-store-vinyl-records/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/how-to-store-vinyl-records/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT Store LPs upright, never stacked flat, with stable temperature and humidity. Here's the shelving, climate and sleeve advice from archival guides. https://sleevewise.app/blog/how-to-clean-vinyl-records/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/how-to-clean-vinyl-records/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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. https://sleevewise.app/blog/us-tariffs-supreme-court-ruling-vinyl-records-2026/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/us-tariffs-supreme-court-ruling-vinyl-records-2026/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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. https://sleevewise.app/blog/what-rpm-is-my-record-33-45-78/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/what-rpm-is-my-record-33-45-78/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 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. https://sleevewise.app/blog/180g-vinyl-vs-standard-weight/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/180g-vinyl-vs-standard-weight/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT 180g and standard records use the same stampers and groove depth. The extra weight adds durability and a premium feel, not automatically better sound. https://sleevewise.app/blog/colored-vinyl-vs-black-sound-quality/ https://sleevewise.app/blog/colored-vinyl-vs-black-sound-quality/ Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:00 GMT Solid and translucent colours generally sound the same as black vinyl today. Marble, splatter and picture discs are the riskier tiers to know.