Antone’s Record Shop in Austin has joined a nationwide pilot program that gives damaged vinyl a second chance. Clifford Antone opened the shop in 1987, right across the street from his blues nightclub, and ran his own label, Antone’s Records, out of the back office. Now, decades after his death, the store is trying something new. It wants to know if broken records deserve a second life.
Warner Music Group launched the pilot on June 25 with recovery partner Virterras Materials. Antone’s Record Shop is one of just 11 independent record shops nationwide taking part. Also, two other Texas stores joined: Country Line Records in Keller, Texas, and Red Zeppelin Records in McKinney, Texas. Shoppers can drop off any damaged or unplayable vinyl, no matter the artist, label or condition. The shop even posted the rules on Instagram. LPs and 45s are welcome, but 78s are not, since the material differs.
A May study from Warner Music Group, GZ Media and Abbey Road Studios found something promising. Old, unsellable vinyl can get reprocessed into new, high-quality pressings. It’s a bit like sending a cracked dinner plate back to the kiln, to see if the clay’s still good for something new. So the collected records will head back to Warner Music Group for evaluation. “Independent record stores have long served as gathering places for music fans and stewards of music culture,” Warner Music Group’s Madeleine Smith said in a statement.
Antone’s Record Shop Bets on a Second Pressing
Antone’s Record Shop still carries the DNA of the room across the street, the one that helped launch Stevie Ray Vaughan. It keeps the collection box just inside the front door, on the right. The shop’s open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. So there’s no bad time to walk in with a scratched, warped or long-forgotten record. The pilot runs through September, and Warner Music Group will then decide whether to expand it nationwide. Either way, some of Austin’s most broken records might get one more spin in them yet.
Details at CultureMap Austin