Macon Magazine

Vinyl never dies Booming vinyl sales fuel a resurgence for Macon's independent record stores BY MICHAEL W. PANNELL PHOTOGRAPHY BY YADIRA SANDOVAL RODRÍGUEZ FRESH PRODUCE RECORDS William Dantzler and William Rutledge, partners of Fresh Produce Records, recently moved their shop from Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to a bigger space at 567 Cherry St. Now they're knocking down walls to expand the store even more. It might seem surprising that a store primarily selling vinyl albums needs more room for inventory; the death of music on physical media has been predicted since advent of streaming services in the early aughts. But prophecy can't compete with facts: industry watchers report vinyl LP sales have grown annually at rates as high as 50 to 90 percent in recent years. Despite the doomsayers, old and new independent Macon record stores are enjoying the boom while hustling to keep up with demand. "Of course, there's nostalgia involved," Dantzler said, "but a big reason vinyl is making such a comeback is because things have zoomed all the way out. You can stream whatever you want, whenever you want, right from your phone. People are ready to zoom back in, be physically involved with handling and looking at albums, and enjoy the ritual of playing them." That ritual is two-fold, Dantzler shared. The first part is why brick-and-mortar stores still appeal to customers – the ritual of "going through the crates, flipping through records, finding what you're a er, or making a new discovery," he said. It's a treasure hunt rather than a quick Spotify app-tap – and you might discover something in someone else's collection, or by talking to a neighbor in the store, that your algorithm would never uncover. Helpful as it is to have a personal AI DJ, they're not designed to surprise you. 76 maconmagazine.com | JUNE/JULY 2023

• Cover