It’s time to give credit where credit is due, and the team at KMB Comm is certainly not afraid to handout flowers when flowers are deserved.
Years ago, before vinyl and turntables were trendy, independent music stores got behind the format when the only people that were using it were audiophiles. Fast forward 15 years and vinyl sales continue to soar and it’s safe to say that Record Store Day has helped to contribute to the resurgence of the format.
On April 18, another Record Store Day will be upon us, so that means that if you have the means, stop by your local independent record store and pick up some new music.
Home Audio Dominates the KMB Comm Tech Week in Review
Starting the week off is an item from Residential Systems on the French brand Advance Paris.
The NOVA Series products, according to the Residential Systems article, deliver a unified audio system the blends the company’s style, connectivity, and performance. The product line includes the A-i130 and A-i190 integrated amplifiers, as well as the A-BTC bi-directional Bluetooth dongle, and the A-RTR rotary remote control.
Combining old-school technologies with modern touches, Twice is reporting the company Gadhouse has introduced its Miko Cassette Player.
The story points out the lifestyle brand’s latest product is a vintage-styled portable cassette player that incorporates contemporary designs and wireless connectivity. Twice notes the Miko is designed to bridge the gap between today and yesteryear through the warmth of analog audio combining with the functionality of wireless audio connectivity.
Continuing the home audio theme in this week’s KMB Comm Tech Week in Review, is an opinion column from the website, Futureaudiophile.com. The column is entitled, “The Ultimate Audiophile Elixir is Not Streaming, Vinyl or Unlimited Access to Music, and the author, Jerry Del Colliano recalls an event he participated in at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.
The column states that younger consumers unquestionably like formats such as vinyl and that headphones are a mainstay in the modern home audio paradigm. Unsurprisingly, Del Colliano goes onto to admit that nearly everyone streams and streaming comes down to what service the user prefers.
In conclusion, the author of the column says that people are looking for value, and the category of home audio is no different than food shopping at Trader Joe’s or anywhere else. He adds the biggest issue for the home audio industry right now is not a matter of getting users to adopt a specific technology because they are all viable, the real issue he emphasizes is informing the public about the fun the audiophile hobby can deliver.
Getting back to Record Store Day, some of the releases music fans will find during the big promotional event include:
- Tony Bennett “Unplugged”
- Bad Brains “Live”
- The Cure “Greatest Hits”
- George Harrison “Dark Horse”
- Freddie King “Feelin’ Alright: The Complete 1975 Nancy Pulsations Concert”
- Lemonheads “TAANG!”
- Puscifer “Normal Isn’t (Live)”
- Steely Dan “Alive in America”
- Sleep Token “Caramel”
- Van Halen “Live in New Haven, CT 1986”
Here is the complete list of Record Store Day exclusive Releases.
Van Halen “Live Without a Net” is the concert film the band recorded during its first tour with new singer Sammy Hagar in New Haven, Conn back in 1986. (photo credit: KMB Comm)
A Tour of National News
Shifting gears, it’s time for the KMB Comm Tech Week in Review to look at some of the technology news items that impact the industry on more of a national or global level.
During the middle of the week, LinkedIn an item from Bloomberg Reports that says Apple is developing display-free smart glasses as it transitions its AI focus to hardware. The story, which uses information from Bloomberg says the glasses could handle calls, music, photos and Siri as part of an emphasis on wearables that also includes AirPods and a camera pendant.
This next story may have flown under the radar, but Yahoo Finance picked up a story from Variety that states that Sony Pictures’ Tom Rothman says to theater owners to stop the half hour of ads before a movie starts.
The story points out that so far, 2026 has been a good year for the commercial movie industry, but according to Rothman in the story, attendance remains below pre-pandemic levels.
Closing the KMB Comm Tech Week in Review with an item from Fox Business. According to the Fox news outlet, Pepsi is experiencing a revenue boost after cutting prices on its drinks and its Frito Lay snacks.
Fox Business reports that Pepsi cut prices as much as 15% on products such as Lay’s and Doritos, and since those price reductions, the company is seeing revenue growth of 8.5% and a profit increase of 27%.
As an addendum to the Record Store Day news in this week’s KMB Comm Tech Week in Review, here’s a recent blog from KMB on growing interest in physical media beyond vinyl and how Gen Z is fueling interest in other physical media formats.
Additionally, there’s a new blog from KMB Comm that looks at a range of turntables spanning a wide range of price points.
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