Jan 28, 2012

State of the app address #1

This is the first in an occasional series for those who have downloaded The Vinyl District’s Record Store Locator app. It’s our chance to update you on where we’re at, and where we’ll be headed. 
 
In just over a month since we launched, over 11,000 of you have downloaded the app, and hopefully have taken it for a test drive. We’d like to thank each and everyone of you for giving it a shot. I’d especially like to thank our developer, Shoutem, for being so supportive.

To bring everyone up to date, we now have stores listed in eleven countries: Australia (77), Belgium (32), Canada (52), Germany (107), Ireland (9), Italy (5), Sweden (11), Switzerland (10), Turkey (2), United Kingdom (over 350), and of course the United States (over 1200). The great thing is that everyone has helped. And we’re far from finished. We’ve received emails from people all over the globe letting us know about stores that need to be listed, and stores that are no longer in business. Should you need to contact us with any news about any record stores, you can always reach us at info[@]thevinyldistrict.com or on our app Facebook page.


The online press has been surprisingly receptive as well. Many thanks to NPR’s All Songs Considered blog, MTV Hive, Pitchfork, the AV Club in several cities, the Washington City Paper, The Daily Swarm, Dangerous Minds, Digital Music News, This Isn’t Happiness, Blurt, Business Insider, The Quietus, Amoeba Records, Caught By The River, and the BBC’s 6 Music. And of course, there was yesterday's news about Mojo magazine. It’s been flattering and encouraging to say the least.



What are we working on to improve the app?

We’re adding stores just about everyday. We add them almost as fast as you email us. In the bigger picture, by far the biggest request has been for a better search mechanism. I’ll take this opportunity to remind everyone—this is a geo-location app. That’s what it’s designed to do. However, we agree with everyone. We’d like to see a better search mechanism as well. I can’t say how long this will take, but we are working on it.

Finally, this week we’ve be launched a new section on the app—an event calendar for record shows. This will be a work in progress, and will initially be US only, although we’ll eventually branch out to everywhere else. The calendar will be hosted courtesy of RecordShows.net.
So to wrap up, thank you from the bottom of our black vinyl hearts. Or red, if you prefer colored vinyl.

Lastly, we’d like to ask that you review the app in the store from where you downloaded – be it iTunes or the Android Marketplace. The reviews help in many, many ways.

Contact us: info [at] thevinyldistrict [dot] com or on Facebook. A very slightly different of this article previously ran on The Vinyl District two days ago

Saturday morning cartoon: Reid Fleming, World's Toughest Milkman #2




Jan 27, 2012

‎"Full global reach can only be a matter of time."

 What a hell of a rollercoaster week...or at least the last two days. It started with the news of at least some sort of CBGB festival this summer, if not a full blown relaunch. Then came the news that Bleecker Bobs is being replaced by a Starbucks, and it must be going out of business, right? And oh yeah, by the way, the Holiday Cocktail Lounge is closing. Last call is Saturday night. Then today came a rumor that Bleecker Bobs may not be closing...they're supposedly looking for a new space in the East Village.

Also today, something I've been waiting on...Mojo magazine mentioned the Vinyl District Record Store Locator app in the news section of their brand new issue, March 2012. For me this is a great personal validation. I've read almost every issue of Mojo since they started when...18, 19 years ago? Anyway, I'm simply thrilled, honey. Thanks to Andrew Male of Mojo for noticing, and thanks to Phil Wilson for the JPEG today. And of course, thanks to Justin Bieber for having his picture taken with an iPhone so Mojo could use it for this piece...I love celebrity endorsements!

‎"Full global reach can only be a matter of time." Indeed.


Bleecker Bobs: A story to follow


Looks the Bleecker Bobs saga will be one to keep an eye on. According to Jeremiah & Ken, they are currently shopping for a new space, possibly in the East Village. Let's hope they find it:

"...not sure who this reporter spoke to since he doesn't mention anyone by name, but Bleecker Bob's is currently looking at spaces in the east village. we are definitely NOT planning to close. please email us at bleeckerbobs@yahoo.com with any leads on storefront. thanks and stay tuned."

This morning's NY Times carried news of the demise of Bob's West Third Street location.


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