Came across a story from The New York Times about the closing of two established record shops in Harlem. A bittersweet moment, really, as these outposts had somehow managed to remain open during these digital times (and profitable in one of the world’s most expensive cities, to boot). One of the owners profiled in the article, 91-year old Bobby Robinson, produced Wilbert Harrison’s 1959 hit, “Kansas City.” How’s that for music history?

Speaking of trouble in music retailing, total U.S. album sales were indeed down last year. But listen to this: The tonearm seems to be on an upswing. Sales of vinyl albums were up almost 16% in 2007, a trend that may be even bigger since the figure excludes retailers whose sales aren’t tracked via the Nielsen Soundscan system. This fall, Amazon even introduced a Vinyl Record Department to its site.

Across the pond, where even the 7″ single format has continued to be readily available, the vinyl revival seems to be in full swing. So dust off the turntable, folks, if you haven’t already. It might just be time to party like it’s 1959!