Industry Spotlight: Celebrating Black-Owned Record Businesses
In recognition of Black History Month, we want to celebrate the great work of some of our colleagues who are not only rock stars in the vinyl industry, but also proud Black business owners. We're grateful for and inspired by their innovations and creative vision.
John Hoyle, owner of 610 Record Manufacturing
"At its core, 610 Record Manufacturing is about more than just records," wrote Forward Times last year. "It is about giving Houston artists ownership over their work. It is about building an ecosystem where the next generation of musicians does not have to leave the city to chase their dreams."
Launched by owner/operator John Hoyle in 2014, 610 Record Manufacturing is not only Houston, Texas' first vinyl pressing plant in 30 years, it's one of few Black-owned vinyl-pressing plants in this country. (Soft Wax, which shuttered in 2024, was previously considered the only Black-owned record pressing plant in the U.S.)
Hoyle grew up playing music in Houston, and professes a lifelong love of records. When he opened 610 Record Manufacturing, "it was the result of years of trial, error, and persistence," wrote Forward Times. "Hoyle and his team refused to take orders until they were confident that every record leaving their presses met the highest standards."
According to Hoyle, "Streaming alone is a trap that leaves musicians with little financial return and even less control." He believes "physical products like vinyl records are essential for artists trying to build real and lasting careers."
Black-Owned Record Stores
SOOK Vinyl & Vintage, 7169 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. Owned by Rashied Amon and the only Black-owned record store in Philly. “I’m a son of a DJ. I came across my father’s collection 15 years after he passed," Amon says. "Then after that, I was inspired to collect as much Black music as I came across, I’m just always looking for music.”
Forever Changes Vinyl Lounge, 10 S. Main St, Phoenixville PA. Blue Note Authorized Dealer and FAMS Member. Owned by Shawn Cephas. The store traces its lineage to the King James Sound Center, opened by Shawn's father James Cephas in 1967. The family business ran until James' death in 1997, but Shawn kept the dream alive, finally opening Forever Changes, first as a pop-up, in 2019.
Dallos Vinyl Love, 1463 Market Street, Chattanooga, TN. Owned by Mario White. "Vinyl never goes away. History has a habit of repeating itself, and vinyl keeps coming back," White told the Chattanooga Times Free Press. "People love just the act of digging for vinyl." The growing inventory of the shop, which opened last summer, "includes 3,000 records from all genres and periods. Some of the inventory came from his personal collection, inspired by the '70s soul he listened to as a kid, from Stevie Wonder to Marvin Gaye and Earth, Wind & Fire."
Jampac Records, 111 S. Main St., Monroe, NC. "With roots dating back to 1986, Jampac Records is one of North Carolina’s longest-running Black-owned vinyl shops," according to a story in Essence last summer. "Owner Walter Gibson has curated everything from gospel 78s to big band LPs, all housed in a shop that once operated out of a closet. Today, it’s a spacious, well-loved destination for collectors of all genres."
JB's Record Lounge, 898 Oak St. SW, Suite F, Atlanta. Owned by Johnathan Blanchard. The record store began as "a quarterly crate digging party in my basement," Blanchard says on his website. "After purchasing about 1,000 pieces, I decided to put the word out among my friends and before long, with the help of Belle Noir Productions, we were partying in the basement. Not much has changed. We have a little more space and a few employees/friends but the atmosphere is still the same." These days, JB's Record Store in Atlanta's West End carries around 13,000 LPs as well as turntables, and hosts events.