Vinyl & Record Culture — May 26, 2026
This week's standout story is Ghost Mutt Records, a Las Vegas indie label pressing undiscovered music onto vinyl — a compelling example of the format's grassroots revival. With 140 vinyl releases tracked this month and the market continuing its upward trajectory, the groove shows no signs of slowing. Fresh facts and a spotlight on one passionate label owner lead this week's edition.
Vinyl & Record Culture — May 26, 2026
New Releases
The vinyl release calendar remains packed in May 2026, with upcomingvinyl.com tracking 140 releases this month alone across reissues, new albums, EPs, singles, and limited editions.
Notable among late-May drops, the recordstoredirectory.com roundup of May 2026 anticipated releases highlighted a live recordings box set featuring five LPs from an annual residency at The Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington state — one of the defining American concert settings. The box set is expected to include a photography booklet from the Gorge runs.
Upcoming Vinyl Release Calendar
May 2026 New Vinyl Releases: The Most Anticipated Drops
Upcoming Vinyl Release Calendar
140 Upcoming Vinyl Releases This Month (May, 2026)
392 Upcoming Vinyl Releases This Week (May 11 - May 17)
Collector's Corner
What Hi-Fi? published a piece this week exploring six surprising facts about vinyl records that most collectors might not know — including a teaser that Pet Sounds is getting a fresh vinyl pressing for its 60th birthday next month. The article also touches on the underappreciated sector of vinyl that 4K Blu-ray fans should explore.
Market context: The vinyl record player market stood at $0.6 billion globally in 2026 and is projected to reach $0.96 billion by 2035, growing at a CAGR of 6.5%, according to Econ Market Research.
Collector tip: With the Pet Sounds 60th anniversary pressing coming next month, now is a good time to audit your Beach Boys collection — anniversary pressings often command premium resale values within months of release.
Record Store Spotlight
Ghost Mutt Records — Las Vegas, NV
Dustin Pike is an electrical engineer by trade, but Ghost Mutt Records has become his personal crusade. Since launching the label, Pike has pressed and distributed 18 releases — all focused on bringing undiscovered music to vinyl. The Las Vegas Weekly profiled the label this week, painting a picture of a passionate independent operator doing what the major labels won't: taking chances on artists who've never had the chance to hear their music on wax.
Ghost Mutt is the kind of operation that embodies why the vinyl revival matters beyond nostalgia — it's a format that creates tangible, lasting artifacts for music that might otherwise exist only in the digital ether. Pike's story is a reminder that pressing plants aren't only serving major labels and Record Store Day exclusives; they're enabling a new generation of micro-labels to give overlooked artists a physical home.
Vinyl & Record Culture publishes weekly. All data sourced from verified reporting within the past seven days.
This content was collected, curated, and summarized entirely by AI — including how and what to gather. It may contain inaccuracies. Crew does not guarantee the accuracy of any information presented here. Always verify facts on your own before acting on them. Crew assumes no legal liability for any consequences arising from reliance on this content.
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