'Crooked Beat Records' Bucks Industry Trend With Vinyl Success

Bill Daly may have devilishly chuckled earlier this month when he shared a story from the past. But he knows all too well his isn’t the last laugh – more like upbeat gallows humor. No matter. This was the day after the 15th anniversary of his baby, Crooked Beat Records, and he was nothing if not defiantly content.

“When we decided to go into vinyl years ago,” Daly, 48, says while sorting records at his Adams Morgan shop, “I remember sales reps from distributors saying, ‘You’re crazy – you’re going to be out of business within a year if you do that.”

After all, all the big ones went belly up. Peaches. Tower Records. Tracks. And on and on. Same for the smaller chains and many independently owned shops.
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