Austin staple Waterloo Records announced in January it would be relocating, with John Kunz, owner for 42 years, stepping back, holding a smaller role in the company. New co-owners, Gold Rush Vinyl founder Caren Kelleher and Armadillo Records CEO Trey Watson, said they envision the new space bringing the Austin community together, as the old Waterloo did for over four decades.
The new Waterloo will combine vinyl selling, pressing and recording while showcasing 24-karat gold and platinum vinyl records.
“When you walk into the new space of Waterloo Records, it’s a timeline of music,” said Emily Gianopoulos, partner of Waterloo Records’ newest subsidiary, Waterloo Sound. “What you’ll see is basically from start to finish what happened before that vinyl is playing on your record player at home.”
The new location’s grand opening on Saturday, Aug. 30, will feature a production studio – Waterloo Sound — within the store. The store will continue to honor its tradition of hosting in-store performances, providing a stage built with a piece of the original Austin City Limits studio flooring. In addition, the store features a cafe and seating area for music lovers to lounge.
Waterloo Sound will debut the Nu•Studio System developed by Grammy Award-winning sound engineer Chad Franscoviak at the opening, making a complex recording system accessible. Franscoviak said that when working on John Mayer’s latest album, he had to deliver Dolby Atmos masters in addition to delivering the usual stereo masters. Lacking an efficient way to produce these formats, Franscoviak saw a market for it in the industry, and Nu•Studio came to life.
The store will also hold a podcast studio for patrons to rent. Eva Matulewski-Carter, who buys used records for Waterloo, said Waterloo can also use the studio for pre-show interviews.
Matulewski-Carter said while watching Franscoviak and the Waterloo team setting up the production studio, she became excited about the space, especially as a musician herself, known professionally as DJ Protection, who will perform a DJ set at the grand opening.
”This is the first time some of the important recording equipment can actually be mobile around the studio so (artists) can get a different kind of sound as they’re recording,” Matulewski-Carter said. “(Franscoviak) is innovating something crazy.”
Raoul Hernandez, UT journalism assistant professor of instruction, previous music editor at the Austin Chronicle and Waterloo Records patron for 32 years, said when he talked to Watson for the Chronicle, he mentioned wanting the store to be a hub for Austinites.
“You can go there and have a cup of coffee, buy a gift for someone, record your podcast or your band,” Hernandez said. “All the potential for that was already there because it’s one of those landmark businesses that put (Austin) on the map.”
Matulewski-Carter said her nerves about new ownership were calmed when she learned about Kelleher’s experience in the music industry and love for the Austin music scene.
“I’ve watched a lot of classic Austin institutions that really made the culture of the city get usurped by financers and venture capitalists,” Matulewski-Carter said. “I thought the same thing was going to happen to Waterloo, but having somebody who is actually in the industry and clearly cares a lot about preserving it is extremely soothing.”
