Peninsula Records and Books

By Peninsula Records & Books It has been three weeks now (give or take) since The Life of a Showgirl was released...  and I have some thoughts.   I’ll say it straight up: I love it. As a Swiftie since I heard those first notes of Love Story , I’ve watched her change, take risks, and outgrow the boxes people put her in. She did not, and could not, stay the same. I mean why should she? We don't. She’s no longer a teenager appealing to teenagers, she’s an adult with stories to tell, experience, baggage, shadows to explore, and truths that take up space. None of us owe anyone “clean” or “appropriate” art,  not Taylor, not Madonna, not Kylie, not the women who built the stage before her. To me, The Life of a Showgirl feels like a glass of something bright and confident, fizzy, alive, and unapologetic. You can dance to it without holding back. It feels refreshing in a time when caution or conservatism too often wins. The album pushes back with heart and intention. ...

By Peninsula Records & Books You might have seen this recent article suggesting we should stop wasting money in bookstores and buy our books from Kmart or Big W because they’re always cheaper. It even called bookstores “on the way out”, which feels a bit rich when it ends with a disclosure about a paid partnership with Kmart. Yes, price is real. Some books are cheaper. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros is $16 at Big W, and the RRP printed on the back is $32.99. It’s a solid deal, no argument there. But the broader “bookstores are doomed” claim doesn’t hold up. The real numbers Nielsen BookScan data show that in 2024 Australian print sales totalled about $1.29 billion, down 3 percent in value and 1 percent in volume compared with 2023. Hardly a collapse. Bookshops are still opening. QBD and Dymocks both expanded last year, and QBD says over 90 percent of its sales happen in store. People still want the experience of walking into a bookshop. They’re just more selective about whe...