Record Shops Worldwide Prepare for Record Store Day
This Saturday, April 16, record shops worldwide will be celebrating the ninth annual Record Store Day, an appreciation of independent music shops and the vinyl they sell.
According to Billboard, vinyl records and cassette tapes have experienced “an unlikely renaissance” in recent years as independent record shops have struggled to stay afloat. There will be more than 350 previously unreleased products, as well as records that have been exclusively produced for the day.
“There remains something glorious about a slab of delicious fresh vinyl,” said Chris Britcher, of the British website Kent News. “The smell, the feel, the size; the disk itself may be a rather drab looking affair, but in today’s digital age, holding a physical musical product in your hand is a bit of a novelty.”
As reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, Record Store Day first started in Baltimore in 2007, after record shop owners felt it should be acknowledged that their shops provide “cultural enrichment,” to their customers. It has since become a cultural phenomenon, with dedicated fans lining up to get exclusive releases.
“As everyone knows, music sounds much better in the traditional formats and it’s really difficult to covet an mp3,” said Dan Bigna, of The Sydney Morning Herald. “Record Store Day is also a great opportunity to proudly proclaim obsessive geek status when it comes to collecting music.”
Further, Ellen Fike, of the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, noted that initially the day-long celebration was to encourage more customers to shop at local businesses.
Billboard recommended that their readers get exclusive recordings and LPs by such artists as Madonna, Outkast, and the late David Bowie. Bowie’s picture disc of 1970’s “The Man Who Sold the World” was described as “beautiful” with limited edition artwork.
Across the country, top artists will be giving in-store performances for Record Store Day, according to Pitchfork. Some of them include: Bonnie Raitt playing at Music Millennium in Portland, Oregon, Mumford & Sons performing at St. Louis’ Vintage Vinyl store, and Kacey Musgraves at the Charlotte’s Lunchbox Records.
Record Store Day even has dedicated fans in other countries around the world.
According to Music Feeds, cities across Australia will be holding events for Record Store Day, including a tribute to David Bowie at Greville Records in Melbourne. Australian artists like Dan Kelly, Mick Harvey and Tim Rogers will perform at this show, while a DJ will spin vinyl at Tyms Guitars in Brisbane.
In Auckland, New Zealand, the Southbound Record Store, will be offering the usual fare of discounted records, but also some unique activities, as reported by Stuff.co.nz. There will be free coffee, live performances by Kiwi musicians The Leers and Delaney Davidson, as well a screening of Davidson’s new film documenting his tour.
Further, they described the celebration as a fun day, “if approached the right way.”
In Scotland, writer Hannah Rodger discovered that Record Store Day has been more beneficial to record labels, rather than independent shops. Despite the appeal of the day, record shops across Scotland have been closing.
“Scottish retailers say the event has turned in to a money-making enterprise for record labels and a chance for out-dated one-hit wonders to be reissued only to be sold in 99p bargain bins years later,” said Rodger.
In Kent, England, record shop owner Spencer Hickman is seeing his business grow a local customer base and have an online presence, as reported by Kent News. He had initially brought the concept of Record Store Day to the Rough Trade record shop in London.
“It has helped people back into record stores and back into them permanently,” said Hickman. “No one cared about vinyl 10-15 years ago, and stores were struggling.”
While he recognizes the current struggles of record shop owners, Hickman is confident, that one day vinyl will surpass CD’s.
(Photo by Mike Pont/Getty Images)
