Record Store Day celebrates indie retail music sellers as they ride vinyl’s popularity wave
PHOENIX — Special LP releases, live performances and at least one giant block party are planned across the US on Saturday, as hundreds of stores celebrate Record Store Day amid a surge in interest in vinyl and the day after the release of Taylor Swift’s latest album.
No Record Store Day specials were announced for the arrival of Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” on Friday, but her fans always eagerly await the new albums and accompanying compilation LPs.
In suburban strip centers and downtown areas of major cities, indie record stores are often the first to recognize and promote emerging artists. Years before Swift set Grammy records and sold out concerts in Japan, Bull Moose Music in Portland, Maine, gave away one of her autographed guitars in a enter-to-win contest.
“We took her music to all the major stores. We always knew she was going to be a star,” said Chris Brown of employee-owned Bull Moose and co-founder of Record Store Day.
A surge of interest in physical records, especially LPs, has helped keep independent stores afloat, Brown said. And LPs have gotten a huge boost from Swift, who has been dubbed the “Vinyl Queen” for releasing her work in a limited number of physical records with specialized content and standout covers.
The Recording Industry Association of American said in its 2023 year-end report that vinyl record revenues grew 10% last year to $1.4 billion. That was the 17th consecutive year of growth and accounted for 71% of sales from physical formats.
Record Store Day is a celebration of the estimated 1,400 independent record stores in the US and thousands more worldwide that continue long after the demise of megastores like Tower Records.
While most people stream their music on services like Spotify and Apple Music, vintage LPs remain popular with collectors who prefer the packaging and listening experience of records.
“To me, records sound better than any CD,” says Michael Iffland, a 70-year-old retiree who was considering some Beatles singles at the Tracks in Wax record store in Phoenix. “It’s just cool to hold a record in your hand, look at the cover art and listen to that beautiful sound.”
Owners and employees of the independent stores came up with the idea during a meeting in 2007 to draw attention to their unique culture on the third Saturday in April.
The first Record Store Day was on April 19, 2008, and cities across the US later declared the celebration an official holiday, including New York City, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
“For us, records have never gone out of style,” says Waric Cameron, co-owner of Josey Records in Dallas.
“It’s the most important day of the year for us,” added his business partner Luke Sardello. “It’s like the Super Bowl of record stores.”
Jamal Alnasr, owner of Village Revival Records in New York’s Greenwich Village, called Record Store Day “one of my biggest money makers of the year. People even camp outside the night before.”
Record Store Day is typically marked by special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products and events with artists and labels. Metallica spent hours at the first Record Store Day meeting fans at Rasputin Music in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Jesse “Boots Electric” Hughes of Eagles of Death Metal was named Record Store Day Ambassador in 2009 and a string of other artists followed suit in subsequent years, including Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop, Jack White, Fred Armisen and Swift in 2022. .
There were 387 planned releases announced for this year’s Record Store Day.
Paramore, the 2024 event’s ambassador, will have a pair of physical releases from the digital album of celebrity remixes of songs from the 2023 album ‘This is Why’.
Rock band Pearl Jam will release 15,000 copies of a “Dark Matter” LP, with a spooky black and yellow cover. Icelandic-American traditional pop singer Laufey will offer 4,200 copies of “A Night at the Symphony,” a live album recorded in Reykjavík with the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra.
In some cases, the plate itself will serve as a canvas. Death Cab for Cutie will release 2,500 copies of its “Live at the Showbox” on pink marble vinyl. Fleetwood Mac will release a limited edition of its hugely popular ‘Rumours’, still a bestseller since its release in 1977, with a photo of the album cover featuring Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood stamped on the vinyl.
“People get really excited and look forward to the releases,” says Tracks in Wax owner Tim Stamper, who always orders a few. “It’s more important to us than Christmas.”
Jeff Maimon, 38, who was at the store while visiting from Chicago, said Record Store Day “has always been a very special day. It’s all about the excitement of standing outside and waiting in line to see what special offers you can get.”
A massive block party with 14 live performances is planned Saturday at Vinyl Tap in Nashville, Tennessee, owner Todd Hedrick said. Artists include Lzzy and Joe from Halestorm and The Watson Twins.
“We’ll close the street and bring in five or six food trucks,” along with about 25 vendors, Hedrick said.
“And it coincides with our other favorite holiday, April 20,” Hedrick added, referring to marijuana-focused celebrations held annually on April 20.
Swift, who is credited by fans and record stores alike with sparking new interest in vinyl LPs, has not announced any special releases for this Record Store Day.
The hugely popular Swift set a new record this year when she won a fourth album of the year award at the Grammy Awards for ‘Midnights’. She previously linked with Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon with three albums.
Swift’s re-recorded ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ last year became the first album to sell more than 1 million vinyl LPs in the US in a calendar year. Her 2022 ‘Midnights’ album became the first major album release to outsell vinyl and outsell CDs since 1987.
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AP video journalist Kendria LaFleur in Dallas reported.