Record Store Day




It seems like there’s never a shortage of new holidays that pop up and, sadly, marketing is almost always the force behind them.  Well, add one more to that list:  Record Store Day.  This holiday is certainly about marketing, but it’s not quite what you’d expect.  You see, this is about marketing for the underdog, the independent record store.  It’s also about community, because, in many ways, that’s what these stores are about.

Now in its second year, Record Store Day (April 18) had over 1,000 stores participating and the bands offering exclusive releases ranged from established classics like Dylan and Springsteen to up-and-coming stars like the Gaslight Anthem and Brandi Carlisle to cultish acts like Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (which I was lucky enough to get a copy of only through the good graces of a friend who happened to be at the store as it closed at midnight on the 17th).  Some of these albums came out on indie labels and others were on majors, but all were geared toward those of us who actively love music.

Despite being a fairly serious record collector, I don’t spend a ton of time in record stores.  Ebay, online distros and indie labels have made buying online so easy, that I just don’t find myself willing to get in the car and go to my local shop that often.  However, I had to go for Record Store Day and, if there’s a great tribute to its success, it’s that I was reminded what’s so great about actually going somewhere to shop for music. 

I chose to go to Sound Garden in Baltimore’s Fells Point.  It’s a great independent store that I expected would have the best selection available.  I took my five year-old daughter with me and sharing it with her made it perhaps the best holiday ever (even better than fireworks on 4th of July!). 

So, what’d I get on my Record Store Day outing?  Well, first let me tell you what I didn’t get from my list, because my store either didn’t get copies or they had already been sold.  Coming in at #3 on my want list was the Hang You from the Heavens 7” from Jack White’s new project, Dead Weather.  I knew my chances were slim on that one and a late start didn’t help.  Queen’s First EP looked cool, but I didn’t see a copy.  The last three Decemberists albums have all been pretty amazing, so I was also on the lookout for their 7” for The Rake Song, but it too wasn’t there.  I wasn’t terribly excited about Dylan’s Dreaming from You 7”, but I would have gladly bought it had I seen it.  Again, it either didn’t come in to this shop or was already picked up by people who arrived only an hour before.

Don’t feel bad for me though, because I came away with quite a few of the titles on my list.  Of course, my friend picked up Omar’s release for me.  I grabbed the last copy they had of the Gaslight Anthem’s Live at Park Ave 10” which turned out to be as good as I expected (and my expectations were high).  I could go either way on Ben Harper, but the chance I took on his 10” with  Relentless Seven panned out.  My daughter picked out the My Morning Jacket double 10” and I also picked up a few 7 inches: MC5 – Kick Out the Jams, Stooges – 1969 and Booker T – Warped Sister.  The first two are re-issues of established classics (that are surely out of my league price-wise), but the Booker T single gives me high expectations for his full-length.  Without a doubt, Anti has a knack for finding great artists from the past that still have a lot left in the tank.

Perhaps most importantly though, I got to get out among some like-minded people and talk, listen and learn.  You know, music is such a human experience and that’s why the record store itself is crucial to the whole experience.  It really was like finding an old friend.

It’s also quite telling that the vast majority of Record Store Day releases were on vinyl.  It just illustrates that the ultimate survival of both is married together.  This is music outside of the over-marketed mainstream.  The independent record store and the vinyl format will both have a niche as long as there are geeks out there to both love and collect music as more a need than a desire.

It’s interesting to me that both vinyl and independent stores look like they’ll be survivors.  During these transitional times, events like Record Store Day are important.  They remind us, the non-casual music fans, of two things:  First, we have to get out to these stores and buy some stuff.  They exist for us and we owe it to them to support a community of like-minded music fanatics in a society of convenience-first mass consumerists.  Second, it’s important to talk to other people who actually care about music.  One thing I’ve become acutely aware of is that it’s hard to find people who do more than simply like music.  But Record Store Day reminded me that it’s pretty easy to find them in an independent record store.

Well, it’s time to start saving up for Record Store Day 2010!

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