Brighton, UK | Keen vinyl record buyers queue from very early hours in Brighton: For those vinyl enthusiasts the wait was finally over today as it is Record Store Day through Brighton, Sussex and the UK. Vinyl junkies have had the date Saturday 13th April etched on their brains for several months now, as it’s the one day of the year when over 200 independent record shops all across the UK come together to celebrate their unique culture. Special vinyl releases are made exclusively for the event and many shops and cities host artist performances and events to mark the occasion. Thousands more shops celebrate the day around the globe in what’s become one of the biggest annual events on the music calendar. Fans in Brighton were queuing for many hours before the stores opened in order to endeavour to secure their chosen limited edition treasures, which will in most cases be instantly highly collectable.
Grimsby, UK | Dozens queue outside Grimsby record shop to pick up new vinyl releases on Record Store Day: A popular independent record store in Grimsby has been boosted by the annual Record Store Day. This year’s celebration saw over 60 music lovers lining up outside the doors of Replay Records when it opened at 8am, eager to see what special edition vinyls had been released. “Releases by Queen, the Courteeners and Charlatans have been big sellers this year. The Mighty Boosh was also a surprise hit – we were saying we should have ordered more copies of it,” Scott Wardle, owner of the Grimsby shop, said. “There are 525 new releases for Record Store Day, and we’ve got at least 130 of those here. The list this year seems to have been designed for people who don’t regularly come to record stores, and I think it has definitely worked. It’s gone very well today.” Four people arrived early-afternoon on Friday in anticipation of the doors opening – over 18 hours early – and they weren’t alone by the time the Freeman Street shop started business at 8am.
Cornwall, UK | Record Store Day sees queues through the night at Drift Records in Totnes: Imagine arriving at your favourite record shop at 3am for Record Store Day and finding someone else in front of you in the queue. That’s exactly what happened to brothers Carlton and Bradley Farnham, from Plymouth, who turned up at Drift Records in Totnes in the middle of the night to find they’d been pipped to the front of the queue by Mark Rosser. By 8am there were around 50 people queuing through Totnes outside the store, which many believe is Devon’s finest record shop. They were all looking to get their hands on some limited edition vinyl, including David Bowie, Noel Gallagher, Prince, Duran Duran and even Baby Shark. Mr Rosser, 52, from Plymouth, said: “This is the best independent record store in Devon. I got here at 1.55am. I’m after three albums – XRay Spex, Prince and The Charlatans. I’ve been interested in music since I was 13 or 14.”
Chicago, IL | Fans of vinyl music camp out at Batavia shop before Record Store Day: For fans of turntables and vinyl, Saturday was — by all accounts — a record day. Nathan Rogers, 50, of Batavia said he was already at his local record shop, Kiss the Sky, by 2:30 p.m. Friday and was followed eventually by dozens of other vinyl fans, making the scene outside the store look more like Black Friday. “I slept outside in a chair with blankets,” Rogers said Saturday morning, after store owners allowed those camping out to come in for doughnuts and coffee. “This is the third time I’ve camped out although I didn’t even know about Record Day until a few years ago.” Record Store Day was first conceived back in 2007, during a gathering of independent record store owners, and officially rolled out April 19, 2008. For years, the day has been marked with special limited vinyl releases from independent record labels and distributors. But with vinyl gaining more of a foothold in the market, major labels have added their own releases for fans eager to scoop up something truly collectible.
Norwich, UK | Shoppers queue overnight outside store to get their hands on special edition vinyls. [Seems like a good to to reinforce that the plural of vinyl is in fact “vinyl.” Be best. —Ed.] Record collectors in Norwich queued from the early hours to get their hands on special edition vinyls – while one person even set up camp overnight to secure a good spot. As part of the international Record Store Day, Soundclash, on St Benedicts Street, opened early on Saturday morning with exclusive releases by new, established and legendary artists. Ryan Morgan had been waiting outside the store since 5am – but despite his early start he was not the first in the queue. The 31-year-old said: “I wanted to try and get near the front as last year when I came down I got here before 5am and I was about 20th in the queue. “Vinyl goes against how everything is at your disposal now, music it has lost meaning, but to have a record you can hold with a gatefold it’s something nice to collect, it’s just special, you can’t describe.
Montreal, CA | Montrealers celebrate love of vinyl on Record Store Day: Music fans snag exclusives, old favourites at local shops. Music fans gathered at shops across Montreal to celebrate Record Store Day, an international event to support independent record stores. Every year, record labels ship out exclusive pressings to participating shops, which hold events such as in-store concerts and giveaways as well. But it’s also an opportunity for vinyl lovers to come together and share their passion for the format. “I like to record my vinyl onto my computer so that I can listen to them when I go out to school or anywhere,” said Émile Burbidge, who was browsing at Beatnick Records on St-Denis Street. The 15-year-old started listening to vinyl when a cousin received a record player for Christmas. Then, he discovered that his father had kept his old record collection. “The most important part is really the experience of putting on the record, listening to it and having an object, not just this thing in the cloud somewhere,” he said.
Orilla, CA | Vinyl lovers flock to Alleycats for International Record Store Day. ‘It’s the best sound quality and there’s such a smooth sound,’ says music lover; Downtown Orillia store has recently doubled its size. For Orillia’s Dave Mitchell, it’s all about the process. Unlike other musical media, vinyl records still fully involve the listener in the experience. From selecting an LP from one’s collection, removing it from the sleeve and placing it on the turntable, there’s just something special about the process, according to Mitchell. “There’s more of a relationship with the music,” Mitchell said as he perused records Saturday at Alleycats Music & Art during International Record Store Day. “It’s the best sound quality and there’s such a smooth sound. I also like looking at the cover work.” Mitchell was shopping for both himself and a friend who recently celebrated his 30th birthday. “I’ve picked out albums from each decade for him,” said Mitchell, who was also selecting three “birthday gift” albums given to him by his wife. “I like to collect records and support my local shop as well. I come out for this every year.”
St. John’s, CA | Why stream when you can spin? Record Store Day unites generations of vinyl fanatics: Bruce Gilbert can’t remember which record he bought first. It was probably Deep Purple’s Machine Head, or maybe it was Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. There’s also a chance it might have been the Stampeders with From the Fire. Gilbert can’t say for sure. It was over 40 years ago and he was just a teenager. But since then, Gilbert’s collection has exploded. He’s been collecting records ever since, through 8-tracks, cassettes and CDs. “We watched all the formats change over the years,” said the 60-year-old Gilbert of his generation. “Some of us are more stubborn than others about changing formats.” Gilbert, a regular customer at Fred’s Records in downtown St. John’s, joined hundreds at the shop on Saturday. It’s Record Store Day, an annual event celebrated by music sellers across the world. Stores like Fred’s offer special promotions to mark the occasion which began in 2008. Many artists produce limited-run releases available only on vinyl.
Saginaw, MI | Vinyl collectors celebrating Record Store Day: Music fans are celebrating a slice of Americana with National Record Store Day. Independently owned record stores across the nation are taking part in the celebration. Record collectors are digging through boxes and store shelves to find their musical treasure. Even though vinyl records are retro, they are making a come back as digital sales fall. “At one time we actually thought about changing our name because records were passe,” said Bill Wegner with Records and Tapes Galore in Saginaw. “ But now they’ve roared back. Kids that weren’t even around when Led Zeppelin was playing come in and get them and they just love the sound of the record. It’s really nice.” Saturday, April 13, is also the store’s 45th anniversary.
Wallingford, CT | Vinyl lovers flock to Wallingford to celebrate National Record Store Day: Part of the joy of going to a record store – and there are only a few left in the state, about a dozen or so – is the opportunity for discovery. Thumbing through a bin of vinyl records allows for a bit of serendipity about what you might find. At least, Rick Sienkiewicz, co-owner of Redscroll Records thinks so. “I listen to some (music) streaming services. So many of the same things come up time and again,” he said. “It’s a closed loop. It’s not an open discovery source by any means. There is so much out there.” On Saturday lines of people came to Redscroll Records to celebrate National Record Store Day. The North Colony Road store offered discounts and giveaways, but what it really honored, in a sense, was the idiosyncrasy of collecting. The hunt. The search for just the right sound, the right album, the right artist that intersects with how one feels in that given moment. No algorithm can reproduce that.
Madison, WI | Music fans gather at Madison shops for vinyl records during Record Store Day: Hundreds of music lovers and vinyl record collectors gathered at local record shops around Madison Saturday to browse through newly printed albums and slightly worn vintage records for Record Store Day, an international promotion event. Around noon at Strictly Discs, 1900 Monroe St., about five hours after the store opened, dozens of people still stood in line to get access to the shop’s stock of hundreds of records — spanning genres from classic jazz to alternative rock to modern pop and more — as well as the hundreds of limited edition, Record Store Day releases, such as rock band Pearl Jam’s “Live at Easy Street” concert album and an alternate recording of Bob Dylan’s “Blood on the Tracks” from 1975. Strictly Discs has been participating in Record Store Day since it debuted in 2008. Strictly Discs co-owner Angie Roloff, 43, said that 11 years ago, she hadn’t expected Record Store Day would become such a big, annual event.
Toledo, OH | ‘Record Store Day’ celebrated at Toledo’s Culture Clash: It’s back. Saturday is the 12th annual Record Store Day across the country. The holiday is a way to support independent stores like Culture Clash in west Toledo. Culture Clash is a survivor, one of the few places in town where you can buy records. Most big box stores have scaled back on music sales if not eliminating them all together. Downloading is becoming archaic. But streaming services actually compliment the vinyl albums you find at indie stores which for Culture Clash accounts for 90% of sales. “You can be in your car and stream on Spotify on the release day and find out, ‘Boy this album sounds good. I want to go to the record store, pick it up, bring it home and have an experience with it,’” said Tim Friedman of Culture Clash. There are other reasons shoppers like Ryan Morelli prefer indie record stores. He appreciates the knowledgeable store staff and more.
Portland, ME | Record Store Day draws hundreds out to celebrate vinyl: People all across the country are celebrating the vinyl community with a national event that got its start here in Maine. Record Store Day was created back in 2008 with the idea coming from Bull Moose in Brunswick. On Saturday, the South Portland location for Bull Moose welcomes hundreds of visitors to look through the latest records pressed specifically for the event. Store employee David Terwilliger says there’s been an increased interest in vinyl growing for the past several years. “It’s nice to have like an actual record in your hand being like ‘Oh, there’s some cool art,’ and there’s the actual music on a waxed, pressed, vinyl disk,” said Terwilliger. The shop opened early to celebrate the event. Terwilliger says many customers showed up as the doors were opening. “We had lines wrapping around the store. It was rainy out. Pretty hardcore fans were out there,” said Terwilliger, “It’s a better year than years past for turnout.”
Johnstown, PA | Record Store Day draws record crowd: Corbin Krug and India Krug drove to Johnstown from the Indiana area hoping to buy “Soul Slabs Volume 2,” a special three-disc vinyl album released for Record Store Day. But the Colemine Records release was not shipped to George’s Song Shop for its biggest sales day of the year. “Sometimes they come, sometimes they don’t. That’s just the way it goes,” Corbin Krug said outside the 128 Market St. business. The two were among hundreds who came to what is considered the nation’s oldest record store for a special day celebrating vinyl records. Despite not getting the Soul Slabs album, neither considered the trip wasted. “I went sort of old school,” Corbin Krug said. “I got some James Cotton and Charlie Parker and Charlie Parker on strings.” “I got a newer band called the Arctic Monkeys. I got their newest album on vinyl, which I’m very excited about,” India Krug said, displaying the “Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino” record album.
Billings, MT | Music fans enjoy sound of vinyl and Record Store Day: Whether it’s the classics or current artists, vinyl records have made a comeback for music fans. Record Store Day was celebrated across the country on Saturday and Smiling Dog Records in Billings is part of the celebration. Many came early for a chance at Record Store Day limited editions. Nostalgia, artwork, and posters are some of the reasons for vinyl’s resurgence. But it’s the quality of the sound that draws music fans from digital to the turntables and the old technology. Mike Ludlum, owner of Smiling Dog, said the vinyl provides a better sound that is lost with digital. “Music has natural overtones and first off you lose those and that’s the natural feel,” said Ludlum. Ludlum said even kids want the records. “We have a ton of teenage customers,” he said. “It’s fascinating…”
Victoria, BC | Vinyl lovers celebrate Record Store Day in Victoria: Pearl Jam 2019 Ambassadors for global event. A line started forming outside Ditch Records Friday night in anticipation of Record Store Day Saturday. The annual event, which began in the U.S. in 2007, is now celebrated at record stores around the world with hundreds of recording artists participating in the day by doing performances, meet and greets with their fans, special appearances and issuing special vinyl releases. “There are a bunch of specialty titles that come out and everyone just celebrates the Indy record stores in their town,” said Ditch Records manager Griffon Simms. “It’s grown exponentially in the past 10 years.” Elated six-year-old Jude Hardy was thrilled to add the Trolls record to her collection. Russ Solc stopped into the record store Saturday to pick up the special vinyl released for the occasion by his favourite band Pearl Jam – this year’s Record Store Day Ambassadors. “It’s my birthday so I thought I’d treat myself,” said Solc.
New York, NY | Record Store Day Crawl 2019: Here’s What Went Down. On the 12th annual Record Store Day (April 13). the fourth annual Record Store Crawl — an event that puts vinyl enthusiasts on a bus and shuttles them between various indie record shops — hit New York City. This year, the NYC crawl expanded to include Manhattan. Revelers gathered at arrived at Hill Country BBQ Market for a lunch buffet and bottomless Deep Eddy Vodka (a sponsor) around noon on Saturday while singer-songwriter Sophie Auster and Americana band Hollis Brown performed sets. Stops on the crawl included Turntable Lab in Manhattan, HiFi Records in Queens, and two Brooklyn stores — Halcyon and Rough Trade. At the latter store/venue, The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne was parked next to a giant silvery head. Named King’s Head, the art exhibit debuted in Ohio in 2015 and is finally starting to see the rest of the country (the walk-in exhibit inspired the Lips’ latest album). From snapping up exclusives to live music on a bus, here’s the breakdown of RSD Crawl 2019.
Muscle Shoals, AL | Rain doesn’t dampen spirit of Record Store Day: NuWay Vinyl doesn’t open until 9 a.m., but as Kirk Russell arrived for work at about 8 a.m. Saturday, there were people waiting to get inside. It wasn’t just an ordinary spring Saturday, it was Record Store Day, the annual event that pays homage to the vinyl record, which has enjoyed a rebirth the past few years. Record Store Day was conceived in 2007 by a group of independent record store owners and employees who wanted to celebrate the unique culture surrounding independent record stores. It’s also a day for record labels to release limited, special editions, reissues of classic albums, or music that has never been pressed to vinyl. With the recent closing of Blank Coffee Comics Records in Florence, NuWay Vinyl is the only independent record store remaining in the Shoals. Owner Rob Roberts moved his Florence store to a larger building on Woodward Avenue about two months ago. “We have more space over here,” Roberts said. It’s the store’s third Record Store Day and the first at the new location. “It gets bigger and better every time,” Roberts said. “Folks haven’t had a problem coming to Muscle Shoals.”
Saskatoon, CA | Vinyl collectors gather for Record Store Day in Saskatoon: Music enthusiasts and record collectors were lining up around the block for Record Store Day on Saturday. The annual day to support local shop owners and show an appreciation for vinyl makes it a special day for all involved. “It’s just like a cool community thing,” Adam Harrison, owner of The Vinyl Exchange said between a wave of customers on Saturday. “All the record collectors from Saskatoon come and get their special release stuff and it makes them happy.” “There’s a certain atmosphere to it.” The day is marked internationally with special releases, re-releases and rare items popping up. Harrison said people were lined up in front of the store when he got to work at 8:15 a.m., specifically looking for vinyl only available on Record Store Day. Five copies of the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to The Crow were nabbed within minutes. Office Space was the other hot item soundtrack, as well as Pink Floyd’s “Saucerful of Secrets” album in Mono, in addition to the piles of special edition singles lying around.
Opelika, AL | Record Store Day draws crowd to independent shops: Charles Floyd arrived at 10,000 Hz Records at 9:30 p.m. Friday, on the eve of Record Store Day. He camped out overnight and waited for the Opelika store to open at 8 a.m. Saturday, where he would be first in line. Record Store Day is a worldwide sales holiday that sees devoted music consumers lining up for a chance to purchase limited and special edition releases that are branded as Record Store Day exclusives. Independent record shops like 10,000 Hz receive a limited supply of exclusive titles from a master list each year, and customers want to get their hands on albums they may never have another chance to find. “I have a list,” said Floyd, who boasts nearly 400 records in his personal collection. “Mostly Rush, and a Queen album and a Weezer album and a My Chemical Romance album.” It’s not just the special albums that drive people to independent music stores for that one Saturday each April; it’s the camaraderie of fellow vinyl aficionados.
Lima, OH | Local customers go to Groamy’s for the experience on Record Store Day: A local record shop joined the rest of the world in encouraging record lovers to shop local, but it was not just the exclusive vinyl that brought people to his storefront. Since he started participating in Record Store Day, Groamy of Groamy’s CDs, Tapes, and Vinyl have worked hard to give customers more than a receipt on this day. This year, he had a lineup of ten primarily local bands, some comedians, and appearances from other local shops in Lima, aiming to give Groamy’s customers an experience they will not forget. Local customers go to Groamy’s for the experience on Record Store Day. “If you ask me, any day in a record store is an experience, and that’s what we do,” said Groamy. “There are a lot of exclusive releases that come out. Yes, there were 400 releases that came out. Yes, we got a hold of a whole bunch of them. But, we also had ten bands play, and we also had everything else that I mentioned going on.”
Wimborne, UK | Nearly 100 vinyl fans queue outside Wimborne shop for Record Store Day: NEARLY a hundred vinyl fans queued outside a store in Wimborne for Record Store Day. Colin Brooks, 35, from Poole was front of the queue at Square Records on Saturday. The keen music collector arrived at the store at 7am the previous morning, 25 hours before the shop was due to open. Colin has been visiting the shop to celebrate Record Store Day, which sees limited edition vinyl released, since around 2011. He said: “Rob who runs the store is amazing and also the craic we have on Friday night and Saturday morning is absolutely amazing.” He said there were others who regularly turned out that he saw in the queue each year and they remained connected by social media but only ever came together for Record Store Day. The music fans have a “gentleman’s agreement” that people are able to reserve places in the queue and they enjoyed a drink together in Wimborne’s pubs during the evening.
Chicago, IL | Chicago vinyl lovers flock to independent shops for Record Store Day: Andrew Mitchell opened the doors at 606 Records two hours earlier than usual Saturday morning. The vibes were the same at his Pilsen record store as they are most days, he said — just with a lot more people on the internationally celebrated Record Store Day. “A lot of things get pushed to the side because of Record Store Day,” Mitchell said as a DJ played house music in the tiny store, which was jam-packed with customers thumbing through stacks of albums. “But we’re bringing [the concept] in to help give extra exposure to those artists who usually don’t get it.” Mitchell, a longtime record collector and DJ, opened 606 Records at 1808 S. Allport St. in late 2015 and soon joined dozens of other record shops across the Chicago area — and hundreds around the globe — in recognizing Record Store Day every spring. Still, the 42-year-old and his co-owner are relative newcomers to the retail holiday, an idea conceived more than a decade ago by a group of friends scattered across the country as an annual celebration of independent record stores.
Providence, RI | Warren’s In Your Ear! joins national celebration of Record Store Day: “What we do has never really changed,” owner Chris Zingg said Saturday as he and his Warren music store participated in yet another Record Store Day, an event that independent record stores across the country celebrate by selling exclusive record content. “We’re like cockroaches,” Zingg joked. ”… You can try to kill us but we’ll keep going.” Strawberries. Sam Goody. Borders. Blockbuster Video. They’ve all bowed out of the marketplace as technology has changed the behavior of media consumers. But Chris Zingg is still selling records more than 30 years after the establishment of his record store — In Your Ear! — on Thayer Street in Providence. “What we do has never really changed,” Zingg said Saturday as he and his Warren music store participated in yet another Record Store Day, an event that independent record stores across the country celebrate by selling exclusive record content. “We’re like cockroaches,” Zingg joked. ”… You can try to kill us but we’ll keep going.” Meanwhile, comparing In Your Ear! to an old Strawberries store is “like comparing tigers to orangutans,” Zingg said, because the Warren store isn’t as mainstream.
Shrewsbury, UK | Record Store Day a success for Shrewsbury shop – despite struggles on the high street: Andy Haddon, of Left For Dead, in Wyle Cop, said that he was expecting it to be a quieter event than in 2018. But there were still people queueing outside his shop in Wyle Cop when he arrived to open up. “We had guys queueing outside at 10.40pm on Friday, and it was cold – about one degree. They had been queueing for nearly 12 hours. “It was really busy. With the current climate, I was expecting slightly quieter than last year. There’s been a steady flow – it’s been about the same. “People aren’t spending as much money all across retail. I didn’t order as much stock this year as previous years, but I’d be happy to sell out of everything today. If you order less, it means you still make money. People have to remember that retail isn’t the same as it was 12 months ago.” Mr Haddon said people were spending less because of Brexit. “Whether that’s Debenhams going into administration or HMV – there are a lot of retailers that are struggling, and a lot of that is down to people being cautious with their money…”
Wilkes-Barre, PA | Record Store Day draws crowds to Gallery of Sound, shops worldwide: Saturday was like Christmas morning for music lovers and vinyl junkies as the 12th annual Record Store Day was held at retailers across the globe, including Joe Nardone’s Gallery of Sound locations in Wilkes-Barre Township and Dickson City and Musical Energi in downtown Wilkes-Barre. This year’s festivities took place in 1,400 independent record stores in the United States and thousands more internationally. The day, set aside to celebrate bricks-and-mortar music retailers, was conceived in 2007 and the first Record Store Day was held in April 2008. Joe Nardone Jr., the co-owner of the Gallery of Sound stores, was on the planning committee that put Record Store Day together. This year he was on the committee that vetted the submissions and decided which records would be included. “I think it gets bigger and better every year,” Nardone said. “We try to keep it fresh, building it up from one year to the next. There’s always that rush in the early morning, then what do you do to keep it going for the rest of the day?”
Vancouver, CA | Record Store Day is music to his ears: a Q&A with the manager of Vancouver’s Neptoon Records: “I would say, other than the entire Christmas season, it’s by a mile the most important day of the year. You do more sales in that one day than you do in most months. And, it’s not even so much the fact that you’re selling a lot of stuff, because it’s not a big markup on a lot of stuff that you’re selling for that day. The more important thing is that it gets people into a record store that might not normally come. Even if they’re not buying anything, they might get to see a band that they wouldn’t have been able to see otherwise or might not have known to see. It really is a fun community event in the end, too…It’s brought a lot of awareness to independent stores that otherwise wouldn’t have been seen. Lots of large scale bands that have fans that generally might not make it into a record store get forced into coming in and checking it out. A lot of the time when people get to see an experience like that for the first time or for the first time in a long time, they can reconnect with it and realize what made it so good in the first place.”
Manchester, UK | Huge queues at Piccadilly Records as collectors enjoy Record Store Day 2019: The first pair of music fans arrived at 6.30am on Friday morning, more than 24 hours before the sales began. Keen record collectors queued around the block in the Northern Quarter as they waited to get their hands on the latest Record Store Day releases. Music fans have been flocking to Piccadilly Records, Vinyl Exchange, Vinyl Revival and Eastern Bloc Records in the city centre. Meanwhile, the newly opened Wilderness Records have brought Record Store Day to the suburbs as they opened their new shop in Withington for the first time today. In the city centre, the queues started to form on Friday afternoon as dedicated collectors set up camping chairs and sleeping bags in preparation for the big day. Music lovers lined up outside Piccadilly Records on Oldham Street in order to get their hands on rare and exclusive vinyl releases. The first pair of music fans arrived at the doors at 6.30am on Friday morning, more than 24 hours before the sales began.
Mobile, AL | Record Store Day in Mobile draws crowds of vinyl lovers: Record Store Day brought people out to Mobile Records today to support local retail and pick up rare records. Each year a number of musicians release limited-edition vinyl for Record Store Day, to encourage people to shop at their local music stores. It’s like Christmas for vinyl collectors. Mobile Records said that 600 special limited quantity vinyl records were released today and so many people showed up that they had to limit people coming in to groups at a time.
Seattle, WA | West Seattle weekend scene: Easy Street’s Record Store Day crowd – and star guest greeter: Record Store Day is an international event but you have to wonder if any other music store drew a crowd like the one lined up outside Easy Street Records in The Junction before it opened at 7 am today. Proprietor Matt Vaughan made good on his promise of free bacon for earlybird customers. At the door, a guest greeter – Jeff Ament, bassist for Pearl Jam. The Seattle-based band is this year’s Record Store Day Ambassador. Jeff brought doughnuts “but clearly didn’t bring enough” and told WSB’s Jason Grotelueschen, “I wouldn’t be here without records. … Listening to records gave me something to dream about in the small town I grew up in (Big Sandy, Montana).” He lauds Easy Street as “a hub of the community.” RSD continues on into the evening at Easy Street, including a free in-store, all-ages performance by Hibou at 4 pm.
Bozeman, MT | Bozeman shop celebrates ‘wild’ Record Store Day: With a line stretching from Cactus Records around the block and into the alley, the store had its busiest first hour of Record Store Day ever, according to owner Mike Good, who most know as “Bueno.” “It’s pretty damn wild,” said Joseph Shelton, a clerk. In its 11th year, Record Store Day is a day for independent record store owners to release special albums, have deals and showcase local music, with many artists waiting until the day to release limited-edition records, Good said. This year’s celebration included live in-store performances, food and drinks donated from local businesses and a “bring your own vinyl” party at the Rialto afterward. “One thing I like about it is it proves the physical medium isn’t bad,” Shelton said. “You don’t see people lining up for a code.” Shirstie Gaylord, who came all the way from Great Falls for the event, said there’s something almost “lottery-ish” about it. She and her husband have been going to Record Store Day for 10 years, visiting stores everywhere from San Diego to Bozeman, since Great Falls doesn’t have a record store.
Worcester, UK | Music lovers find a way to celebrate Independent Record Store day in Worcester: Music lovers found a way to celebrate Independent Record Store day in Worcester despite the city having no independent music shops. That has been the situation since the much-loved Rise store closed in the Crowngate Shopping Centre in 2018. Undeterred, music enthusiasts wanted to bring the indie store spirit to the city, so with the help of music scouts Rita and Malicia Dabrowicz, a pop up store was held on Saturday. The store, which was set up in Worcester Arts Workshop, offered the chance for unsigned artists to sell their records and merchandise to the public while the audience could also get the chance to meet them. Among the artists in attendance were Meme Detroit, Redwood and Hannah Law, who all gave performances on a stage set up at the Sansome Street venue. And the event was headlined by Worcester-based poet and singer Iggy Cuthbert.
