In rotation: 6/11/21

Tampa Bay, FL | Tampa Bay’s first Record Store Day 2021 drop happens on Saturday: Somehow even a pandemic couldn’t stop Record Store Day in 2020, and the schedule for Record Store Day 2021 has been revealed, along with which shops in Orlando will be taking part.Caution still seems to be key for Record Store Day 2021, the annual spendapalooza for vinyl junkies. What used to be one day has—like last year—been subdivided into multiple drops, where quantities of select exclusives will be released in phases to participating record shops. The main RSD drops this year are happening on June 12 and July 17. The list of exclusive releases that will be available on the two dates just dropped and it’s a doozie, with exclusives from Freddie Gibbs and Madlib, the Grateful Dead, Prince, Lady Gaga, Renaldo & the Loaf (!?) … and a Motley Crue cassette boxset, it has to be said. Most Tampa Bay favorites are offering limited-capacity shopping and different opening hours while other beloved shops like Steelworker will probably sell their unique daily inventory just the same as they do any other day…

Norristown, PA | Vinyl Closet Records will celebrate Record Store Day their way: An independent record store in Jeffersonville is celebrating and customizing Record Store Day June 12, making it completely their own. New releases are traditionally a hallmark of Record Store Day and this year marks the arrival of albums from Black Sabbath and the Buzzcocks. In Vinyl Closet Records terms, the unique promotion started back in 2008 will become “Record Store Day Our Way,” minus the sale of the new releases. “Record Store Day is a national and international event. Each independent record store does something a little bit different,” noted Angela Bucci McFarland, who owns and operates the store at Jefferson Plaza with her husband Jason McFarland. “Some years we do participate in the record store releases, some years we don’t. Because of the pandemic and business being slow, we didn’t have the revenues to invest. We always turn it into a party though.”

Columbia, SC | Calling all SC vinyl junkies! Here’s where to go on Record Store Day in the Midlands: Of all the days that celebrate some beloved part of living that aren’t national holidays, Record Store Day might command the most loyal following. Record Store Day is June 12. A regular at Papa Jazz Record Shoppe in Five Points camps outside the store with his mom for days to get the exclusive vinyl that comes out on Record Store Day, shop employee Preach Jacobs said. The morning of Record Store Day, the shop will have a line along the block. The first Record Store Day was held in 2008. As internet shopping increasingly threatened brick-and-mortar stores, the creators of Record Store Day wanted to celebrate the people who own and work at record stores and the stores’ cultural contributions to towns and cities. The creators also wanted to give local stores a financial boost.

Corbin, KY | White Rabbit Records selected to participate in Record Store Day: White Rabbit Records will be one of 21 record stores in Kentucky to participate in the national Record Store Day 2021 on June 12 and July 17. “It is a day where there are exclusive albums released, and they are only released on that day,” said Teri Anne Hensley, one of the owners of White Rabbit Records. “They are not repressed ever again after that. It may be an album that has already been released, being re-released on a different color vinyl or with a different cover. It may also be something that has never been released before.” Hensley emphasized the albums that are part of the event will never be repressed, and they will only be available at stores that are Record Store Day participants. “For big collectors, it is a really big deal to try to get some of those exclusive deals,” said Hensley. Hensley said that getting to participate is a big deal for the store.

Rockford, IL | Local vinyl sales see record-breaking year: Culture Shock owner says the pandemic caused a sharp increase in customers. Vinyl record sales beat CD sales for the first time since the ‘80s in September of 2020, according to MRC data. Skyler Davis of Culture Shock record store said he has sold more record players in the past year or so than in his entire 15 years of business. He said record sales had been growing steadily over the past decade. However, since the beginning of the pandemic, he’s said he’s seen a sharp increase. “We saw a huge increase in people getting more excited about records or getting into records for the very first time,” Davis sad. “I think the lack of travel and concerts really kind of cemented that. They have time and want that record collecting hobby in their own home.” He thinks without concerts during the pandemic, people wanted to put a spin on their at home listening experience. “It takes it from being just a background kind of thing and makes it the main focus of what you’re doing when you’re listening to an album,” said Davis.

Portland, ME | Vinyl records surge during pandemic, keeping sales spinning: Vinyl record sales surged during the pandemic as music lovers fattened their collections, and audio cassettes began a comeback as well, keeping business spinning at record stores. Easing restrictions on indoor shopping and continued interest in vinyl records provide stores — and shoppers — something to cheer on Saturday, the first of two Record Store Day dates. Although many stores were closed during the early part of the pandemic, people were listening to records at home and boosting online and curbside pickup sales of vinyl. Will Emanuel, a University of Maine student stuck at home outside Portland, bought about 50 to 55 albums during the pandemic. “I was absolutely itching to build a collection,” said Emanuel. “I fell in the rabbit hole and now it seems I can’t escape.” At 20, Emanuel is part of a new generation drawn to the warm sound, album art and retro vibe of vinyl records, joining with older Americans who grew up with the format…

HMV reveals first drop of vinyl exclusives for 100th anniversary: HMV has announced the first drop of exclusive vinyl that will form part of its specially curated 1921 Centenary Editions. The 1921 Centenary Editions are a carefully curated collection of some of HMV’s favourite albums on vinyl from the past 100 years. HMV’s Exclusives Day on July 24 will see the first 30 records in the series go on sale in store and online. The announcement comes as HMV celebrates its 100th birthday, with the remaining titles chosen for the collection set to be released in the run up to next month’s celebration. The first albums to be announced include Alanis Morrisette’s multi-million selling Jagged Little Pill, the classic self-titled debut album from the Stone Roses, Gary Numan’s Exile and Mercury Prize winning album xx from The xx (a glow-in-the-dark edition). Rock fans can also expect limited-edition coloured vinyl from Idles, Queens Of The Stone Age and Uriah Heep, amongst others.

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