UK | Record Store Day 2023 sees vinyl fans descend on UK record shops: Eager customers have been queueing since the early hours of the morning to get their hands on limited-edition releases. Record Store Day 2023 kicked off earlier today (April 22) with vinyl fans descending on UK record shops around the country. A number of limited-edition and special releases were made available over-the-counter at over 260 participating stores, with many customers queuing since the early hours. The 1975, Blur, Pixies, U2, London Grammar, Madonna, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Foals, Donna Summer and Björk all released vinyl as part of the 2023 event. Taylor Swift, who was last year announced as the first-ever global ambassador of Record Store Day, released ‘folklore: the long pond studio sessions’ on vinyl for the first time today, with many fans taking to social media to celebrate grabbing the limited-edition record. “Still can’t believe she is mine,” said one fan, posing with the vinyl. “MY FIRST TAYLOR VINYL EVER SECURED!!!” “First RSD: got to the shop at 5am for a 8am opening and the shop had 30 copies and I got one!!!! Met some lovely girlies and we gushed and had someone’s wee dog sit on me,” wrote a third Swiftie.
Baltimore, MD | As vinyl sales grow, Record Store Day continues to take on a life of its own: ‘It’s a big party’ They say there is nothing new under the sun, and the popularity of vinyl records proves it. In 2022, vinyl outsold CDs for the first time in 35 years, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. That interest is part of the reason there’s such excitement around Record Store Day, which takes place Saturday. Record Store Day was created in 2007 during a meeting of independent record store owners in Baltimore and has since been recognized as an official holiday throughout the United States. It’s a celebration of the culture of record stores and the impact they have on music, while also financially supporting them. Customers are often treated to special activities, such as meet and greets with artists, performances and parades, but one of the main reasons people participate is to purchase special vinyl, CDs and other products made solely for the day.
Rochester, NY | Vinyl record fans line up at local store ahead of National Record Store Day: It turns out that records still have a lot of appeal in today’s digital age. “I really like having that piece of physical media, being able to hold it and look at the artwork,” said Julien, who camped out in front of Record Archive. “Not only is it a hobby, but I meet a lot of different people that are interested in it, making new friends.” Record Archive said they were stocked with hundreds of limited record releases to celebrate the day. For vinyl record fans, it’s a national holiday. Music fans look forward to the release of limited edition special albums to mark the occasion every year. Record Archive celebrated with $1 records, live music, and happy hour events throughout the day!
Wellington, NZ | Record Store Day 2023: ‘More titles than I’ve ever had before’ Lines stretched down the roads outside New Zealand’s record shops today, with music fans lining up for hours to get exclusive Record Store Day releases from artists including Taylor Swift and Pearl Jam. Started in 2008, the day celebrates independent record stores and features exclusive releases only available on the day. At the time, the stores were struggling due to illegal downloads. Today there were exclusive releases from artists like Taylor Swift, Pearl Jam, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Fleetwood Mac and Donna Summer. Stock was extremely limited. By 9.10am, Slow Boat Records in Wellington had already run out of Taylor Swift’s limited LP. People had lined up waiting for doors to open since 5am. Lines down the road was a common theme of the day.
Des Moines, IA | Music lovers brave cold for Record Store Day: The cold temperatures didn’t stop music fans from lining up at local record stores. Record Store Day, which began in 2008, is a day for independent record store owners to celebrate music and bring in music fans. People lined up at ZZZ Records on Ingersoll Ave. and Marv’s in the East Village to get their hands on vinyls. Some were in line as early as midnight on Saturday morning and some braved the long hours and slept outside the record shops. For fans and vinyl collectors, they say it’s worth the wait. “I think we have a good community with record collecting and the music scene to in town,” Emily Newton, one of the people waiting outside of ZZZ records, said. “It’s just kind of exciting to see people get excited about vinyl because it is so popular. I think vinyl keeps outselling CDs, that’s really cool.”
Madison, WI | Vinyl record fans line up on Monroe St. for Record Store Day: Vinyl record fans started lining up outside of “Strictly Discs” on Monroe Street before 8 p.m. Friday to get their hands on over 300 exclusive Record Store Day releases on Saturday. “We’ve seen I don’t even know how many, tons of people. Especially surprising considering it’s not the most pleasant day out. But record store day gets people excited and we’re always excited to see them,” Strictly Discs co-owner Angie Roloff said. Record Store Day is celebrated across the globe. It started in 2007 to recognize independent record stores and has turned into a global phenomenon. Roloff said they’re thankful people come out to support their business not only on this day, but year-round. The line wrapped around the block, but hundreds waited in line to get exclusive vinyl ranging from Elton John to Taylor Swift.
Bryan, TX | Music lovers celebrate Record Store Day at Curious Collections: Saturday saw music lovers gather in record stores nationwide. Record stores like Curious Collections Vinyl Records & More in Bryan celebrated Record Store Day by selling special edition vinyl records from popular artists like Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton, The 1975 and more. Curious Collections witnessed customers camp out Friday night hoping to be able to purchase these special releases before they all sold out. “We had a line of people about 100 or more deep this more. We had probably about 50 people sleeping on the sidewalk which is amazing,” said Curious Collections owner Mary House. The store also gave out food for customers and had performances from a DJ, a local artist and students from the School Of Rock. Due to a resurgence in the popularity of vinyl records, Curious Collections said this was their most popular Record Store Day. “This is definitely the biggest day that I’ve seen since I started in 2016,” said House.
Eugene, OR | Record Store Day goes from essential support to celebration of music: When the first Record Store Day took place in 2008, it came at a time when some of the independent shops it was championing were also struggling to stay open. The message to music lovers was: Celebrate your local shops, they really need it! Bruce LaVerne, who has been in the record store business since 1991, has owned The Vortex in downtown McMinnville since 2003. Back then there was a lot of competition for consumers’ music spending. “Best Buy was at its peak. You had Fry’s, you had all these major retailers, the usual, with Amazon coming up,” LaVerne said. “Everyone was our competitor.” He says Record Store Day helped remind people that shopping for music at an independent store is a more personal experience. “It refocused attention that there are stores out there that want to work with you as a customer one-on-one,” he said, “and provide you with the kind of music you’re really after.”
Hazard, KY | EKY record store celebrates Record Store Day: Vinyl record enthusiasts across the nation were out bright and early on Saturday to take part in Record Store Day. Record stores offer special promotions and sell exclusive records on this day each year. Those with Queen City Records in Hazard said people lined up outside of their store four hours before they opened to take part in the annual event. “Before I even got here, I had come about an hour before we opened, and there was already about seventeen people outside waiting,” said Mary Jo Everidge, Queen City Records manager. “Some of them had been here since eight o’clock in the morning and we didn’t open until noon, so we had a really good turnout.” Everidge said they have plans to make next year’s record store day even bigger and better than it was this year.
Dallas, TX | Dallas vinyl fans come out to support local music stores on Record Store Day: The annual event features a huge release of new records intended to promote shopping at local record stores. When’s the last time you’ve listened to a vinyl record? If you’re in a certain age bracket, that answer may be never, given the age of instant digital streaming we live in now. But for a large subsection of particularly passionate music fans, vinyl is the premiere music-listening experience. Some would argue it’s the best way to listen to an album, akin to seeing a classic film projected in 35mm in a dark theater — the idea of experiencing a piece of art in its ideal form. One annual event to promote the collecting and listening of vinyl records is Record Store Day. Since 2007, the event has been held across the country and around the world as a way of supporting local record stores. As they say, it’s “to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding nearly 1,400 independently-owned record stores in the U.S. and thousands of similar stores internationally.”
Springfield, MO | Fans line up outside Springfield record store for ‘Record Store Day’ finds: Dozens of vinyl record lovers camped out Saturday morning outside Springfield’s Stick it in Your Ear, hoping to get an exclusive deal. Record Store Day is an annual event to unite fans and support independent record stores. A big part of the draw is for records only on sale during the event or have never been released. “The main thing about small business is a community,” said Eric Milan, owner of Stick It In Your Ear. “We live here. I mean, this is our life just as much as our customers. And then, for me, a small business to me is more about the type of service that you’re getting.” Some, such as Tori Freeman from Ozark, Mo., arrived at 10 p.m. on Friday. She waited for Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’ album.
Indio, CA | Coachella 2023: Festival fans snag exclusive titles on Record Store Day: Festivalgoers picked up Record Store Day specials and talk about their favorite albums on Saturday, April 22. It’s time to support your local independent record store on Record Store Day, Saturday, April 22. Every year, artists, record labels, pressing plants, and music enthusiasts band together to celebrate independently owned brick and mortar record stores. This typically includes events, special guests, deals and all things representing record store culture. Attendees during Weekend 2 of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio will also get to participate in Record Store Day on the festival grounds inside the Coachella Record Safari. With a copy of rapper Joey Badass’ “2000” in hand, Brandon Willis, 23, of Maryland, was digging through crates to see what he could find. “I started getting more into vinyl in like 2019 and I think the first one I got was ‘Best Day Ever’ by Mac Miller for Record Store Day,” he said.
Seattle, WA | Music fans flock to Easy Street for Record Store Day: That traffic-camera image from a few minutes ago suggests the crowd has finally thinned a bit at Easy Street Records, where people were lined up well before today’s special early (7 am!) opening for Record Store Day. WSB contributor Jason Grotelueschen got in line at 6:45 am and was still waiting two hours later – he sent this photo showing the early-morning line wrapping down Alaska and onto 44th. While he waited, Jason reported “seeing happy people coming out with lots of records.” Easy Street’s award-winning proprietor Matt Vaughan said this RSD brings more than 300 “exclusive titles,” and Taylor Swift was the biggest draw. Eddie sent photos, too, and says the line was still going strong around quarter to 11. You’re likely to see a crowd at the corner again this evening – The Rockfords will wrap up Record Store Day with an in-store performance – their first show in 20 years – at 7 pm. More on that in ESR’s newsletter.
