If you can get past the fact that Metallica came up with this idea, this is actually a pretty cool thing.
March, 14, 2008: Austin, TX: While here at this SxSW 2008, organizers of RECORD STORE DAY in conjunction with Warner Bros. Records are pleased to announce that Metallica will officially launch Record Store Day on Saturday, April 19th, with an in-store signing and fan meet and greet at Rasputin Music’s Mountain View store near San Francisco, California (www.rasputinmusic.com). The event, the band’s first in-store appearance in nearly a decade, will also celebrate the 180 gram vinyl re-release of the band’s classic albums "Kill ‘Em All" and "Ride The Lightning" on April 15th.
The already heavily anticipated RECORD STORE DAY celebration will include the participation of hundreds of independently owned music stores across the country. All of these stores will simultaneously link and act as one with the purpose of celebrating the culture and unique place that they occupy both in their local communities and nationally. The support from musicians, fans, customers and the record industry by and large has been overwhelmingly evident from mash book entries. Visit: (www.recordstoreday.com)
"There’s nothing as glamorous to me as a record store. When I recently played Amoeba in LA, I realised what fantastic memories such a collection of music brings back when you see it all in one place. This is why I’m more than happy to support Record Store Day and I hope that these kinds of stores will be there for us all for many years to come. Cheers!" -- PAUL MC CARTNEY
“It’s important to keep indie record stores alive because their unique environments introduce music lovers to things in a very personal way.” – NORAH JONES
“I have watched independent record stores evaporate all over America and Europe. That's why I go into as many as I can and buy records whenever possible. If we lose the independent record store, we lose big. Every time you buy your records at one of these places, it's a blow to the empire.” –HENRY ROLLINS
"You can't roll a joint on an iPod - buy vinyl!" --SHELBY LYNNE
In addition to the above, record store stories from the likes of Cameron Crowe, Chuck Berry, Damien Rice, Damon Albarn, Del The Funky Homosapien, Ian Gillan, Joan Jett, kt Tunstall, Mike Patton, Patterson Hood (Drive-By Truckers), Patton Oswalt, Regina Spektor, Sam Phillips, Ziggy Marley, have been pouring in and the list keeps growing.
“For most indie record stores, the rumors of our demise are not just greatly exaggerated, they’re downright confusing,” says the organizers behind RECORD STORE DAY. As we continue to provide our communities with a rallying point for the arts, our customers are speaking loud and clear, “We’re not letting you guys go anywhere.”
Spearheaded by the Alliance of Independent Media Stores, Coalition Of Independent Music Stores, Music Monitor Network, Newbury Comics, Value Music Group of Indie Stores RECORD STORE DAY will work to set up special events at all participating stores on said date.
The participating stores will provide customers with goodie bags filled with new formats, new releases, and exciting information on music, theatrical, comic book and gaming releases. They will also link to run extensive marketing campaigns both on a national level and a local level.Prior to RECORD STORE DAY, the aforementioned coalitions hosted a successful introductory party on Saturday, March 15, at Waterloo Park here in Austin to further discuss this event. The Austin event was kicked into high gear with the announcement of the Metallica in-store. More news on this and other RECORD STORE DAY developments soon to come.
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Click the banner above to visit recordstoreday.com and check out the list of stores to see if yours is participating. In Indy, both Vibes stores, both Luna stores, Indy CD & Vinyl, and Missing Link are participating. Just so happens, those are my six favorite shops around here.
I also contacted Village Green Records in Muncie, because as of this writing, they weren't on the list. Maybe they'll get on board too, but I don't know if they'll have the freebies.
Anyway. I'm not going to admonish people for stealing music or anything, but I will say that most of the positive experiences I've had with music have come from little record shops full of musty vinyl and used CDs. I'd like to keep that going. I've killed many an afternoon flipping through the racks at a little store...One Music and Stevie Ray's House of Wax (RIP) were staples of my college years.
Record stores are probably the sole reason why I don't drive a nicer car. They've contributed to the demise of my relationships (good thing, because I don't want to be with anyone who can't understand). They've also helped get me through the toughest times of my life, when I was at my lowest. I'd just go to a record shop and look around by myself. Pretty much, record shops are the only place I go by myself, other than work. I don't see movies or go to the mall by myself. But I'll hit a record shop any time.
I get the itch every weekend. It's like therapy. I don't always buy something. Sometimes just looking around is enough.
Sure, sometimes the prices are too high, but ten bucks for an album on iTunes is a little stiff if you ask me. I need something I can unwrap and touch and smell and see my reflection in or hear the pops. Sure, I could steal the music, but again, I can't touch that. Millions of consumers think the same way.
So if record shops go away completely, that would suck. Stop in at one on Saturday. You don't have to buy anything. But look around and see if anything jumps out at you. You can look at the used CDs or the "free box" or the T-shirts or, hell, the bongs for all I care. Let's not forget how important they are to American popular culture. Let's not allow record shops to go the way of drive-in movie theaters and drugstore soda fountains and the mom 'n' pop prettymuchanything. Help keep them going!
