Record Store Day April 17, 2010
 

Support your local indie Record Store on April 17. Different stores will have different collectibles so go to them all and keep the indie stores in business.

http://www.recordstoreday.com/Home

Highlights this year are:

The Beatles release limited edition single "Paperback Writer" b/w "Rain".
The Beatles to Release Limited-Edition Single for Record Store Day - Spinner

Not to be outdone The Rolling Stones release "Exile on Main Street" outtake as a single, "Plundered My Soul" b/w "'All Down the Line".
Rolling Stones Releasing 'Exile' Outtake as Record Store Day Single - Spinner

:(

The one I visited in my town went out of business less than six months ago. I think I cried.

The Electric Fetus here in Minneapolis was hit by a tornado last summer and had to close for a week or so, people were jonesing like heroin addicts until it reopened.

Try the store locator on the first link.

I got excited when I first heard of Record Store day a few years ago. But then I found out none of my local stores were even having a sale or anything (or if they did, it was a shit sale). That killed any excitement I may have had.

****ing blur are releasing a new single in support of record store day it may be **** but hopefully not!
**** yeah!

Soon enough all record stores will be out of business and hard copies of albums will be expensive and collected by music lovers. I already miss having the actual album over a digital copy

definitely gonna hit up some places saturday

Physical copies already are generally expensive and have been for a long time. If you're given the option to pay $18 for a CD where the band only sees maybe a dollar with the rest being split between the distributor and the record label to recoup the cost of recording the album versus doing a Google search and finding it for free, what would you do?

Give it five, maybe ten years and they're only going to exist as Wal-Marts and Best Buys where the local populace fails to support them (e.g. everywhere but New York and L.A.). Then we'll all have some lovely NOW! 43759572 to listen to!

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU--

Call me old fashion but I would buy the CD, I guess. My local Used Record store got shut down from strong arm tactics of RIAA lawyers, the owner closed up shop on his own to avoid legal action. I knew the owner, he had an amazing knowledge of music. In defense of my friend, he never made a copy of regular albums, but only provided hard-to-find & unreleasable material. He was dimed out by a stool pigeon who was busted by RIAA landsharks, he squealed like a pig "why me?" and then proceeded to give them a list of other stores around the city that sold bootlegs too. :(

The way I see it bands will soon use albums exclusively as promotion vehicles for their tours. You might start seeing more and more independently released albums, or just albums available as streams or free downloads via band websites. The blogosphere will explode, the pay-per-download market will diminish (it hasn't shown signs yet) and the music retailer will fade out of public awareness.

It's not an attractive prospect but I really think we are closing down on the last days of physical media for indie retailers. And it's well past closing time for the FYEs of this universe, too.

As bad as this sounds, this wanton destruction might be somewhat advantageous for indie retailers. It might be the incentive the RIAA needs to pull their heads out of their respective asses and renegotiate contracts with big-box retailers.

I will miss the days when the indie retailers are gone because nothing is more fun than going into a record store and talking about music and albums to the employees that work there. It gives the same level of satisfaction that a music forum provides, yet it allows you to actually talk to people in real life.

The recent insurgence of vinyl may give indie retailers a few more years, but it will not be the savior. Sam puts it perfectly, it's just going to really suck for all those kids in small towns where the only place to buy CD's is Wal-Mart or Best Buy where their selection is limited and their employees don't know anything about music other than where it's located (and even that's questionable).

I actually did a semester's worth of presentations for a public speaking class about my local indie record store last year on this same subject. And what do you know, less than nine months later they close their doors.

I advocated for something that my classmates weren't willing to do (visit the store instead of iTunes once in a while), but it's obvious public awareness isn't going to change a thing. The RIAA really needs to do something about this or the retail music industry is going to end up the same way it was eighty years ago.

I.e. nonexistent.

It really is upsetting to see the world as we use to know change right before our eyes. It is especially painful when it changes as to not allow an industry to flourish and instead result in the lose of thousands of jobs. In other industries it is a very similar story. Physical video stores are going out of business because of Netflix and bookstores are being replaced by Amazon

Technology was suppose to help, not hurt us!

I would absolutely love to do this but unfortunetly we only have massive chain stores where I live and they don't need any more support.

last year i unfortunately didn't get to go to a record store but i won blog contest and got a free Iron & Wine - Live @ Norfolk cd. this year i'm definitely going into town, i need to buy something for my friends' baby shower anyway, get a new mic and a bunch of other things

To be honest I think this kind of practice is kinda outdated. Most people I know buy their music digitally, and are still supporting the music scene by legally purchasing digital downloads. Physical copies are becoming less of a demand because like Pete said, they are generally more expensive than digital downloads (as you're also paying for the packaging, cover art, and distribution), less convenient, and not as efficient in terms of sustainability. And I don't have a problem with this at all, I buy most of my music digitally. It is just the way society is going.

As far as supporting record stores, over here there aren't really many independent record stores that specialise in purely music. There are mostly chain stores that sell music (CDs) as well as DVDs and other audio/visual devices and items. They are in no threat. All of the smaller, independent record stores I know of make their money by selling obscure stuff that you can't get online, concert tickets, and other merch.

I haven't purchased a CD in about 2 years now (from what I can recall). Yet, I have spent hundreds of dollars on attending concerts and shows in just the past year. I don't feel one ounce of guilt for downloading...I show my support where it is needed.

Though, I will be attending Record Store Day. My brother's band is playing outside the old indie shop at my old college campus, so I gotta go show my support. I do love strolling around those stores, though, and looking at all the albums and deciding to buy something purely based on cool album artwork. I miss doing that.

How can you justify this statement when 90% of what gets sold through indie retailers belongs to independent labels? Who's going to pick up those albums once indie retailers are gone -- big box retailers and chain stores? It's not just about the music retail industry getting smaller and smaller. Indie retailers are a major artery for those independent labels to distribute their music. Without their support those labels will undoubtedly fail -- just look at Def Jux.

And I don't know if you're aware of this but record labels themselves receive about 8-12 cents on the dollar per online download. The artists themselves: much, much less. With almost 90% of that money funneling directly into iTunes and Amazon's pockets, how can you justify spending egregious amounts of money there and still call it "supporting the musicians"?

Like I said, where I lived most of my life there aren't many indie retailers at all. Most independent labels and indie musicians that I know of have even turned to selling their music online - not necessarily through iTunes but through other means as well. I can't speak for the rest of the world and for everybody else, which is why I said "I think", but from what I have seen indie record stores are not really a major artery for those independent labels to distribute their music. One of my best friends has just started an independent record label and she is incredibly satisfied with the way she can distribute, promote and sell the music she represents online. I also know of a lot of unsigned bands who swear by distributing and selling their music online. Like I said, not necessarily through iTunes but through other channels which benefit them. I'm not saying that the music retail industry is getting smaller and smaller and that we have to accept this, but that in modern society the music retail industry is moving to a new and different level, and from what I've personally experienced myself, a lot of music retail is moving online. There are pros and cons to both methods of music promotion and distribution, there always is.

Damn I wish i had some money so I could check out my local independent record shops on this day. Ive checked and there are quite a few listed on that website but im broke.

I love my city. :D

Bop Street Records Seattle, WA
Easy Street (2) Seattle, WA
Everyday Music Seattle, WA
Georgetown Records Seattle, WA
Gruv Seattle, WA
Holy Cow Records Seattle, WA
Jigsaw Records Seattle, WA
Jive Time Records Seattle, WA
Platinum Records Seattle, WA
Porchlight Seattle, WA
Rubato Records Seattle, WA
Satisfaction Records & CDs Seattle, WA
Silver Platters (3) Seattle, WA
Sonic Boom (2) Seattle, WA
Swerve seattle, WA
Wall of Sound Seattle, WA
Zion's Gate Records Seattle, WA

Though a handful of others have closed since I moved here (not in this list, obviously).

Go to Cactus Records. It's moved, but I think it's still on Alabama somewhere...

Seeing as I live in Houston I don't think it'd be worth the drive.

I said ON Alabama, not IN Alabama. You know, Alabama, that street in Houston, the city where we both live. :p:

My bad. I actually just realized what you meant before you replied. Duh! :laughing: The road inbetween 288 and the university right? I had no idea we had a store there.

:laughing:

Soundwaves on Montrose is pretty rad too.

Also I'm not sure where Cactus is now, but it's previous location was farther north than 288 and UH, it was between Richmond and Westheimer (on Shepherd), north of 59.

Edit2: Looking a map real quick, you may have been thinking of Almeda.

Soundwaves is a good one too. Soundwaves and Cactus are pretty much the only two stores around now if you want a decent selection of music. There was Warehouse Music on Westheimer but they closed it. :( I cried a little that day...

Looks like Cactus is somewhere around Richmond and Shepherd now btw Conan.

As far as I can tell all the Warehouse Music stores have closed. I used to see tons of them in Atlanta when I was a kid but haven't seen a single one since 2004 or so.

I remember Wherehouse from the early 90s...then they got purchased by Blockbuster and became Blockbuster Music, then they went back to being Wherehouse Music. There were probably a dozen in the Houston metro area at one point in time.

I believe Sound Exchange is still around and on Richmond, haven't been by there for quite a while though. Never been to Vinal Edge though. And yeah, Warehouse had a great selection of used stuff...that's really the only reason I went there. In fact that's how I found out they were closed...went to load up on used CD's and they were shut down. So sad. They were open until last year sometime. I know there used to be quite a few around, but as far as I could tell there was only the one for the longest, and then they were gone.

The only thing Sam Goody was ever good for was buying band t-shirts on sale, and the occasional poster. I don't think I ever bought a CD from them.

Edit: sidewinder...I messed up your post on accident so I deleted it. I's sorry.

Can't wait. Hopefully I'll be able to hit up Grimey's. Last year they had a pretty insane lineup of bands. From Charlie Lourve (sp?) to Stardeath & White Dwarfs.
The Flaming Lips stopped by too. :D

I wish I could go to record store day :( I don't think there are any record stores in Pensacola. I miss D.C. but there weren't all that many there either really...

Oh **** I just realized I'm going to be in San Francisco on the 17th... perhaps I'll have to pay Amoeba a visit and see what they've got on sale.

i don't even know where there is a record store is these days.
a/w can't wait to hear the new blur song/s

^yesyesyes

I wish there were a record store where I live..I have had this record playing machine thing for dozens of years and never got to use the damn thing