New York – Vinyl lovers rejoice! Record Store Day, the humble but highly exciting third Saturday in April, is fast approaching and it’s time to start finalizing those wish lists! This year, the eighth for the pseudo-holiday for record enthusiasts, is marked on the calendar for April 18. (The festive day of record appreciation was started in 2007 by Chris Brown of Portland’s Bull Moose.) Independent retailers across the country are preparing their shops and their staff for the inevitable onslaught of customers that will be heading for store doors in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The ever-anticipated list of Record Store Day releases has been publicly available for about a month now and there are plenty of albums, EPs, singles and more, to be excited about-–particularly where up-and-coming artists, who have been gaining recent public favor, are concerned.
Filling in those new to the festivities of Record Store Day, “The List” referred to here provides details on the various releases artists have recorded and labels have supplied to independent, brick and mortar music retailers. Then, within the collective list, there are three categories into which the stock falls:
- Record Store Day Exclusive Releases: Items debuted on Record Store Day, that are sold in shops of participating retailers and not available anywhere else in the same format.
- Limited Run/Regional Releases: Items in this category are also exclusive to Record Store Day but may not be distributed nationally and or the item is created with a very limited stock in mind (e.g. less than 1000 copies available).
- Record Store Day “First” Releases: Anything from this portion of the list ought to cause less alarm and thirst for competitive purchasing, as the draw for these items comes from the fact that they are put up for sale early on Record Store Day but the item in question will still be sold by more retailers at a later date, which is typically a month, to six weeks, after Record Store Day.
It is also worth noting, that even though there is a list and even though a store says it is participating in Record Store Day, not every shop will receive copies of every item on the list.
Beyond these fundamental stipulations, there is plenty to look forward to and collect!
Here are some anticipated releases off the list, from many artists highlighted by Best New Bands:
Blitzen Trapper
Live Harvest (LP) &
Vagrant Records
Qty: 3000
Courtney Barnett
Kim’s Caravan (12”) &
Mom+Pop Records
Qty: 2500
Father John Misty
I Love You, Honeybear (7″) &
Sub Pop Records
Qty: 5700
Fool’s Gold
Flying Lessons (LP) %
ORG Music
Qty: 1000
George Ezra
Wanted On Voyage (LP Picture Disc) &
Columbia Records
Qty: 5000
Grouplove
Under the Covers (10″) &
Atlantic Records
Qty: 2000
Mumford and Sons
Believe (7”)
Glassnote Records
Qty: 5000
Surfer Blood
Astro Coast (LP) &
Kanine Records
Qty: 2000
&-RSD Exclusive Release
%-RSD First Release
There are, of course, an abundance of special pressings from veteran musicians as well, including: Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney and the Foo Fighters-–among a pile of others.
Check out the complete list of releases HERE!
Speaking of the Foo Fighters, every year an individual is chosen as the “Official Ambassador of Record Store Day” and this year the individual on the podium is the Foo Fighters front man and former Nirvana drummer, Mr. Dave Grohl! A man of many musical pursuits and lover of the ways of the old school music industry, (See his “Sonic Highways” HBO mini-series and the documentary, “Sound City,” if you haven’t already.) Grohl makes for a great ambassador, as an individual who unabashedly relishes in the legacy of vinyl and independent music. Here, Grohl shares some of the impact record stores have had on his life and the relationship he has formed with music, because of them:
To locate the participating store nearest you and for more information on Record Store Day, visit the official website and these social media outlets:
Facebook
Twitter (@RecordStoreDay)
Happy hunting everyone!
Kira Grunenberg
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