I've always loved books, movies, and music with nearly equal passion. Books have taken a larger place in my world, while movies have become a secondary interest. Music has always been there in my periphery. I rarely write about it, but I am always listening to music, and I have always been an obsessive music collector. To hell with Spotify, Pandora, Alexa, and itunes.
As everyone knows, vinyl records have made a strong comeback in the past fifteen or so years. There've been plenty of debates about the superior merits of analogue vs digital reproduction of music, and I have no desire wade into that mess here.
Record Store Day is an event that occurs several times a years. Special edition releases are manufactured and distributed to independent record stores for exclusive sale rights. I've been to numerous RSD functions and I always have a great time.
Things are weird in 2021. Record sales are among the least of it, but these strange times had an adverse effect upon the industry.
The latest Record Store Day was on Black Friday, 2021. I've seen a lot of excitement about it from enthusiastic record collectors. I've also seen some griping and ugly shame tactics. Here's some of the gist of it:
"I waited in line and was not able to get the records I wanted!" I get it. Disappointment to a collector may seem like a trifle in the big scheme of things, but it hurts. Maybe get out in line earlier next time?
"Idiots standing out in the wet and cold for hours!" Uh, don't go. I went yesterday and I had a wonderful time. There were music lovers shivering in the chill, laughing, talking about records and their favorite artists. It was an infectious party atmosphere.
"The records are ridiculously expensive!" Yeah, they are pretty high. Like a limited edition book, or a steelbook movie release, Record Store Day caters to people who want extra-nice editions for their collections.
"The records I wanted were cancelled! That goddamn Adele!" It sucks when your hopes go up and they get dashed. Record manufacturing is experiencing delays right now. Just like a lot of other things. Demand is higher than supply. Yes, Adele had about a gagillion copies of her new album made on vinyl. Independent artists are having trouble getting their works onto records. Now, I don't give a shit about Adele. I find her music boring and depressing. I don't begrudge her popularity or how she uses it. That's just the way things go. She's selling more than most, so she has more power than most. That's life.
"I hate limited editions!" Don't buy them. Very few RSD releases are exclusive to these packages. They are available in more affordable editions.
Many businesses have struggled over the past couple of years, and independent record stores have been nearly devastated. These events are godsends to them. The staff at my local store were frantically busy, but they appeared to be having the time of their lives.
I wasn't going to go. I've been trying to spend less money, and there was nothing I really needed this time. A sweet edition of Todd Rundgren's Healing was out on this RSD. I remember when Healing came out. It was 1981. I was out on a Friday night with some buddies, dying to lose some of our paychecks. We hit the mall and went to the music store. In those days we didn't always know when a new release was coming. I checked the Todd section and there it was.
We took Healing to a friend's apartment and listened to it. I knew immediately that it was something special. A kind of release that comes only once in a lifetime to an artist. One that seemed to have been inspired by divine intervention.
I looked at my old copy of Healing yesterday morning. I saw the scuffs, the wear. Then I went right out the door and drove to the record store. Todd Rundgren is, unfortunately, not among the most popular recording artists in the world. I had no trouble securing a copy. I also bought the Weird Al/Osaka Popstar extended single of "Beat on the Brat".
Not only that, my special number came up and I won a door prize. It was the self-titled debut of Black Pumas. I am unfamiliar with them, but everyone told me how lucky I am to get it. I'll make sure to give it a few listens.
Damn the naysayers. I had a great time. Long Live Record Store Day.
Written by Mark Sieber
As everyone knows, vinyl records have made a strong comeback in the past fifteen or so years. There've been plenty of debates about the superior merits of analogue vs digital reproduction of music, and I have no desire wade into that mess here.
Record Store Day is an event that occurs several times a years. Special edition releases are manufactured and distributed to independent record stores for exclusive sale rights. I've been to numerous RSD functions and I always have a great time.Things are weird in 2021. Record sales are among the least of it, but these strange times had an adverse effect upon the industry.
The latest Record Store Day was on Black Friday, 2021. I've seen a lot of excitement about it from enthusiastic record collectors. I've also seen some griping and ugly shame tactics. Here's some of the gist of it:
"I waited in line and was not able to get the records I wanted!" I get it. Disappointment to a collector may seem like a trifle in the big scheme of things, but it hurts. Maybe get out in line earlier next time?
"Idiots standing out in the wet and cold for hours!" Uh, don't go. I went yesterday and I had a wonderful time. There were music lovers shivering in the chill, laughing, talking about records and their favorite artists. It was an infectious party atmosphere.
"The records are ridiculously expensive!" Yeah, they are pretty high. Like a limited edition book, or a steelbook movie release, Record Store Day caters to people who want extra-nice editions for their collections.
"The records I wanted were cancelled! That goddamn Adele!" It sucks when your hopes go up and they get dashed. Record manufacturing is experiencing delays right now. Just like a lot of other things. Demand is higher than supply. Yes, Adele had about a gagillion copies of her new album made on vinyl. Independent artists are having trouble getting their works onto records. Now, I don't give a shit about Adele. I find her music boring and depressing. I don't begrudge her popularity or how she uses it. That's just the way things go. She's selling more than most, so she has more power than most. That's life.
"I hate limited editions!" Don't buy them. Very few RSD releases are exclusive to these packages. They are available in more affordable editions.
Many businesses have struggled over the past couple of years, and independent record stores have been nearly devastated. These events are godsends to them. The staff at my local store were frantically busy, but they appeared to be having the time of their lives.I wasn't going to go. I've been trying to spend less money, and there was nothing I really needed this time. A sweet edition of Todd Rundgren's Healing was out on this RSD. I remember when Healing came out. It was 1981. I was out on a Friday night with some buddies, dying to lose some of our paychecks. We hit the mall and went to the music store. In those days we didn't always know when a new release was coming. I checked the Todd section and there it was.
We took Healing to a friend's apartment and listened to it. I knew immediately that it was something special. A kind of release that comes only once in a lifetime to an artist. One that seemed to have been inspired by divine intervention.
I looked at my old copy of Healing yesterday morning. I saw the scuffs, the wear. Then I went right out the door and drove to the record store. Todd Rundgren is, unfortunately, not among the most popular recording artists in the world. I had no trouble securing a copy. I also bought the Weird Al/Osaka Popstar extended single of "Beat on the Brat".
Not only that, my special number came up and I won a door prize. It was the self-titled debut of Black Pumas. I am unfamiliar with them, but everyone told me how lucky I am to get it. I'll make sure to give it a few listens.Damn the naysayers. I had a great time. Long Live Record Store Day.
Written by Mark Sieber
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