National Record Store Day

I'm glad stores are surviving thanks to RSD, but I hate so much that it turned into solely being about THE LIST and the scramble for gimmicky records with forced exclusivity.

I liked it much better when the idea was just a day to celebrate the "idea" of record stores - food, in-store performances or DJs, sales, etc. Maybe a few special things, but more like free comic book day where it's just massively pressed quantities of a 7" or two so that everyone who steps foot in the door gets one. Not this bullshit, "hey we know 40 of you have expressed interest in this exclusive red splatter ELO 7" so we asked for 45 copies, but we only got two so, uh, good luck" thing that's happening. I don't blame the stores for this at all, but the whole thing is so antithetical to what I love about record stores.

I mean, it should have been a big red flag years ago when every single record store's social media feed was filled with variations of "hey, just so you know we got nowhere near as many copies of the RSD exclusives as we requested, so prepare to be disappointed". Instead we just keep repeating the same thing year after year after year.

Limited quantities of select items incentivize people actually go instead of put it off until they decide not to care. "FOMO" is a big motivator to drive sales, a percentage of which might not even happen at all without that factor.

Whatever problems I have with RSD, I've always been fine with the prices/scarcity/clusterfuck aspect of it. It's Record Store Day, not Record Store Customer Appreciation Day - the whole point is to get as much money as possible out of peoples wallets and into the cash registers of record stores, not to equitably distribute desirable records to music fans.

Where I work, we put a lot of money into RSD usually but it is a total risk as others have said. Before the lockdown, I was still putting previous releases from the last few years in our clearance section. There's always some titles we don't get enough of and some we somehow manage to get just right. The latter is very rare. The mark ups on these records (and for all new records in general) are really terrible. We mainly stick to the suggested prices and often we're lucky to make roughly $5 profit on these exclusives. Maybe more like $10-15 on some bigger items. It is true that we have no idea what we're going to get for sure until the week before. There's always some that we really went overboard on (anyone still need one of those Nas Stillmatic reissues from Black Friday or the Sugar Ray reissue?)

We've done very well on the day just because people want to come out and support our store. There will be people waiting in line for half an hour picking up new copies of Radiohead albums they can buy any time. We sell a lot of used records too. Lots of people telling us they've been waiting for a special occasion to pick up something a bit more rare/expensive. I was very skeptical about RSD (and still am in some ways), but it really changed things working there and seeing all the people (all our regulars and more) coming in to just pick up anything they could. The build up is stressful, but it really is a nice experience.

Maybe it's changed, but the first two or three years I checked out RSD at a shop near me (that sadly no longer exists) you couldn't even buy or browse the non-RSD stock. You waited in line at the door, then they let folks in two by two, to ask for the exclusives they wanted. You were then rung up and guided right back out the door, you weren't even allowed to browse the "regular" stock.

The long game is to build loyalty, so stores should focus on using the day to encourage people to come back for regular shopping visits. It's pretty short sighted to not make the most out of it beyond the exclusives and single day traffic however possible.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to begrudge the stores one bit for whatever helps them survive. If RSD, in its current formulation, does it - great. I won't begrudge anyone that enjoys it either.

But I do find it... interesting (for lack of a better word) that a special holiday created specifically to celebrate one of my favorite hobbies ever has evolved into something where it is the one specific day I actively avoid record shopping. And I know I'm not the only one that feels that way. I feel like it should be called Record Store Exclusive Vinyl Day or something else instead.

tbh I also avoid the stores that day, or if I go its usually shortly before closing to browse the leftovers & survey the damage. But I always figure its not really aimed at people like me who typically go once a week and spend regularly, we dont really need an incentive to go spend money at our local record store, but moreso for Earnest New Vinyl Enthusiasts and people who might otherwise only go at christmas or soemthing.

I've never been on RSD - I have a young daughter and would rather spend the weekend with my family, and wouldn't relish the chaos anyway. But every year there are a couple of releases among the novelty tchotkes that I lust after. I read there was supposed to be a reissue of GBV's Vampire On Titus or Propellor this year, which definitely caught my interest.

June 12 & July 17 this year - anything exciting coming up?

Want the Blackbeard I Wah Dub reissue, and also the Timmy Taylor/Brainiac rarities/demos things, but I won't be going to any record shops today, so...

I got the Linton Kwesi Johnson, Half Japanese, Poly Styrene and the two Burt Jansch records.

I ventured out on RSD for the first time ever to get that L7 'Beauty Process' vinyl pressing. In the end, I probably didn't need to. There are 3000 of them and most stores/resellers aren't really gouging yet, but at least I got some fresh air.

got the negative space reissue... really want the hawkwind greasy trucker party live thing coming out in July

I picked up Donny Hathaway Live and the Brainiac Attic Tapes unreleased comp

The store I went to had almost no crowd and their RSD stuff was not as insanely marked up as I’ve come to expect, don’t know what was going on but I like it. I had a stack of 3 or 4 things, but I kept finding stuff I was more excited about in the used bins and putting RSD stuff back. Ended up getting the Flaming Lips Soft Bulletin thing.

I just found out that the one record store near me isn’t participating this year; I’m getting a little uptight trying to figure out how I’m going to get a hold of The Sisters of Mercy’s BBC Sessions.

I've never seen stores marking stuff up over MSRP they are definitely not supposed to

The stores I used to go to the RSD prices were eye-popping, I always just assumed they marked up as high as they thought could get away with

got a few more things

toots - funky Kingston
Tom petty - angel dream
groundhogs - who will save
Donnie Hathaway - live

would’ve liked to grab the Tommy Bolin but it was like 40 bucks. Haven’t even heard it actually.

also kinda intrigued by the tangerine dream live thing

I went to a WFMU sidewalk sale instead of RSD...

I got:

- EEC Punk Rock Mountain: A Sarah Bootleg
- Joan Shelley - Over And Even
- M. Geddes Gengras - Test Leads
- Hüsker Dü - Candy Apple Grey
- Uncle Wiggly - Non-Stuff
- Grenadine - Goya
- Jack Rose - S/T

xposts: the Sisters of Mercy BBC Sessions is out on the second RSD date, July 17th (e.g. https://mainstvinyl.com/UPC/190295154455 )

Yeah they’re not participating in that one either unfortunately. Wonder what my chances would be at Newbury Comics in the big mall by me.

Worth a shot, I know Newbury participates.

if a store is pricing things above MSRP on RSD, then they are breaking the rules and are lucky they haven't gotten cut off. but sometimes thins are just overpriced. the Wire 10" thing was $100, which is just too much. There wasn't anything else I was hoping to get, but next drop I do want the Marvin Gaye What's Going ON Detroit Mix; but even that is listing at $70.

was bummed when william tyler announced that last year's new vanitas would be an rsd only physical release, but easily found one for less than $20 on discogs. it's the the only rsd release i've cared about since wt's last rsd-only release (the reissue of the paper hats lp).

akm i know it's not as "cool," but if you just want to have a copy, the what's going on 2cd deluxe edition from several years back has the detroit mix included.

Seems like at least 75% of 'RSD EXCLUSIVES' are CD bonus tracks or box set bait pressed to vinyl.

Like, I can imagine the killing Universal has made in the '10s pressing the extras from all those deluxe series titles from '00s to wax.

so over this shit

i know there was a japan-only vinyl issue of the dteroit mix some years back, but i'm not sure if it (or the forthcoming rsd pressing) was just like most contemporary vinyl pressings in that it's the digital mastering just bounced down to vinyl.

(which is always super disappointing)

sorry i bumbled around and meant to make the detroit mix a link to the discogs entry, but made it a typo instead. rectified, hopefully.

I thought the Dirty Three Ocean Songs with the ATP live set looked interesting, but it was apparently limited to 1,500 worldwide (reportedly only 400 copies in the US) and instantly became impossible to find. Discogs keeps giving me errors this morning, but yesterday I saw it going for over $300. Cool system guys.

yeah that one was particularly frustrating, 1500 is way too low for that, especially given that nick cave plays on it

manufactured scarcity

Im sure that the detroit mix is a digital transfer, but whatever, I'll buy this anyway (and saw it confirmed on reddit that this just a repress of the japan release)

Visited one store at noon Saturday after deciding I didn't care enough to camp out at 8 in the morning, and got the Wipers 2xLP reissue and Perfume Genius remix album. Made a second stop on Wednesday at another store and managed to find the Roast Fish Collie Weed & Cornbread and Having a Party With Jonathan Richman reissues. I'm also curious about the Tangerine Dream live disc and the Warpaint Weatherall mixes; the latter sold out pretty much everywhere I've checked, though, while the former was in such abundance that I let it slide until my next paycheck.

How is the sound/pressing quality on that Blackbeard reissue? Doing a little research on Discogs, it reads like it might be from the 2003 CD remaster...

It may well be, but it sounds pretty sweet to me (and OG copies on Discogs have always been ££££)

... and that Sisters Of Mercy sessions compilation is coming out on CD too - https://www.normanrecords.com/records/188373-the-sisters-of-mercy-bbc-sessions-19821984

I did end up getting those Sisters BBC sessions on RSD (thanks to Clockwork Records in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY). The night before I checked out the Heartland forum to see if there was any chatter about it and was surprised to learn that the Kid Jensen session and one of the Peels had already been released digitally last year. Anyway glad to finally have a legit/good-sounding copy of these.

Errr, I guess all three had been released digitally, but the '82 session only in the UK.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/feb/17/record-store-day-independent-music-shops-vinyl-shortage

good article, thanks

so much unnecessary shite on the list this year. it's really dregs time when the only thing i'm interested in is a Tangerine Dream reissue of a film i've not seen, and a Wipers reissue i won't buy because at last RSD the Wipers reissue was £35-ish and i have no reason to believe this one won't be too, so fuck that.

https://www.stereogum.com/2213021/record-store-day-ambassadors-2023/news/

Are we more or less done with this? I don’t think I’ve gone post pandemic. I might go out in the afternoon just to treat myself, but no interest in lining up for overpriced wax.

sadly it is still a thing

https://i.imgur.com/0CGfaQe.jpeg

Academy Record Annex is at Academy Record Annex.
2d
· New York, NY ·
A note on record store day -
After many years of participating in being a part of the “official record store day” spectacle - we’ve decided to no longer really carry RSD product. This is based on a combination of rising costs, declining product, and an overall vibe that we just don’t feel fits in line with ours.
Don’t get us wrong - we’ve had incredible days in years past on RSD, but we feel like as time has gone on we’ve noticed less and less interest in the new RSD titles and more interest in what we’re already known for - great used records.
For RSD this year we’ll be doing another massive $1 sale outside banker street, and will have the bins at both stores flooded w killer used records. See you this weekend !!

\m/