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| credit: Record Store Day |
In about 64 days, the annual Record Store Day will once again have arrived for us vinyl record collectors and fans out there. What's this day about you may ask? Well it's almost like Christmas for vinyl record fans. Almost, but not quite as there's no cheery fat man in a suit "delivering" presents. Instead it's probably you waiting in line buying your own gift, which is how many spend the holiday, but I digress. On this day, artists may release limited edition special releases exclusive to RSD. Record stores around the country participate, throw events, have performances, etc. and tons of people come out. Well, I can't speak for other cities and stores, but last year, Good Records in Dallas had a crazy turnout. And yes, I was there, not as a shopper (although I wanted to be), but as a volunteer. I wanted to buy some limited releases, but after doing my volunteer shift (I even got a free tee!), the line was so massive/there was tons of people everywhere and I had to work later than night, I couldn't stay. The smart thing would have been to arrive early as many things were snatched up pretty quickly.
Anyway, long story short, the day is slowly approaching. For those who don't know, it's going to be held April 21 and I chatted with one of RSD's co-founders, Michael Kurtz. Launched five years ago, Michael tells us why RSD was started, what's next for it, and his personal top three albums. To find out more information, be sure to check out their site.
What led to Record Store Day being created and who's all behind this day?
Record Store Day was initially launched for two reasons. One, we wanted an excuse to throw a party/celebration for music and, two, we wanted to counter all of the negative media coverage on the music industry in general and record stores in specific. The people behind it are record store owners and their employees.
Do you feel RSD is helping to drive the resurgent popularity of vinyl and also helping to get curious or new collectors in?
You can trace the launch vinyl revolution to when Record Store Day launched five years ago. We’ve helped relaunch countless vinyl manufacturing companies and created millions of dollars of vinyl releases. We are not interested in mass producing anything. Instead we create small runs of pieces of art. This has definitely fueled the collectability of vinyl and brought a lot of new collectors in.
What are your hopes for this year's event? Any special releases/events we should be looking out for?
Like every year we simply hope that the million or so people who come out to celebrate have a great time and that we allow artists to express themselves in unique ways, whether that is with special events or special releases. It’s looking good so far.
What is the future of RSD and where do you see it going? Would you like to expand on this event and add more, maybe something during the rest of the year?
We will be launching the Record Store Day app on March 1st. This will help folks not only find their local record stores it will help to get involved in record store culture via information, artist videos/music, contests and news. We’ll also be launching a third option with artists who are interested in supporting record stores. This third option will allow them to place a record store buy button next to iTunes and Amazon. Beyond that, RSD is expanding exponentially on the international level. This is really exciting.
Are you a collector yourself? What's your top three records in your collection (if so)? Any "holy grail" LP you're craving?
Yes. My top three records are R.E.M.’s “Radio Free Europe” on the original Hib-tone label. Frank Zappa’s original pressing of “Lumpy Gravy,” and Adele’s RSD release of “Rolling In The Deep,” recorded live at the World Café. I have a pretty extensive collection of all of 7” singles, by various artists, that the Beatles released on their Apple label.
Do you think vinyl will ever truly die or will it always hang around?
We are just starting to see a new generation embrace vinyl. I think it’s going to be around for a long time.
Record Store Day
April 21, 2012
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