Record Store Day is one of the greatest days of the year – a day set aside to give business to your local record shops. That is, if your local record shops haven’t gone out of business yet. These Mom and Pop style stores are a dying breed, failing in the wake of an online revolution that not only took money for record labels but from the livelihood of those who pedal physical albums. In many places the days of previewing albums in store, getting recommendations from the knowledgeable store clerk, and searching used CD sections for that one gem have sadly ended.
But for those towns who still have a record store, Record Store Day is a day to get music at a discount. Thanks to artists who support this movement, it is also a chance to purchase exclusive releases that are only available in local shops and only on Record Store Day. These are artists who want to use their music to benefit the local businessman and likely relate some of their earliest music memories to the discovery of music at a local record store.
A quick look at the list of artists reveals several heavyweights who are putting out exclusive releases for the day, many of which are limited edition vinyls: Adele, Bruce Springsteen, Foo Fighters, Lady Gaga, Mumford and Sons, Tom Petty, and many, many more! See the full list here. This will be the only day to get these releases, so get out there and grab one along with some great used CDs!
Many record stores also have special events to go along with the day. Contact your local store to see what they’ll be doing, and then help out a fellow person by picking up some new music!
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