The Truth About Record Store Day

The labels

For bigger labels, Record Store Day is almost a licence to print money. The number of special releases has been deliberately scaled back this year due to the fact that shops couldn’t cope with demand on the day last year. There’s certainly little doubt that, say, XL will make a tidy sum from that Jamie xx release (limited to just 4,000 copies). Smaller labels without household name superstars to help sell records might have to work a little harder.

DJ 7L works for Get On Down, a label which specialises in deluxe editions of classic records, largely focussing on hip hop. 7L argues that RSD is an important reminder of the appeal of physical stores: “Not to sound like a bad Hallmark card, but I really think for any music fan, going to an actual store is a very personal experience. It doesn’t matter if it’s flipping through CDs or records, or hearing an album they’re playing over the system, it’s still the best way to find out about music on a personal level. Nothing beats that blind purchase of just picking up an album and trying it out just because.”

This year, Get On Down is releasing a vinyl boxed set of the GZA’s Liquid Swords LP with a built-in chess set, and a short booklet and flexidisc celebrating the TR-909’s contribution to hip hop. Previous releases have included a Fat Boys picture disc pizza box and a Pharcyde singles collection.

Overall, 7L thinks RSD has a positive impact on customers: “I think it just represents a good community between the customers, the stores and the labels. For us it’s basically a giant ‘thank you’ to both the stores and the customers, so putting out these limited edition items just for that day feels good. Over time, as the event gets bigger it just raises more awareness to the product, the stores and customers. All around I think it’s great for everyone involved.”

Hijacking RSD

But what about the experience for smaller labels, the kind of independent dance specialists who put out small-run vinyl releases on a regular basis, the kind of wildly passionate music lovers who’d probably continue even if they could only just sell a couple of hundred copies of each release?

Thomas Cox is one third of Pittsburgh Track Authority and helps run the trio’s labels. “First and foremost, we’re record people,” he explains. “We met in a record store in Pittsburgh about a decade and a half ago – RIP Hypervinyl Records – we go record shopping weekly, we play all vinyl in our DJ sets and our labels all release vinyl first or exclusively.”

For Record Store Day 2013, PTA have hit upon a unique idea: to hijack the official event with an unaffiliated, independent release of disco edits they’ve been they’ve been playing in their DJ sets. For Cox, the release fits into a bigger local celebration on the day. “We do a pretty good job selling records locally in Pittsburgh,” he continues. “Record culture here is thriving, with plenty of shops and people buying stuff, and we’re fortunate to have a nice group of supporters here in the city. Because of this, even the shops who don’t stock the ‘official’ Record Store Day releases have special events, parties, shows and sales. You can spend all day going to check them out. It’s a pretty big thing! We figured that it would be cool to have something special out to be part of all of this, and to let the whole world in on it as well.”

The officially sanctioned releases hold less appeal: “It seems to me that the vibe of the official RSD stuff is one of established labels putting out stuff for collectors or whatever. There are definitely some good official things this year, like some stuff by our homeboys Zombi, but we’re more interested in the idea of a day celebrating record shops, and that’s kind of how it pans out here in Pittsburgh at least. We’re hoping it works out that way elsewhere in the world. There’s no need to let the ‘official’ stuff monopolise the idea, and if there’s money and exposure in taking their idea and doing our thing with it, then that’s cool by us. We believe the music we’re putting out will hold up beyond just being a special release for this one day, but hopefully our release will help get the underground indie dance music people excited to participate in the celebration. It’s a good thing to get exposure to customers who might not normally have a chance to see our releases.”

It seems to me that the vibe of the official RSD stuff is one of established labels putting out stuff for collectors or whatever... We're more interested in the idea of a day celebrating record shops.

If Record Store Day really is meant to be a democratic celebration of record shop culture, aimed at those who are most passionate about it, PTA’s approach is a raw expression of that passion. It’s hijacking the hype which already exists, but focussing it on people who buy records not just because they’re limited edition or come in deluxe packaging, but because of the one thing that should matter most: the music. “If there is a celebration of record stores, we feel that’s a natural part of what we do and we want to be involved in it in whatever way we can,” Cox admits. “We’re out to get ours.”

Are we forgetting the customer?

Perhaps the biggest irony of all regarding Record Store Day is that the people who benefit least are the individuals who sustain the shops for the other 364 days of the year. Sure there’s a nice, buzzing atmosphere in a busy record shop, but regular customers might suddenly have to queue for hours to get in, and then the records they came for might have sold out by the time they reach the counter.

Ultimately, it’s one of the biggest flaws in the entire system. There’s certainly no unanimous consensus from shops and labels when it comes to Record Store Day, but the biggest gripe from all corners is that placing all the emphasis on one day of the year doesn’t necessarily cross over to year-round support for shops. The event often seems like a nice day out for people who only visit a record store once a year, but a frustrating experience for anyone who visits their local shop week in, week out. Whether there’s a solution to that problem – special releases staggered across the entire year? – we’re not sure.

You may not agree that record stores need saving. You may not agree that vinyl is worth celebrating. You may not agree that a single day a year can reverse the tide of shop closures. Nevertheless, Record Store Day is fundamentally an attempt to make a positive impact for the right reasons – a love of music, of record shops and of the culture which goes with them.

There are clearly ways in which the day could be improved. Seeing highly limited releases sell out on the day and then immediately start changing hands for three or four times their retail price on Discogs doesn’t do much good for anyone but the resellers. But, ultimately, all efforts to celebrate the music culture we love are welcome. Now let’s just figure out how to make them work properly, to everyone‘s benefit.