Record Store Day is coming!

Mark your calendars: Saturday, April 18th is Record Store Day. Much like how Free Comic Book Day lures people to comic stores in the hopes they’ll do some impulse shopping, Record Store Day seeks to celebrate and preserve the independent record store business. Sales on used CDs and DVDs, live performances, free refreshments and promotional goodies are all part of the promotional effort (although it varies from store to store).

It may seem odd that a blog devoted to horror stuff is promoting this, but there’s actually a method to my madness. Record stores have helped me (and presumably others) get my hands on music and horror DVDs that the big retailers just don’t carry, especially titles from independent companies and distributors. I’ve saved a lot of money over the years by buying used DVDs from record stores and I’ve lost count of the times I’ve sold off some DVDs and CDs in order to purchase something I’ve had my eye on.

Horror fans also might be interested to know that Bruce Springsteen will be releasing a record (yes, as in vinyl) containing the once online-exclusive song “A Night with the Jersey Devil” as part of the RSD celebration.

As download-based distribution of music and movies becomes more and more popular, the survival of indie record stores becomes more and more threatened. Instead of going to their local record store(s) to check out and buy discs, many are opting for the ease of downloading stuff from Amazon, iTunes, and the like. That, combined with competition from big chain stores are driving business away from record stores. And let’s face it: you won’t be able to resell .mp3s you don’t want if you need extra cash, but you can do that with CDs and DVDs at record stores. So let’s help keep a good thing going by supporting our local record stores!

To see which stores are participating, check out the official Record Store Day website.

3 pings

  1. […] Weird Jon has explained Record Store Day in detail before, here’s a brief summary: On the third Saturday in April, select independent record stores […]

  2. […] Record Store Day? Well, it turns out that it has a movie-themed sequel: Record Store Day Filmfest. The filmfest runs […]

  3. […] of GdL16 might remember that the special release of the song on vinyl for Record Store Day 2009 was promoted here. It’s also worth noting that the song uses material from the classic Gene Vincent song […]

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