Kick the iTunes habit and celebrate Record Store Day
Hug an LP, cuddle with a CD or two, and mingle with fellow music lovers at a record store!
Kick the iTunes habit and stop streaming, it's time to get physical with music you can touch!
Record Store Day is a celebration of the joys of buying music in the real world, and brick and mortar stores all over the country are participating in the event on Saturday, April 21.
The first Record Store Day was in 2007, and every year more and more stores get involved. The Record Store Day Web site has this quote from author Nick Hornby:
"Yes, yes, I know. It's easier to download music, and probably cheaper. But what's playing on your favourite download store when you walk into it? Nothing, that's what. Who are you going to meet in there? Nobody. Where are the notice boards offering flatshares and vacant slots in bands destined for superstardom? Who's going to tell you to stop listening to that and start listening to this? Go ahead and save yourself a couple of quid. The saving will cost you a career, a set of cool friends, musical taste and, eventually, your soul. Record stores can't save your life. But they can give you a better one." Right on!
Best of all, most stores are stocking special limited edition and exclusive releases, and many shops are offering titles from local bands. A lot of outlets will offer the Flaming Lips, Little Richard, the Black Keys, Florence + the Machine, Leonard Cohen, M. Ward, Mississippi John Hurt, the Civil Wars, Of Monsters and Men special Record Store Day releases. Here in New York my friends at Other Music, J & R Music, and In Living Stereo have DJs spinning records and special sales on groovy LPs!
Check the Record Store Day Web site to see if there's a participating store near you. If you dropped by a store today share your experiences in the Comments section.