Record Store Day: a celebration?
Record Store Day. A celebration of indie record stores and vinyl or a marketing scam for the bigger labels to cash in on music at least once a year?
Record Store Day has the potential to be a great day for fans of music. Special releases, in-store performances. What’s not to like. Still I have the feeling that instead of celebration independent music stores it’s all about making a quick buck.
Vinyl buyers all over the world are looking forward to stand in line and buy their limited copy of band X or the reissue of performer Y. Like them I’ve made a list myself of potentially great additions to my shelf of records. Pretty much the same as last year. And like last year I will be disappointed again.
Having hurried to get my kids clothed in time for the local record store to open I rush to the box with Record Store Day releases. Too bad my independent store didn’t get all the releases that were announced on the internet. But the biggest dissapointment every year is the price of some ‘exclusive’ records. If this really is a celebration why not price the special releases the same as any other record?
What happens is that a lot of vinyl doesn’t get sold, goes online and can be bought of the Internet for lower rates. So to celebrate record stores, we put a big margin on exclusive records, enough so people don’t buy them in the record stores and we can later sell them online? To me that’s kind of missing the point of Record Store Day.
Now tell me which records did you buy today?
Back to specials overview
While I do agree that lots of the charm is gone with the ridiculous prices I read somewhere that Spinvis (not my favorite artist, but still) was giving away free 7″es today. That’s a cool thing.
So as predicted I ended up with only one release: Refused – Rather Be Dead ep. Including this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yEkb55mqIc
I thought about picking up the Morrissey 10″ but it only had two previously unreleased songs. Refused’s Songs To Fan The Flame was a record I hesitated about picking up as well. But eventually I kept it with one release.
that Refused song is so cool!
Picked up the “FEISTODON” 7″ (Mastodon / Feist), the free Spinvis 7″ and enjoyed the instore Spinvis gig at Velvet, Amersfoort. I had Blood for Blood, Crosses (†††) and Refused on my list but they were already gone or not available.
I went for Blood for Blood but for some reason that one was not available, so I ended up with the 7″ from the Clash..
At least it’s something, and I’m goning back at 6 for an instore gig of the Phantom Four and a beer…
I got The Byrds and The Small Faces 7″es and the free Spinvis 7″. And I got to see a cool but somewhat awkward Iain Matthews instore performance, about eight people bothered checking him out so he understandably skipped two songs from his seven song setlist.
Got Blood For Blood and the Misfits on red. Wanted Refused ‘This just might be’ but not available in the store.
Feistodon, Refused – new noise theology, Refused – rather be dead. At least the Fesitodon 7″ was 3,90€ so it’s rather cheap for a 7″ these days.