Record Store Day: A kind of Christmas day in April for all the records collectors
Any good vinyl collector who respects himself knows what we are talking about when it’s about the “Record Store Day” (RSD) or “Disquaire Day” for the French-speaking countries. For those who do not know it yet, Record Store Day is an annual event organized by the independent record stores. This operation takes place every 3rd Saturday of April. The purpose of this day is obviously commercial but not only. The Record Store Day encourages vinyl enthusiasts to visit the stores to discover new bands and new albums released for the occasion. It is also a time for music sharing and celebration between music lovers, artists and store owners.
The beginning of the Record Store Day
The concept of the RSD, in 2007, grew in the head of Chris Brown, an employee of Bull Moose, which at a gathering of more than 700 independent record store owners in Baltimore, launched the idea of an event that would bring together, on the principle of the “Free Comic Book Day”, fans, artists and store owners around a single object: the vinyl record. The Record Store Day is officially born in 2007 and will be a way of celebrating the vinyl and its culture that revolves around 1,400 independent record stores in the United States. The organization will be founded by Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, Don Van Cleave and Brian Poehner.
2008, the first edition of the RSD
April 19, 2008 sees the first edition of the RSD. 300 record stores participating in the operation in the United States and a handful in the UK. Metallica officially launch the RSD at Rasputin Music in San Francisco. Will be released the first year, just for the occasion, a dozen of special records (limited edition). In 2015 this number is up to nearly 600 for the US. In 2008, the operation generates $15,000 in sales revenue and 2.5 million in 2010.
The French edition
The first French edition started in 2011 under the name of “Disquaire Day”. It is organized by the CALIF in collaboration with the American independent record stores organizations “Coalition Of Independent Music Stores” and the English “Entertainment Retailers Association”. The French Record Store Day generates 300,000 Euros in sales revenue in 2011 and 600,000 € in 2012.
Record Store Day, 2015
This year the official ambassador is none other than Dave Grohl, former Nirvana’s drummer and founder of the Foo Fighters.
What to expect for the 2015 edition?
In few numbers:
• Nearly 600 albums will be released (reissues, limited editions, new releases)
• More than 2,000 store owners in the world will attend the Record Store Day
• Hundreds of artists will play live and meet the fans
• And many other surprises to discover at your store
You now know what you have to do on Saturday, April 18, 2015!
