Record Store Day takes place every April and is a worldwide celebration of independent record shops and vinyl culture. Special releases are created in limited numbers exclusively for the day, making them highly sought after by collectors and music fans all over the world. Fans begin queuing outside their local record shops hours, sometimes a day, before the doors open, in the hope of picking up the records they want before they sell out, with local store Reflex’s line beginning at 7pm the night before!
When I arrived at Beatdown, there was already a fairly long queue, with people at the front arriving during the early hours of the morning to grab their anticipated releases. Even though it was very early and very chilly, there was still a really strong sense of both excitement and community throughout the crowd. Some people chatted about which records they were hoping to buy with those in front or behind them whilst others checked the release list, waiting in anticipation for the clock to strike 8 and the doors to open.
What makes Record Store Day so different from pre-saving an upcoming release from your favourite artist on Spotify is the atmosphere. Instead of just clicking a button on your phone, you become part of something much bigger. There is the anticipation of watching the queue as it slowly inches forward, the nerves of eventually being at the front of the queue waiting to be let in to find out if your chosen vinyls are still available, and the satisfaction of walking out with them in your hand, knowing the first thing you’ll do when you get home is spin them.
This year I managed to pick up both records I really wanted: CMAT’s Diet Baby and Olivia Dean’s Live at the BBC. After arriving early, coming away with both felt so worth it and as I paid, I was filled with a sense of excitement I’ve never experienced when pressing play on my phone. Limited edition releases like these are a huge part of making Record Store Day feel so exciting, because once they’re gone, they’re gone!
However, Record Store Day is as much about rare vinyl as it is supporting independent businesses that are an integral part of local communities. Most record collectors have probably purchased vinyl from a chain store like HMV before, both for convenience and their large stock availability, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. Although, where possible, it is worth picking your local, independent record shop, not just on Record Store Day, but all year round, especially in a world where so many of these businesses struggle.
My Record Store Day experience showed me that physical media does still have value within the digital age and a huge amount of people still appreciate owning music in a format that they can see, hold and collect. Standing in a queue for hours upon end may seem extreme to some people, but for those who love music and vinyl, Record Store Day is worth the wait.