Lackawanna County, PA | Celebrating ‘National Record Store Day’ in Lackawanna County: Music fans from all over our area celebrated ‘National Record Store Day’ Saturday, and folks in Lackawanna County flocked to Gallery of Sound to celebrate. Saturday was a day filled with music in Lackawanna County as music fans celebrated ‘National Record Store Day’ in Lackawanna County. Many artists put out special albums for the occasion. Gallery of Sound in Dickson City had 300 mostly vinyl new releases ready to go. Featured artists included Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, and Pearl Jam. Customers say it’s great to be able to listen to new records while supporting local businesses. “You can only get the records one day, this is the day, and so you get to go a place and support a local business and listen to amazing vinyl,” said Kim Stenlake, Moscow. ‘National Record Store Day’ began in 2007 and has only grown since then.
Casper, WY | Sonic Rainbow packs in music lovers for Record Store Day: The line was long before the doors opened and the rush of people getting there early enough to get their hands on some of the most coveted albums packed the small store. For over 20 years, Sonic Rainbow has given the community a locally owned source for independent music. Through the evolution from CD to digital, they’ve been there, nestled into their downtown Casper home. Familiar faces and a rotation of smiling music-loving folks have always been behind the counter, and Record Store Day is the day all the devotion pays off. Packing the store with music fans and artists timing releases for the day brings plenty of excitement to Record Store Day, but certainly don’t forget about Sonic Rainbow for all of your vinyl and hard-to-find/independent music desires throughout the rest of the year.
Ocean Springs, MI | Vinyl is king on National Record Store Day: National Record Store Day may not be the best known retail holiday, but you can bet that those into vintage vinyl have been planning their lives around it. “I’ve had it on my calendar for months now because I was like, I will be going out there,” said Tori Sullivan. “It’s just absolutely amazing. Because then you get to see different people who also love the same thing as you. And you can get so many things that you normally wouldn’t be able to get on a normal shopping day.” Special releases on this day are for locally owned record stores only. “We have 1,400 independent record stores in the United States,” said Matthew Comstock owner of Maynard’s Music in Ocean Springs. “So, when you have something with a limited production amount of 500 – and here we are in Ocean Springs I’m able to get two of the Paul’s here, that makes it really special, and that’s why people are out there lining up waiting to get their hands on it.”
Fresno, CA | Locals celebrate National Record Store Day! Hundreds of people gathered at Tower District Records in Fresno for Record Store Day. “We had a line all the way down the block, even before we opened,” said shop owner Nick Navarro. The store owner says Record Store Day is a celebration of independently owned record stores across the country, which is why they treat it like a party. Shoppers enjoyed food and music while looking for and purchasing records. According to the store owner, it sold out of Taylor Swift records in the first hour. The store carries many different genres like heavy metal, blues, hip-hop and country.
Ashland, OR | People lined up down the block for Record Store Day: Record Store Day had vinyl fans from across the Rogue Valley lining up outside their local record stores to get their hands on some exclusive releases. Local record stores like the Music Coop in Ashland and Biscuits and Vinyl in Talent had lines of people waiting around the block for the stores to open, some were there as early as five o’clock in the morning. “We got here around six and there were already a few people ahead. It’s good to see this old-school way of listening to music is as popular and powerful as it is,” said Nick Maida, who was in line since 6 am. The biggest seller of the day was Taylor Swift’s LP “Folklore”. Saturday was the only day fans could get their hands on a vinyl print of the album. Other artists like Blur and Jerry Garcia also had limited or exclusive releases only available on Record Store Day. Local record store owners said that Record Store Day is their biggest day of the year and that this might have been the biggest one yet.
Bridport, UK | Record Store Day 2023: Music lovers flock to Bridport: It was an early start for music fans who came from far and wide to celebrate Record Store Day in Bridport. Some eager vinyl hunters even began to queue from 6am outside Clocktower Records. Record Store Day is the one day of the year independent record shops across the UK come together to celebrate their unique culture. Special vinyl releases are made exclusively for the day and many shops and cities host artist performances and events to mark the occasion. Thousands more shops celebrate the day around the globe in what’s become one of the biggest annual events on the music calendar. Music lovers came in their droves to celebrate at Clocktower Records, on St Michael’s Lane, and Clocktower Too on South Street. Owner Roy Gregory said there were ‘many smiley faces’ as they opened at 9am with a selection of special records on offer. “The thing is, we don’t sell online so people have to physically come to the store – and what’s great is that they do and it works,” Roy said. “There’s still this appetite for independent record shops and vinyl is as popular as it ever was.”
Grand Rapids, MI | ‘Great energy’: Vertigo Records sees busy Record Store Day: Music fans flocked to their local shops for Record Store Day on Saturday to get their hands on exclusive releases and old favorites. At Vertigo Records, located on Division Avenue near Cherry Street in downtown Grand Rapids, staff said there were 10 times the number of customers they regularly see, along with some devoted regulars. “Great energy in here, everyone is super happy to be here including the staff and everybody, so it means a lot to us and it means a lot to our customers, too,” Ethan Hohn, an employee at Vertigo Music, said. “We try to make it fun for people.” Hohn said the store saw a line going out the door on Saturday, with around 120 people wrapped around the block. Deyonta Wilmot, a local artist who goes by Debo $cotty, said Vertigo Records helps artists like himself. “Definitely is helping … anybody that is making music, producing, rapping, any type of genre,” Wilmot said. Wilmot said part of the appeal of vinyl is the nostalgic feeling. Hohn said it allows listeners to have more of an experience.
Madison, WI | ‘It just continues to grow’: Hundreds make the most of Record Store Day: Hundreds of music lovers made the most of Record Store Day at Strictly Discs in Madison Saturday. Angie Roloff, who started the store with her husband back in 1988, said the customers are her favorite part. “Clearly, they’re enthusiastic. It’s hard not to be excited about the releases and just the enthusiasm that people bring to this game,” Roloff said. In honor of Record Store Day, independent record stores get exclusive releases that can’t be found elsewhere. This year, Roloff said her store had a total of 300 exclusive deals to offer, including everything from Taylor Swift to Mac Miller to Elton John and more. Some customers camped outside the record store overnight to get their hands on their favorites. “There’s a little bit of something for everyone. There’s country, there’s rock, there’s pop, there’s hip-hop,” Roloff said. In her and her husband’s 35 years of owning the record store, Roloff said she has enjoyed watching Record Store Day evolve.
Knoxville, TN | National Record Store Day sees lines at stores across Knoxville: Vinyl record sales surged over the past decade, even overtaking CD sales for the first time since 1987. Vinyl record enthusiasts across the country lined up outside of record stores early Saturday morning to not only snag some limited edition releases, but to also support local record stores. Saturday saw hundreds celebrating the fifteenth annual Record Store Day at Knoxville record stores like Wild Honey Records and Raven Records and Rarities. “We counted heads before we opened the store and there turned out to be about 106 people lined up, which is a record for this store, and I’m sure probably others this year,” said Houston Pate, an employee of Wild Honey Records. People were lined up for an opportunity to grab limited edition and exclusive albums released specially for the retail holiday, like Taylor Swift’s folklore: the long pond studio sessions. According to a report from Recording Industry Association of America, vinyl records even outsold CD’s in the United States by almost eight million units. With vinyl making such a comeback, independent record store owners like Jay Nations are loving the revamp.
Myrtle Beach, SC | Kilgor Trouts host their annual Record Store Day: Kilgor Trouts host their annual record store day in Myrtle Beach. They hosted the event on April 22, 2023. The store has been in business for 17 years and just completed a move into their new building. Record Store Day is a celebration of the independent record store. Record Store Day has been celebrated for 15 years all across the globe. The event had giveaways, a huge sale and many special vinyl releases. The store had a 40 percent off sale on used vinyl and 25 percent off sale on all used items. And CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays are buy one get one free. The owner of the store stated Record Store Day helps the business. “We have it in April every year and then there was one on Black Friday. Special releases called the Black Friday sale, so it’s a twice a year thing. It’s a good bump for all the those independent record stores to make a little bit of extra money and get a customer base,” said, owner, Gary Finkenbiner.
Lima, OH | Music lovers celebrate National Record Store Day at Groamy’s CDs and Tapes: Saturday, April 22nd, is National Record Store Day; a day to appreciate physical copies of music, and the small businesses that sell them. Music fans came to Groamy’s CDs and Tapes throughout the day to get their hands on new releases, see live bands perform, and find new albums to add to their collections. Physical albums can not only sound better than digital versions, but when you go to a record store, you’re also getting a social experience that you can’t get from Spotify or Apple Music. While apps and websites are more convenient, your local record store has friendly staff who are happy to talk music and can recommend your new favorite artists. “An algorithm can do whatever, but sometimes when you hear it from another human being, and the passion in their voice, of the love of that band they’re trying to turn you onto, it’s a bonus,” said Groamy, the owner of Groamy’s CDs and Tapes. Groamy adds that he sees collectors of all ages come through the store, and that teens and kids are continuing to keep the hobby and passion for classic music alive.
Tulsa, OK | Tulsa record store participates in ‘Record Store Day.’ A Tulsa record store took part in an international event known as “Record Store Day.” Record Store Day is about celebrating the unique culture of independent record stores and the role they play in local communities. The yearly event’s biggest draw is the special or exclusive releases from record companies, both independent and major, given to independent record stores for the event. Some of these released are only released at independent record stores, while others may be released to other retailers in the future. Artists with Record Store Day releases this year include ‘The Black Keys,’ ‘Bjork,’ ‘Chief Keef,’ ‘Taylor Swift,’ ‘Stevie Nicks,’ ‘Post Malone,’ and ‘Billy Joel.’ For a full list of Record Store Day releases, click here. FOX23 spoke to the assistant manager of Starship Records & Tapes, a midtown record store, to see what the local reaction to the event was like. Calvin Compton said they’ve been participating since around 2014, but this was one of their best years yet.
Richland, WA | A vinyl collectors favorite day of the year: Record Store Day! Record Store Day is an annual event on April 22, celebrating the culture of independently owned record stores. Adventures Underground at Uptown Richland had a DJ spinning tracks while customers searched through exclusive recordings of all their favorite artists. The store opened at 10am, but the crowd got up even earlier. Candice Evans, an employee at Adventures Underground and an organizer of the event, says the Swifties (Taylor Swift Fans) came out in full force. “We had 200 to 300 people here before even I got here,” says Evans. “It was a really cool turnout for our city to have all these music lovers come out and support our store.”
