Walla Walla, WA | Record Store Day at Hot Poop: Three record release dates extend the fun. Record Store Day (RSD) comes around just once a year. This past Saturday, August 29, Hot Poop celebrated the thirteenth annual event with a somewhat demure version of its usual festivities. Record store day is all about getting music lovers inside brick and mortar record stores, connecting listeners with the establishments that keep music and musicians alive. To participate, store owners sign contracts attesting that they will not sell any of the select RSD merchandise online for at least three years. Even without live performances and spaced six feet apart, audiophiles were able to find limited editions, re-releases of classics, and special pressings by artists new and old. Though there were never more than 12 people in the shop at once, the day was highly successful. “We broke a record, no pun intended,” the store reported.
Sarnia, ON | Record Store Day draws long line at Cheeky Monkey: Cheeky Monkey’s first of three 2020 International Record Store Day events was by all accounts a success. Scores of mask-wearing vinyl fans formed a socially-distant line-up outside the Christina Street record store before Cheeky Monkey opened their doors at 8:50 a.m. on Aug. 29. Record Store Day is a celebration of the spirit of independent music stores and artists from a variety of genres release an array of hard-to-find and rare records and CDs to mark the occasion. With COVID-19 postponing this year’s annual record fete – which normally happens in the spring – Record Store Day was split into three separate celebrations to reduce the number of people gathering at the same place at the same time. At Cheeky Monkey’s, safety precautions were taken during their first of three events. They included social distance markers on the sidewalk, a greeter providing hand-sanitizer for customers and no more than 15 people inside the store at any time.
Toronto, CA | Kops Records Explains the Importance of Keeping Sales Local: “It was the GTA that kept us going through the early to late 2000s, when records were at their low point.” Throughout the pandemic, record stores across Canada have understandably turned to the internet to keep business flowing, transforming their brick-and-mortar stores into Discogs pages during the long lulls without foot traffic. The Greater Toronto Area’s Kops Records, on the other hand, is taking a different approach. Not only did the store recently move two of its three locations into new, bigger spaces, Kops is focused on keeping its stock of vintage records off the internet and within the Toronto and Oshawa region. “It’s kind of our way of rewarding our local customers for their support,” owner Martin Koppel tells Exclaim! “It was the GTA that kept us going through the early to late 2000s, when records were at their low point.” …This isn’t to say that Kops doesn’t ever sell records on the internet; the store has a Discogs page, full of new records and reissues. You may notice, however, that their local rarities and vintage records largely aren’t available online, since the owners are keen to keep those within the GTA.
Dundee, UK | Fears for future as legendary Dundee record store Groucho’s closed ‘until further notice.’ Legendary Dundee record store Groucho’s will remain closed “until further notice”, sparking fears it may never reopen. The store has been run by Stella Brodie since the death of her husband, Groucho’s founder Alastair ‘Breeks’ Brodie, last year. The shop has failed to reopen after lockdown, despite most of the retail sector being allowed to welcome customers again. Stella confirmed the shop will remain closed “until further notice” but could not provide more information. Alastair founded the shop in 1976 and it has had several homes across Dundee, most recently on Nethergate. His daughter Jenny described her heartbreak at the prospect of Groucho’s closing for good. Jenny used to work in the shop but has not been directly involved in the day-to-day operations for some time. She said: “I am incredibly saddened to see the potential closure of the shop and the end of such a legendary focal point for music fans in Dundee.
Detroit, MI | 10 Detroit-Area Record Stores Helping Vinyl Thrive: Record Store Day is here…and here again…and again! Yes, Record Store Day is divided into three separate Saturdays this year due to coronavirus (COVID-19), offering three chances to scour local shops for vinyl finds. While the first Record Store Day 2020 date already happened, there’s plenty of time to prep for the other two dates, which are Sept. 26 and Oct. 24. Read on for a few choice Michigan record shops, in alphabetical order. The Detroit area is fortunate to have so many great options!
Kansas City, MO | Two new documentaries examine the changing face of physical music media: …Vinyl Nation, from co-directors Kevin Smokler and Christopher Boone, is described by Smokler as “a documentary dig into the resurgence of vinyl records, the diversification of vinyl fans, and what this all means for America in a divided political time.” It’s a vibrant tale of how the upswing in vinyl sales–and the attendant Record Store Day event–has rescued some businesses from the brink, while also leading others to start new shops and pressing plants. On the flip side is Other Music, from filmmakers Puloma Basu and Rob Hatch-Miller. It tells the history of beloved New York City record shop Other Music, while at the same time documenting its final weeks in the summer of 2016. It’s an elegy, and it’s sad as hell at times, but the tone of the film is set from its opening moments, which features a New Orleans-style second-line parade for the shop. It’s as much a celebration as it is a memorial…
Oasis to celebrate 25 years of ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?’ with special vinyl reissue: The reissue package also promises “new and original Oasis content” from the era. Oasis‘ second album ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?’ turns 25 next month, and Big Brother Recordings have announced a special vinyl reissue to mark the occasion. A remastered vinyl edition of the 1995 record is on the way, on both double silver coloured LP and picture disc formats, and a “new and original Oasis content” from the era is also promised. The new limited edition reissues land on October 2, exactly 25 years since the band released the follow-up to their debut album ‘Definitely Maybe’. All new formats of the album are able to pre-order via Oasis’ website here, and will come with a replica of handwritten lyrics to ‘Wonderwall’ by Noel Gallagher.
UK | Lewis Capaldi, Daft Punk & more announce new Record Store Day UK releases for September and October: Lewis Capaldi, Daft Punk, Kali Uchis, Neneh Cherry and Sports Team are among a host of acts to have announced new limited-edition releases for the September and October installments of Record Store Day UK. After the original April 18 date was pushed back to June 20 due to Covid-19, it was elected that the revised 2020 edition would be split over three dates: August 29, September 26 and October 24. The first RSD Drop took place last weekend (August 29) with more than 200 participating indie record shops. In a one-off move for 2020, indie record stores put remaining product online at 6pm – an official press release stated that “many releases sold out across the UK within the hour.” Celebrating their first RSD, Ben Soothill & Lou Jackson, owners of Wax And Beans in Bury said: “We are absolutely elated about our first RSD. Feels like half the North West and beyond turned out to support Wax And Beans – it certainly put a beaming smile on our faces greeting people at 6am when we got there, having no idea if anyone at all was going to turn up.”
