As the music industry flails to find a viable business model in cloud jukebox services such as Lala and Spotify, a far more tangible medium for music consumption is making a comeback.
As of November 2009, sales of vinyl records had risen 35 percent in just a year, according to The New York Times. Michael Kurtz, co-founder of Record Store Day, would have you believe that his annual event has played a role in that growth.
Record Store Day, which was kicked off in 2008 when Metallica played a special in-store, will be recognized by more than 1,400 independently owned music retailers Saturday. It's meant to celebrate local record shops, which Kurtz calls "cultural hubs."
"It really comes down to a sense of community," Kurtz told Wired.com, adding that record stores are places people go to talk with other music lovers. Record stores also employ many musicians, including some who have gone on to fame and fortune.
"What is not to love about record stores?" said former record store employee Mike Patton, who went on to sing with Faith No More and become co-owner of Ipecac Recordings, in a Record Store Day testimonial (one of dozens on the event's website). "To be surrounded by millions of records, some that you know and love and others that are hidden treasures waiting to be discovered.... The excitement of strolling the aisles of a cool record store will always excite me."
This year, stores all over the globe will commemorate Record Store Day by selling limited-edition vinyl LPs, EPs and singles, along with CDs and other merchandise by artists across multiple genres.
All the special editions have been produced specifically for the music holiday. Among the more than 170 special releases are:
- A vinyl single and B-side from The Beatles, featuring "Paperback Writer" and "Rain."
- A Metallica/Black Sabbath split 7-inch.
- A live, 10-inch picture disc by Them Crooked Vultures.
- A limited-edition 7-inch single by Blur, whose members got together to record a song for the first time since 2003.
Information on other releases, special events and participating stores can be found at the official Record Store Day website.
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