First Annual Record Store Day a Hit

On Saturday, April 19, independently owned record stores around the world took part in the first annual Record Store Day, a celebration of the culture of indie record stores and the unique place that they occupy in their local communities and nationally. By all accounts, the day was a huge success.

"It was out of control," said Don VanCleave of the Coalition of Independent Music Stores via e-mail. All told, some 692 stores signed up to participate, including stores from "the U.K., Italy, and various other far flung places." The Alliance of Independent Music Stores, CIMS, Music Monitor Network, and the Value Music Group of Indie Stores, organized the day.

VanCleave reported that, according to StreetPulse, Saturday was the best day of music sales for 2008, out-selling the second best day, March 22, by 29 percent. And music sales increased 39 percent on Record Store Day compared to the same time the previous week. The response to Record Store Day increased music sales over 22 percent from the same day last year. "This is just the indie sector," he said. "We are really excited."

Record Store Day was officially launched by Metallica, who also celebrated the vinyl re-release of Kill 'Em All and Ride the Lightning (Warner Bros. Records) on April 15. The group conducted an in-store signing and fan meet-and-greet at Rasputin Music & DVD in Mountain View, California. The event was the band's first in-store appearance in nearly a decade. About 400 fans camped out in front of the store for three days in anticipation of the band's appearance, according to Rolling Stone.

The day certainly generated tremendous support from musicians and celebrities. The Record Store Day website was inundated with heartfelt remarks from the likes of Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, and hundreds of other artists, as well as music fans, who penned testimonials about their love of independent music stores.

"There's nothing as glamorous to me as a record store," McCartney wrote. "When I recently played Amoeba in Los Angeles, I realized what fantastic memories such a collection of music brings back when you see it all in one place. This is why I'm more than happy to support Record Store Day, and I hope that these kinds of stores will be there for us all for many years to come."

"The best feeling on earth is to be surprised by something you never expected to find in a bookstore," wrote David Simon, creator and director for the HBO award-winning series The Wire. "The second best feeling on earth is to be surprised by something you never expected to find in a record store. If it's something used, or rare, or out-of-print all the better. And, honestly, what are the chances of something like that happening in a chain store? I can spend three hours going through the stacks at a place like Sound Garden. It is never time wasted."

There's no question that, much in the same way a bibliophile views his local bookstore, indie records stores hold a certain place in the hearts of music fans. Said VanCleave, "I think the personal service, the filtering, and the social interaction with other music geeks is the main attraction." --David Grogan