The annual Record Store Day returns on Saturday April 13th, for a 12th year of celebrations uniting music lovers and vinyl fans in every corner of the UK.
Over 240 independent record shops are expected to take part this year, with hundreds of limited edition vinyl releases created exclusively for the occasion and free live performances and parties taking place up and down the country.
Record Store Day was set up in 2007 to champion the culture of the record store – 12 years later it’s still going strong as it celebrates not only the record shops that have stood the test of time but also the new generation of shops who have just opened their doors.
Catalyst
Record Store Day is widely regarded as the catalyst behind the phenomenal resurgence of vinyl, as sales topped 4.4m units in the UK in 2018, compared to just 205,000 in 2008 when RSD began. New record shops are now opening at nearly one a fortnight since last year’s Record Store Day.
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Of the 500 or so titles being released on vinyl or the day, examples include Bill Evans – Evans in England, newly-discovered 2xLP recording of the Bill Evans Trio featuring bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Marty Morell captured live at the legendary Ronnie Scott’ s jazz club in London, England the week of December 20, 1969. The deluxe, limited-edition 180-gm 2LP set includes a beautifully-designed liner note insert with rare photos by photographers Chuck Stewart, Jean-Pierre Leloir and Jan Persson; essays by acclaimed jazz writer Marc Myers and producer Zev Feldman; plus interviews with Eddie Gomez, Marty Morell and filmmaker Leon Terjanian. This is the fourth official Resonance release of previously-unissued Bill Evans recordings and captures Evans in fine form. Evans in England is mastered by the legendary Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood, CA and pressed at Record Technology, Inc. (RTI).
Rachel Lowe, of Brighton store Vinyl Revolution who took part for the first time last year, said: “Our first Record Store Day exceeded all expectations. It was the best day we’ve had since opening and was terrific fun. We opened our door to a long queue of regular customers but the day’s events attracted a ton of new customers too. Our youngest first-time record buyers were aged four and six. The revenue from Record Store Day will help our young shop immensely but the publicity and goodwill will last much longer. A fabulous day. Roll on next year!”
This year’s official RSD ambassadors are Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding, writers and stars of the acclaimed British comedy The Mighty Boosh, the first comedians to take on the role. As part of their role in the event, Julian and Noel are giving fans the special opportunity to get the complete Mighty Boosh radio series on vinyl. This is the first time the series appears on record and presents the surreal world of the Zooniverse on 3 pieces of coloured 180g vinyl. The duo follow in the footsteps of Sir Elton John, Run the Jewels, St Vincent, Pearl Jam and many more.
Record Store day releases are only available through Record Store Day Shops from the date of Record Store Day. You can search for shops near to you on the website but are advised to contact the store direct to ascertain whether they will be carrying the product you are looking for in advance. Stores are not permitted to reserve product for customers so you will need to visit the store on Record Store day to purchase your product.
Partners
Audio partner Rega is offering a 2019 Record Store Day turntable based on the Planar 1, with a custom RSD printed mat, tinted dustcover, white gloss finish plinth and built-in phono pre-amplifier in a limited edition of 500 at £299. Other official partners include vinyl manufacturer Sound Performance, clothing label Fred Perry and cider manufacturer Friels.
Lists of participating stores and vinyl releases are available on the RSD UK site here.
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