Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is a semi-annual event established in 2008 to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". Held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November, the day brings together fans, artists, and thousands of independent record stores around the world. A number of records are pressed specifically for Record Store Day, with a list of releases for each country, and are only distributed to shops participating in the event.
The event originated in the United States and has expanded internationally, with official organizers in the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Mexico, Europe, Japan, and Australia.
Originally pitched as an idea to create an event similar to Free Comic Book Day by Bull Moose Music's Chris Brown and Criminal Records' Eric Levin, the concept for Record Store Day was created during a brainstorming session at a meeting of independent record store owners in Baltimore, Maryland. Record Store Day was founded in 2007 by Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, Brian Poehner and Don Van Cleave, and is now celebrated at stores around the world, with hundreds of recording and other artists participating in the day by making special appearances, performances, meet and greets with their fans, the holding of fundraisers for community non-profits, and the issuing of special vinyl and CD releases along with other promotional offerings to mark the occasion.
Each store holds its own event for the day, to celebrate its place in its community. Although Record Store Day only occurs twice a year, the organization provides promotions, marketing, and other opportunities for stores throughout the year, maintaining a website, social media accounts and other means of promulgating its views about the value of independent record stores. Record Store Day is managed on a day-to-day basis by the Department of Record Stores, along with the Coalition of Independent Music Stores and the Alliance of Independent Media Stores.
Record Store Day officially began on April 19, 2008, at Rasputin Music in Mountain View, California, with Metallica launching the event. The first celebration featured around 10 special releases from artists like Death Cab for Cutie, R.E.M., and Vampire Weekend. Approximately 300 independent record stores in the U.S. participated, with English singer-songwriter Billy Bragg helping to launch it in the UK. Key British stores, such as Piccadilly Records in Manchester and Rough Trade in London, joined the inaugural festivities, marking the event's first significant expansion beyond the U.S.
The second annual Record Store Day took place on April 18, 2009, and was marked by further growth, with 85 special releases and around 500 artist appearances, including Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, and Slayer. Over 1,000 record stores from countries like Japan, Canada, and Germany participated, with New York City's Mayor Mike Bloomberg recognizing it as an official citywide event.
In 2010, Record Store Day reached new heights. With 1,400 independent record stores participating, the event saw a 41% increase in sales from the previous year. The Smashing Pumpkins and other artists performed in-store, and Joshua Homme of Queens of the Stone Age served as the ambassador. This year also introduced Black Friday Record Store Day, launched in November 2010.
Record Store Day continued to grow in 2011, becoming the world's largest music event. With Ozzy Osbourne serving as ambassador, the event saw over 600 artists participating in in-store performances, including the Beastie Boys, Foo Fighters, and My Chemical Romance. Special releases that year included rare items like a limited-edition 12" vinyl of New Order's "Ceremony", and the event saw a notable 182,000-unit sales bump, as reported by Billboard.
Hub AI
Record Store Day AI simulator
(@Record Store Day_simulator)
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is a semi-annual event established in 2008 to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". Held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November, the day brings together fans, artists, and thousands of independent record stores around the world. A number of records are pressed specifically for Record Store Day, with a list of releases for each country, and are only distributed to shops participating in the event.
The event originated in the United States and has expanded internationally, with official organizers in the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Mexico, Europe, Japan, and Australia.
Originally pitched as an idea to create an event similar to Free Comic Book Day by Bull Moose Music's Chris Brown and Criminal Records' Eric Levin, the concept for Record Store Day was created during a brainstorming session at a meeting of independent record store owners in Baltimore, Maryland. Record Store Day was founded in 2007 by Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, Brian Poehner and Don Van Cleave, and is now celebrated at stores around the world, with hundreds of recording and other artists participating in the day by making special appearances, performances, meet and greets with their fans, the holding of fundraisers for community non-profits, and the issuing of special vinyl and CD releases along with other promotional offerings to mark the occasion.
Each store holds its own event for the day, to celebrate its place in its community. Although Record Store Day only occurs twice a year, the organization provides promotions, marketing, and other opportunities for stores throughout the year, maintaining a website, social media accounts and other means of promulgating its views about the value of independent record stores. Record Store Day is managed on a day-to-day basis by the Department of Record Stores, along with the Coalition of Independent Music Stores and the Alliance of Independent Media Stores.
Record Store Day officially began on April 19, 2008, at Rasputin Music in Mountain View, California, with Metallica launching the event. The first celebration featured around 10 special releases from artists like Death Cab for Cutie, R.E.M., and Vampire Weekend. Approximately 300 independent record stores in the U.S. participated, with English singer-songwriter Billy Bragg helping to launch it in the UK. Key British stores, such as Piccadilly Records in Manchester and Rough Trade in London, joined the inaugural festivities, marking the event's first significant expansion beyond the U.S.
The second annual Record Store Day took place on April 18, 2009, and was marked by further growth, with 85 special releases and around 500 artist appearances, including Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, and Slayer. Over 1,000 record stores from countries like Japan, Canada, and Germany participated, with New York City's Mayor Mike Bloomberg recognizing it as an official citywide event.
In 2010, Record Store Day reached new heights. With 1,400 independent record stores participating, the event saw a 41% increase in sales from the previous year. The Smashing Pumpkins and other artists performed in-store, and Joshua Homme of Queens of the Stone Age served as the ambassador. This year also introduced Black Friday Record Store Day, launched in November 2010.
Record Store Day continued to grow in 2011, becoming the world's largest music event. With Ozzy Osbourne serving as ambassador, the event saw over 600 artists participating in in-store performances, including the Beastie Boys, Foo Fighters, and My Chemical Romance. Special releases that year included rare items like a limited-edition 12" vinyl of New Order's "Ceremony", and the event saw a notable 182,000-unit sales bump, as reported by Billboard.