Record Store Day 2010: What The Shops Had to Say (FEATURE)
Saturday, 24 April 2010
Written by Rob Sleigh
Over the last couple of weeks, it has been difficult to miss news of this year’s Record Store Day. Reports of limited-edition releases from bands, such as the Rolling Stones, filled the music press prior to the event on the 17th of April. The biggest story of all was probably that of the new Blur single, ‘Fool’s Day’. It was their first release in seven years and has led to calls for a full return from the band. However, Blur were not the only people involved. A number of artists, including the Flaming Lips, Lily Allen and Hot Chip, were also busy getting records out in support of the day. Since last Saturday, Record Store Day 2010 has been hailed as the most successful yet. Many of the independent record shops that took part around the country have reported seeing queues that extended out onto the street.
Record Store Day begun in the US in 2008 to celebrate the traditional record shop, which has seen a decline in recent times. In the UK alone, the number of independently-owned record stores has shrunk by two thirds in only five years. Following last weekend, Stereoboard caught up with people from a couple of the shops involved, to find out more about this year’s event and to get their opinions on the future of independent record shops.
Spillers Records in Cardiff, which first opened its doors back in 1894, is arguably the oldest record shop in the world. We spoke with Amy Jones, who works at Spillers and helped to organise the day at the retailer: “We were rushed off our feet. It was awesome. We were twenty-five to thirty percent up on last year.” During this year’s Record Store Day, they hosted in-store performances and DJ sets from several bands, including The Automatic and Bullet For My Valentine. “We’ve had bands playing in here before, but having it all day, one after the other, was good. We wouldn’t have had time to put on our own music, so having DJs play was really good.”
The Rough Trade shops in London need no introduction. We had a chat with Spencer Hickman, manager of Rough Trade East and the man behind Record Store Day in the UK. He introduced it over here two years ago after hearing that it was happening in the States: “I just sort of stumbled upon it a few weeks before it was due to take place. For our first year, there were only about ten shops involved. We didn’t have any special editions or anything. We just sort of celebrated the day and had bands play.”
Before speaking to us, Spencer had just got off the phone with the organisers in the US. He confirmed that this year’s event had been a huge success: “Week-on-week sales for the UK were up four-hundred and sixty-six percent from the previous Saturday and year-on-year sales from Record Store Day last year were up ninety-six percent. So you can see how much it’s grown in such a short amount of time. Considering we’ve only been going three years and something like the Brits has been going for thirty years, it’s amazing how huge we’ve got.” Rough Trade East saw performances from Ash and Pulled Apart By Horses, but bands were not the only entertainment on offer: “We did stuff like free face-painting and the Square Pie made us a special pie that we could sell. Last year, we had twelve bands in twelve hours, but we didn’t do that this year because it’s just too much.”
Following all the reports of the exclusive releases for Record Store Day, it seems likely that the limited-edition singles from the likes of Blur were the main cause of its popularity. However, Amy mentioned that these records were not the only things that people were after: “When people could actually get into the shop, they were buying the normal releases as well.” Spencer confirmed that album sales were up eleven percent from the previous year, but he is a bit more concerned: “The problem that we had at Rough Trade was that you just couldn’t get to any racks, so people couldn’t browse and couldn’t purchase other stuff. There is a danger that the day could become led by limited editions. We definitely want to make sure that, next year, it is kept as a celebration of the shops and not just as a sales tool.”
The rising popularity of downloading and online retailers is often blamed for taking business away from the independent market. New technology is making it increasingly easier for people to obtain music elsewhere and it seems that many shops are struggling to compete. However, Spencer believes that it is the responsibility of the stores themselves to face up to this threat: “People can buy records cheaper anywhere online, we all know that. But people come to my store because we are really enthusiastic and knowledgeable and we don’t talk down to customers. People appreciate that. They like that interaction and they like to be told about new stuff.” He went on to explain that, although the total number of record shops has dropped, many stores are still doing well because of the way they do business: “Stores that are serving their customers well are thriving. It might shrink even more, but there’s certainly going to be a hundred stores that are absolutely fantastic places to go and will still be here in ten years.”
Despite the recent disappearance of many independent record shops in this country, there is hope that things like Record Store Day could help to restore people’s appreciation for small retailers of music. Amy agrees that the day is a good thing for those shops: “It’s a shame that it’s only once a year. It reminds people that we’re still around and that we can hold our own. It also reminds people to come to us if they want a CD, as opposed to places like HMV or Tesco.” Spencer concurs: “A day like this can really help. I’ve got loads of email from stores saying it was fantastic. People hung around all day and watched the bands. They didn’t just buy The Beatles’ single and leave.”
Another big concern for record collectors and shops alike is that vinyl and the physical format of music is dying out and being replaced by the likes of MP3s and iPods. Amy argues that this is not necessarily the case: “The new generations of music fans are being brought up on downloads and stuff, but you’re always going to get people who prefer CDs and vinyl. Downloads just don’t have the same sound. Another thing that you don’t get is the artwork and stuff. That’s a big part of buying music for me.” Spencer agrees that older formats will always have the appeal that others lack: “There’s still a hunger for physical product. People are definitely making a move back to music as an art-form because, ultimately, that’s what it is. Days like Record Store Day prove that people still want to buy physical product to take home and have as part of their collection.” Amy also suggested that new artists are doing their bit to help: “Up and coming bands are releasing their albums on vinyl as well, these days. Vinyl is trying to make its comeback.”
Many people would argue that the music industry it to blame for rejecting traditional music formats. However, according to Amy, a lot of industry people are now embracing the old as well as the new: “These days, album releases are encouraging people to download and get the physical format as well, as opposed to choosing one or the other. On Record Store Day, the Ash single had a download code and so did a few others.” Spencer has seen the same thing at Rough Trade: “You can buy that vinyl and cherish it, but you can also download the songs so you can listen to them on the go. For me, that’s the best of both worlds.”
It’s great to see that Record Store Day was such a big success and appears to be becoming one of the highlights of the musical calendar. But what about the other three-hundred and sixty-four days of the year? In today’s world of internet shopping and downloading, do people still require record shops for their music needs? Amy explained that places like Spillers Records still have a lot to offer today’s music fans: “It’s a place to come and talk to likeminded people. I’ve made a number of different new friends since I’ve been working here. In terms of music culture, I really think record shops play a big part in it, just to get people involved and letting people know what’s out there.” Spencer agrees that record stores all around the country are much more than just places to buy CDs: “There are still places where you can walk in and discover music. There’s still that High Fidelity moment, where you’ll put a single on and sell ten copies of it. You’re giving people that experience. They walk out, not only with that record, but knowing where they purchased it.”
Did you take part in Record Store Day 2010? Let us know how you got involved, and what you think of the changing music landscape below.
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The Rough Trade shops in London need no introduction. We had a chat with Spencer Hickman, manager of Rough Trade East and the man behind Record Store Day in the UK. He introduced it over here two years ago after hearing that it was happening in the States: “I just sort of stumbled upon it a few weeks before it was due to take place. For our first year, there were only about ten shops involved. We didn’t have any special editions or anything. We just sort of celebrated the day and had bands play.” 
