Is hating on Record Store Day boring and snotty or justified and ancient?

http://www.thevinylfactory.com/vinyl-factory-news/record-store-day-is-damaging-small-labels-according-to-small-labels/
http://www.thevinylfactory.com/vinyl-factory-releases/exclusive-record-store-day-responds-to-accusations-of-betraying-small-labels/
http://www.nme.com/news/various-artists/83527

having strong opinions of any sort about records is pretty embarrassing

why?

"If it’s a protest against anything, it’s what Record Store Day has become: just another event in the annual music industry circus that begins with the BBC Sound Of… list and ends with the Mercury Prize, co-opted by major labels and used as another marketing stepping stone, like an appearance on ‘Later… With Jools Holland’ or bagging the sunset slot at Glasto."

this is my new favorite beloved fictional british character by the way.

"it's all a bit rubbish, innit?"

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/11/19/1416420778128/Sleaford-Mods-021.jpg

i mean it's an old british character but i'm loving it recently.

chemical brothers are free to use this for an album title by the way:

*bagging the sunset slot at Glasto*

are the chemical brothers still alive? if not, prodigy can use it. if they are still alive. or fatboy slim. if he is still alive.

or mark e. smith. if he can stand up.

the trade group that runs rsd in the u.k. has a manifesto:

http://www.eraltd.org/media/259532/era_manifesto_2015_sml.pdf

http://www.eraltd.org/

xityxp: Sleaford Mods picture disc EP for RSD btw. Kind lost a little respect for them for that.

https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/15682

The Doors limited edition RSD3 mini-turntable, sporting The Doors-branded dustcover and turntable facing. Each of these special editions of the RSD3 comes in a special box with the complete set of 3” records being released for Record Store Day 2023, featuring The Doors classic hits "Break On Through," "Love Her Madly" and "Hello, I Love You,” in Japanese-designed flip jackets that include the 3” record and a lyric sheet.

in a special box with the complete set of 3” records being released

so what is this like the funko pops of vinyl or smthg? jfc

remember this when we are living on garbage islands and can't manufacture medical supplies anymore, it was important to expend resources on 500 Doors-branded 3" record players

i've probably said this every year for the past decade but surely THIS must be peak RSD insanity

I def understand both sides of this argument. Clogging up plants to produce little fetish items instead of normal records for utilitarian purposes is annoying but also cute/fun things are cute and fun

she gets all excited
when she begs for my big three inch

according to my local guy the Macho Man Randy Savage record is going to be among the hardest titles to get, along with Porcupine Tree. no lie though I kinda want it

lol Porcupine Tree seems like RSD $$$ big time

the Phish shit always goes fast

anything on the jam band scene goes amazingly fast, Dead and Garcia stuff are almost impossible to grab

(but I don't ever understand wanting to listen to any of that stuff on vinyl anyway, the last thing I ever want to do is get up to flips sides mid-"Dark Star")

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3c2z1X1z4E

Vinalogs RSD 2013 is big vibey. I don't know the other ones

(but I don't ever understand wanting to listen to any of that stuff on vinyl anyway, the last thing I ever want to do is get up to flips sides mid-"Dark Star")

i still hold firm that most people buying that shit are only doing so as "AN INVESTMENT." i mean look at this 3" vinyl trash—— nobody is buying that because it sounds great and is an efficient way of hearing your favorite music.

i went through the list - this is most of the stuff i thought was interesting:

https://i.postimg.cc/FHx2kypD/Screen-Shot-2023-04-20-at-1-54-48-PM.png

Honestly I don't even look anymore, I never find the ones I'd be interested in anyway.

FYI as unperson hipped me to on another thread, that Ayler 4xLP has been available as a 2xCD release for awhile now, if you don't mind the format and want to get it without the RSD hassle.

this thread got me thinking and i just realized———

there's never been a single rsd release that i saw and wanted to buy out of fan enthusiasm. the most positive reaction i've ever had to any of this trash is, "oh that's kinda cool i guess." and even that's been quite rare.

(unlike the bulk of overpriced rsd trash sitting in the cutout bin amirite?)

a little annoyed that they repressed that RSD 2019 prefab sprout record that i had to buy from cyprus on ebay at a premium

That's one of the only things I sort of wanted. I've never heard the acoustic versions. Worth looking for it online midday when stores start panic unloading unsold Record Store Day releases?

according to my local guy the Macho Man Randy Savage record is going to be among the hardest titles to get, along with Porcupine Tree. no lie though I kinda want it

― frogbs, Thursday, April 20, 2023 2:28 PM (five hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Yeah, my local shop only got in 1 of the Macho Man record. I had been interested in picking up the David Byrne record, but I don't think I'm going to get up early and get in line this year, so my chances are slim.

(but I don't ever understand wanting to listen to any of that stuff on vinyl anyway, the last thing I ever want to do is get up to flips sides mid-"Dark Star")

i still hold firm that most people buying that shit are only doing so as "AN INVESTMENT." i mean look at this 3" vinyl trash—— nobody is buying that because it sounds great and is an efficient way of hearing your favorite music.

― ''i am the kanye west kanye west thinks he is.'' (Austin), Thursday, April 20, 2023 2:52 PM (five hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Well yeah you guys ever hear of collecting as a hobby? I think that gimmicky stuff is silly too but I do sympathize with the collectors mentality of wanting something fun and neat regardless of its functional value.

hey I use my fancy Nurse With Wound placard-with-audio-chip to time my cocktail stirring, stirred of course with stirrers from the Sun City Girls Piano Bar box set, otoh I actually use this stuff and have it on my bar counter

"most ridiculous gimmick release you own" would be a good thread

my main beef with RSD stuff that I might be interested in is that 90% of it is from well-circulated torrent bootlegs in the same audio quality, that Beefheart one being a perfect example

they’re always on colored vinyl too and colored vinyl looks really cheap and tacky imo

mono ram was pretty cool, wish I had grabbed one

https://www.discogs.com/release/3613641-Paul-And-Linda-McCartney-Ram

ooh wait why did I think that was rsd. That’s enough from me.

I bought one of those Rams a few years ago. Shocked at today’s sticker price.

this thread got me thinking and i just realized———

there's never been a _single_ rsd release that i saw and wanted to buy out of fan enthusiasm. the most positive reaction i've ever had to any of this trash is, "oh that's kinda cool i guess." and even that's been quite rare.

(unlike the bulk of overpriced rsd trash sitting in the cutout bin amirite?)

Just noticed tho the GTR s/t and Jerry Harrison’s The Red & the Black have RSD releases this year, like, why on earth, have the people who greenlighted these not seen a dollar bin?

When the heart rules the mind
One look and love is blind

The Comb & Razor comp of Nigerian country music is good and certainly something that wouldn't have come out otherwise.

oh that's kinda cool i guess.

sorry that was a dick move of a post. i didn't mean to diminish the material, i just don't understand why it has to be a limited FOMO prestigey bullshit release. if labels like rounder were able to put out super niche indigenous music comps back in the 80s without any FOMO bamboozlement, i wonder what changed in the interim?

well the entire music business and distribution of music changed profoundly

yes, but the amount of people interested in that stuff didn't.

idk, just feels scummy and manipulative to slap "LIMITED EDITION" on something that was never going to sell more than 10000 copies to begin with.

I had a friend who ran an independent punk label who said to me "you press 500, you'll sell 100. put out a limited edition of 200 you'll sell out"

technically every pressing is a limited edition pressing.

lol tru

yes, but the amount of people interested in that stuff didn't.

― W E F L Y T O G E T H E R (Austin), Friday, April 21, 2023 1:28 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

a lot of people have stopped paying for music altogether and streaming royalties are incredibly low.

also the "vinyl revival" is maybe the most over-written about thing ever, and it's still just a small, small drop in the bucket compared to the CD era. hell, the band I was in in 99/00 sold through 1,000 pressings of CDs back then just playing local shows for a couple years

LOLOLOL

Tomorrow, Saturday April 22nd, is everyone's favorite holiday - Earth Day! Go plant a tree!

Oh, wait…we’re being informed that tomorrow is also everyone's OTHER favorite holiday - Record Store Day! Go buy a record!

It seems these two holiday are at odds with each other as we realize the need to reduce our carbon footprint while simultaneously wanting to enjoy a new record by our favorite artist which are made via various chemical processes.

Vinyl records are made of a chemical compound called polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. PVC is considered a plastic due to it’s malleability and plasticity in it’s solid state of matter. In PVC, a CH2 molecule (Methylene) is bonded to a CHCl (Chloromethylene) through a double bond between the carbon.

The intermolecular
forces between molecules of PVC include dipole dipole and London dispersion forces. London dispersion forces occur in between all molecules. Dipole dipole forces occur when the positive end of a molecule is attracted to the negative end of another. Since PVC is polar it is able to produce dipole dipole forces but it is unable to form hydrogen bonds because it does not contain nitrogen, oxygen, or fluorine.

As a way to remedy this conundrum you could just start making your own records at home.

Here’s how you do it:

Step 1) You will need a source of PVC - many materials contain PVC including credit cards and pipes (which are available on the outside of every house). If in doubt find your parents old records and simply melt these down (make sure to remove the labels first as if left on these will result in an inferior quality record).

Step 2) Melt down your PVC. This can be done over a kitchen stove - avoid breathing in the fumes as they are highly carcinogenic.

Step 3) Add
pigment. Black records may be obtained by added pencil lead (graphite) to the mixture, other colors can be obtained by using food coloring.

Step 4) Pour your melted vinyl onto a flat plate and compress with any weights you happen to have lying around.

Step 5) Remove your disk and carve groves into it in a spiral pattern.

Step 6) Play your new record!

Just kidding!

We don’t recommend doing this AT ALL.

All you need to do is bop over to Wall of Sound and buy a new or used record. Go home and plant a tree while you listen! It’s that simple.

We’ll have RSD titles available tomorrow as well as our usual nifty selection of new and used stock.

Yeah, lost my enthusiasm for RSD now.

My RSD:

My @recordstoreday haul from @RRKnifeFight!

Got all the vinyl I really wanted & a ton of used CDs + a Motorhead bootleg CD of the show I attended with my wife and son.

Only dropped $150 for everything and supported a great local store! pic.twitter.com/W86TCmPCG3

— Brian O'Neill (@NYC__Native) April 22, 2023

I went to a small punk rock store in the suburbs of Philly. Even though I got there a couple hours after he opened, I got the four records I really wanted (pictured, with the cool bag for free). I could have got the Ramones LP too since he had copies but I heard it wasn't a drastic difference from the original mix. The only thing he didn't get at all was the Enslaved but that's fine.

I also picked up nearly a dozen CDs, mostly used, but also a Motorhead boot that was actually the last show I saw the band (and the only time I took my son to see them). Also had nice conversation with the guy who owns the place, Richie Riot, an old school punk guy who is nice as hell and has tons of stories about the old days and lord he hates Nazis!

Honestly this was kinda what RSD should be, even though I would prefer more CDs and metal (neither seems to be a priority for the rest of the world on RSD, haha) - I dropped $150 on a local business and plan on going back when there's not a specific day on the schedule.

I am cynical as fuck about a lot of things, including RSD, but I got kinda lucky.

i went along to my local RSD very late as i had been out of town all day. there were a huge number of people hanging out (it was a sunny day) drinking, socialising and listening to local live bands (the bluebells were about to play). there was a great energy and personally i'm a big fan of anything that brings lots of people together. i bought a couple of records but had missed the gong live album i really wanted which i'm sure i'll be able to find later.

today i was passing this new record shop that has just opened. it's fairly mainstream and had bought a HUGE amount of RSD stock and had lots leftover. i had a look through and was most blown away by how expensive so much of it was.

the sisters of mercy - reptile house ep was £40. that is just insane and is more than double what it should be. a mint original is less than that.

lots of other examples of 12" singles in the £25-35 price range and albums at £40-50. i don't think they were overcharging but rather it reflects what they were paying and = total major label greed. i've been sweating about an upcomimg double vinyl comp with huge insert that i'm releasing having to retail for almost £40 but that feels like a bargain compared with this madness.

they had a load of taylor swifts left which i'm surprised hadn't been snapped up by flippers.

a mint original is less than that.

see this is another issue with the whole thing

Stirmonster is that the new shop in the gallowgate I've heard about? Mickey's Vinyl or something

just looked up the reptile house reissue on discogs - lots of RSD copies for sale but the variance in pricing between regions was shocking: $20 in the US, 35EU in europe, cheapest UK copy was £55

apparently like 200,000 Taylor EXCLUSIVEs pressed

whoops i misread this as 75k US and another 115 rest of world. It's 115,000 total. Apparently "Midnights" has sold a million on vinyl (wow) so... I guess it is pretty limited for what it is.

Stirmonster is that the new shop in the gallowgate I've heard about? Mickey's Vinyl or something

no, i need to check that Mickey's Vinyl out. the one i mention is on Sauchiehall St, just near the GFT. it's called Assai and i think they maybe have shops in other Scottish cities. it seems to be fairly busy every time i pass,

Apparently "Midnights" has sold a million on vinyl (wow)

It probably juices the numbers when fans are buying all four variants so they can assemble the wall clock that's on the back (but you have to have all 4 for it to be complete). And then maybe they buy a 5th copy to listen to.

Hey haterz, make sure to keep your powder dry for

https://www.freecomicbookday.com/

Free Comic Book Day was actually the inspiration for Record Store Day!

And, yes, for all its issues (effect on labels, pricing, lack of releases for those under 50), RSD is still indeed a boon for record stores. A massive massive day that just tends to get bigger with each year that goes by.

To address the negative impact of the holiday on labels, maybe there should be a Record Label Day (he says half-kidding)?

I stopped by one of the stores in my neighborhood, the guy told me there were people camping out by 7pm on friday night! I don’t usually buy a lot of stuff there because (as we’ve gone over itt) it’s one of those stores that mostly sells new vinyl and overpriced used stuff by the same 20 artists, but the owner is a good guy, ended up dropping 100 bucks after a little haggling on the verlaines and chilton records plus a couple other non-RSD things

To address the negative impact of the holiday on labels, maybe there should be a Record Label Day (he says half-kidding)?

I was at an elementary school cultural festival on RSD, and a dad in a Bright Eyes T-shirt was talking about getting to the record store (that’s the sum of my experience, lol).

"a dad in a Bright Eyes t-shirt" is like an ILM version of a cartoon villain.

The DMB fan in a white Gamecocks hat and the person with six CDs are persons who are ridiculed - "more to be pitied than censured" but don't rise to the level of contempt reserved for a dad in a Bright Eyes t-shirt.

The only thing worse is Pomplamoose.

Wanted one thing, the Pearl Jam Give Way CD, my local didn't even get a single copy. Now I can buy a copy for... checks notes... $64.95 on eBay. I'm thankful this day helps keep smaller shops going, but it's so fucking dumb to center it around a boon for second hand flippers.

bottom line for me is: I like my local shop. I go every week or two. when I'm out of town I'm always looking for cool local record stores when I've got an extra hour. I'm a father of two, I don't have a whole lot of hobbies left, for me it's really neat to be able to geek out about music in a place other than ILX. so if these places are saying RSD is a big boon for them, and in some cases the thing that is singlehandedly keeping them afloat, then I can't hate on it. yes the prices are ridiculous, yes half the releases are utterly pointless, yes the act of manufacturing grails is basically everything wrong with the market today. but it gets people excited and if you're the person who camped out to get the (apparently very much in demand!) Macho Man Randy Savage record which previously was available on CD for $0.01 + shipping and handling I say good for you. besides checking Discogs here and there it doesn't look like people are really flipping these for insane prices anyway. yeah a few people are making 3x-4x retail but only a few. most of these are going for like...$10 over.

You aren't wrong, I'm not opposed to the day, I just don't enjoy the ultra-limited aspect of things. This was the first time I've even bothered to go in the past four or five years, and I figured it wouldn't be too hard to get a CD thing that didn't seem to be such a big "must have" for the masses (like the Swift vinyl), but I was wrong.

It's fine that it exists and I'm glad people get joy out of the day, but every time I've gone in on RSD to get something specific, I walk away empty-handed. Shame on me for trying again, I should have learned the lesson by now.

Just annoyed that the only way to get the $15 CD is to now also pay $35 for a Pearl Jam Ten Club membership, which is otherwise worthless to me, to be allowed the pleasure.

Might drop if you wait

every time I've gone in on RSD to get something specific

this is your problem and there's a very simple solution!

Don't go? Yeah, that's my usual choice.

no, i meant just go to your local record store and find something that's in the store?

My favourite thing about RSD is shops that have a sale on their regular inventory on the day. Seems rarer now that they know the exclusives are bringing a crowd in.

xpost - I do that all the time!

Might drop if you wait

one of my fav local shops saved up a few boxes of nice used vinyl for RSD last year, including a whole box of Kate Bush originals/picture discs/boots

i just sold a mint original copy of Reptile House on discogs for like $15. It had been listed for months.

our local record store that participates in RSD already has thin enough aisles as it is (as they have a weird tendency to use every inch of space to sell random impulse crap), so on RSD, if you're IN the store, you're basically having to do parkour to get by everybody

I haven't gone for a few years, but the store I was a regular at shifted to doing the RSD items outdoors, and the rest of the used stock indoors is 15% off

kind of a rough go considering it was 40F outside this year, but if you're going to line up anyway...

Too Many Records in Portland was banned from participating in Record Store Day for having an opinion about Record Store Day. The store owner opens up about the whole reason why... (if your sales are mostly used records, then you're "not a good fit" for RSD)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOej319j7S4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1VEZSpIj_s

TL; DR: I'm shocked, shocked to discover that Record Store Day is a major label clusterfuck and that you're better off buying used records and avoiding RSD entirely.

https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/037/310/CjQ-v9oWgAAuoiO.jpeg

lol

yeah this whole thing is a fucking scam and has been for a long time. and you know what else? it's fucking wasteful. it's so fucking wasteful and it's antithetical to what makes record stores (good ones) so cool, which is that it's all about recycling and finding new homes for plastic and cardboard

I can count on one hand the number of RSD purchases I've made on the actual day (I've bought some other things second hand). I always thought it was kind of a "damned if you do..." burden for indie shops, but then I've heard/read some shops love it even when they get stuck with unsold shit for years.

Too Many Records guy has been annoying AF even before he opened a store (he's been on YT for years), so I haven't watched his videos about this particular dust up. The Noble Records YT guy proudly DOESN'T participate and he has no trouble getting customers in the store to shop his regular stock on RSDs.

the one time I went there was a queue of record dealers already there at 8am, and they spent so long in the shop that by 11 I still hadn't got in, so gave up and came home.

Can't believe crass profiteering has ruined this

it's always brought out my inner Yorkshireman

"eh... I'm supposed to spend some brass today? bugger that!"

jeez, i went on tear up there. surprised i didn't start quoting scripture. sorry all =/

oh ya, rsd still sucks. they're doing catalogue reissue propaganda psyops now... putting out that miles at the plugged nickel and treating it like that material has rarely been heard by anybody. it's been on cd since the early 90s but you already knew that because you're smart and not fully exploited

Record store near me has 2 copies of the Republica debut album on double vinyl for £40 from an RSD two years ago. Cannot fathom the series of decisions that led to these large expensive items existing, and they will likely end up in a bin.

I'm pretty agnostic on RSD in general, as someone who is now rapidly trying to decrease my record purchasing; what I do know is that, if I go out of my way to get something, even if it says it's limited, on RSD or shortly thereafter, it is guaranteed to continue to be available for a long time, and if I don't do that, it will go OOP and become prohibitively expensive.

it's been on cd since the early 90s but you already knew that because you're smart and not fully exploited

It was released on CD in the early 90s (I still have the original edition; mine came without the booklet for some reason but I don't care) but has been out of print for many years. This new version has different cover art and new liner notes, but I don't think the sound has been upgraded at all. I'm hoping someone sends me one.

I like a couple local record store owners and if they’re willing to participate in this and it helps keeps them afloat then good for them

judging by the “record store day exclusives” section at a shop that has all-new records as opposed to mostly used, there isn’t a huge market for this stuff other than the day-of sales and a handful of speculators or motivated fans. that section has a bunch of stuff from the last several years of record store days sitting there unsold!

tired: Record Store Day
wired: CD Store Day

inspired: Cassette Store Day

Victorola Store Day

what I do know is that, if I go out of my way to get something, even if it says it's limited, on RSD or shortly thereafter, it is guaranteed to continue to be available for a long time, and if I don't do that, it will go OOP and become prohibitively expensive.

― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Saturday, November 8, 2025 12:20 PM (twenty-nine minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

this is my experience exactly. I wonder if there's a Murphy's Law-type adage for this. Maybe we can call it (Bill) Evans' Law?

idk how much of this is directly RSD's fault, but it does seem to cast a spell over many store owners that leads them to greedy/irrational decisions. like, you have a store that is 90% used classic rock and a couple bins of token new stuff, you really thought you were gonna move 10 copies of a $45 Peppa Pig record?

CD Store Day

Sydney’s excellent punk/weirdo/everything musick retailer Repressed Records celebrates CD Store Day, which is partly tongue-in-cheek but also a genuine celebration of “the people’s medium” (they sold CD t-shirts with this slogan) - they have had a bit of buy-in from other stores, you cannot stop the will of the people

Too Many Records dude def gives off real 45-year old "everything was better 10 years ago" vibes.

RSD isn't perfect. I've had many tough conversations with them through the years about what I think they're doing right and wrong. Sometimes these conversations are satisfying, sometimes not so much. Just like every other business scenario.

BUT... every year, we sell more and more RSD stuff to crowds that are younger and more diverse than those who came before. Which is great.

Xp I love that they do this. CD store day rules

it does seem to cast a spell over many store owners that leads them to greedy/irrational decisions. like, you have a store that is 90% used classic rock and a couple bins of token new stuff, you really thought you were gonna move 10 copies of a $45 Peppa Pig record?

yes, well stores often get caught behind the curve of some sudden viral sensation and there's times when they really could have sold 10 of some kids thing (it happened with Bluey) when they ordered 0-1 of them. stores sometimes overorder cause they don't get everything they order (as in less quantity or not at all).

what's crazy is that RSD stuff is either like an immediate sellout or hardly sells at 1/3rd of the original price later on....