How To Be A Winner On Record Store Day
By Kim Bellware in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 20, 2012 7:40PM
Do Record Store Day right, and by next weekend, this could be you!
Now in its fifth year, Record Store Day has perhaps lost some of its luster; there's as much buzz about the merits of the event itself as there is excitement for the actual records being released. The fierce competition, stress and sometimes cash-greedy hands in the mix has sucked a little fun out of the yearly shindig, but we're not ready to give up on it just yet.
To help you and your fellow music fans get the most out of tomorrow's activities, we suggest four ways to help you do Record Store Day right.
Check Your Snobbery At The Door
Much like cyclists who grouse about fair-weather riders clogging the bike lanes once spring hits, regular record store patrons can get pissy when the n00bs come around. Where are these people the other 364 days a year? But as the official RSD site states, the day is “a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA, and hundreds of similar stores internationally.”
In short, it’s about community. It’s about the people who love music and the independent stores that sell it. The aim is to drive traffic to brick-and-mortar record stores so that they thrive and continue to have cool in-store performances, special samples and all the things that make your neighborhood record store a great place. Record Store Day is absolutely for the loyal and the devoted, but for the guy or gal who shows up once a year due to curiosity or hype, this day is for them, too.
You can always use Record Store Day as a teachable moment and steer a lost soul away from a picture disc reissue LP no one asked for and toward something a bit more special, instead.
Say "No" To eBay
Arbitrage--don't do it. To be clear: if you stake out a spot at the front of the line, buy up the best and rarest goods so that you can go home and list them at a markup on eBay the very same day, you're doing it wrong. Also, everyone else in line will hate you. True, there's nothing technically illegal about the practice, but it violates the spirit of good community and gives ammunition to naysayers that insist the day has devolved into nothing but a disgusting, shameless cash grab.
Some record stores have policies limiting the number of copies one person can buy of Record Store Day-only releases, but it doesn't stop individuals from cleaning out the stock and then flipping the records online with a dramatically higher price tag.
We know the economy is in the toilet and capitalizing on the supply and demand model seems like a harmless way to turn a buck, but fight your capitalistic urges and only buy what you'll consume (and enjoy).
Know Thyself (And Have A List Handy)
If you've been to Record Store Days in years past, you've seen it firsthand: lines out the door starting at midnight, tiny stores where it's nothing but body-to-body action and awkward squeeze-bys just to get in and out of a shop (but have you really lived until you've gone nipple-to-nipple with someone who wants that White Stripes 45 as badly as you do?).
Regarding lines, they start early and don't tend to let up until at least 1 p.m. or later. People get in queue before the doors even open to up their odds of nabbing the special Record Store Day releases. For easy access and to prevent shoppers from pulling each other limb from limb, most every store keep the releases behind the counter. The smart approach is to have a list the RSD-only releases you want so you can either hand it to the clerk or quickly tick off the items you plan to buy.
If your waffling over whether or not you really want an item, keep your back-and-forth to a minimum. Knowing what you want before you enter the store will keep the line moving, and everyone around you sane. And while you're busy making your list at home tonight, hone in on what records you really care about, if for no other reason than to avoid going broke. Record shopping any day of the year is an time to explore and be turned on to new music. That said, even if all your friends are buzzing about a particular release, it doesn't hurt to do a gut check and see if that's a purchase you truly care to make. Had we done that last year, we could have avoided the shame of coming across a release from RSD 2011 in our collection, still shrink-wrapped. Oops.
Be Nice
This kind of goes without saying, but your Record Store Day heaven is most definitely someone else's hell. Record Store employees will be on their feet all day dealing with demanding customers, and that's after the frenzied week most of them have had preparing for the rush of shoppers. Late nights of planning, pricing records and hauling heavy boxes would leave anyone weary, so be kind to the folks who are helping you get your precious wax.
Lines are another inevitability of Record Store Day, and waiting around for a long time ups everyone's cranky factor. Be patient, indulge in small talk and make friends with your fellow line-waiters. And if you get inside and discover an item you want has been sold out, be gracious and find a non-RSD record to take home and love.
Further Record Store Day Reading:
"How Records Are Made" via our friends at The Chicago Indie Radio Project
Great roundups from The Reader, Gaper's Block and Do312 on the listings, in-store performance set times and other crucial info for navigating Record Store Day 2012