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Record Store Day – cue the queues

by Rhiannon Law
Record Store Day 2015 graphic

Saturday 18 April was the equivalent of Christmas Day for vinyl lovers with over 550 releases going on sale for Record Store Day 2015.

For some the Record Store Day anticipation (or madness, depending on your point of view) started on Friday with a queue for the exclusive stock forming outside the Love Music record shop in Glasgow at lunchtime.

My local record shop – David’s Music in Letchworth, Hertfordshire – saw an early queue forming at 7.10pm just after it had closed for the day on Friday.

Promoting the concept of limited stock and exclusive releases is a great way to get a dedicated collector of anything to camp outside a shop all night. The prize for those hardy souls would be the opportunity of being one of the first of many allowed entry to their local record shop to get their hands on a haul of great vinyl. However, the day isn’t about the records really, it’s about the independent shops that everyone is queueing outside. The clue is in the name – Record Store Day.

David’s Music has been participating in Record Store Day since 2008 when there were only handful of releases in the UK (the idea came from the US).

Andy Oaten, who manages the shop, told me:

“It has grown a lot since those early days and is now our busiest day of the year by far.

“It has its logistical issues but they are overcome in the main and although there are a few casualties most releases make it to us as originally planned and on time”.

There have been plenty of articles written recently about Record Store Day being bad for independent record labels and causing distribution headaches but Andy is clear about the benefit for his business:

“Record Store Day definitely helps our business and we embrace it whole-heartedly for what it is. A day for independent Record Shops to sell special issues of some great music to collectors and all vinyl lovers alike.

“All of our Record Store Days have been memorable. A great crowd congregates outside the shop in the early hours every year and waits for us to get here and supply them with lists, teas, coffees and biscuits. Our live music is always fun in the afternoon and we’ve been lucky to have some fine musicians over the years. This year did seem to go very smoothly thanks to the staff here and the wonderfully patient and enthusiastic customers. This year was also our busiest to date.”

When asked if he could sum up the day for the David’s Music staff in three words, Andy said “busy, fun and exhausting!”

Staff behind the till serving customers in David's Music on Record Store Day 2015Two customers waiting at the till in David's Music Letchworth on Record Store Day 2015

So, when did I start queuing? At 5.45am on Saturday morning and I was around the 60th person in the queue, which continued to grow throughout the morning. When I explained all this to my colleagues on Monday morning the question I got asked incredulously was “and that was enjoyable for you?” and without thinking I automatically replied “yes”. It might sound crazy but I really did enjoy myself. Yes it was freezing and there was the constant fear when the ‘board of doom’ (as we called it) was updated with items that had sold out, but all that just added to the feeling of camaraderie.

This was thanks to the great atmosphere and organised queuing system that the David’s Music staff promoted. Also, the people queuing around me kept me going and allowed me to chat inanely to them.

Image of purchases from Record Store Day 2015When I finally got to the front of the queue (around 10am) I was delighted to get all four of the 7″ singles on my wish list. Thanks to the queuing system and the fact that all releases are kept behind the counter, the David’s Music staff ensure that it really is first come first served. There’s no chance of being elbowed out of the way by other people browsing.

When I triumphantly left the shop, with a sudden pang of hunger for some breakfast, an older woman approached me and asked what everyone was standing in line for. When I explained it to her she responded that she had lots of records at home but she didn’t think people were still listening to music on vinyl. She also said she might pop into the shop on another, less busy, day.

As I walked away from the shop and checked my Twitter feed to see that Record Store Day was still a trending topic, I felt clear in my mind that it is doing its job in encouraging people into their local record shops and getting people of all ages to give vinyl a spin.

Queue of people at the till in David's Music on Record Store Day 2015

David’s Music is a record shop in Letchworth, Hertfordshire that stocks a huge range of new and second hand vinyl and CDs as well as DVDs and books. They also regularly have live performances in the shop.

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