Saturday April 22 begins the second decade of Record Store Day, an event celebrating the independent record store. In a world of streaming, digital files and music discovery apps, Record Store Day takes me back to days of hopping on a bike for a trek to the record shop on Merrick Avenue (our Main Street). The day is renowned for special releases, particularly on vinyl. This year will feature a Bruce, a Bowie and a Busta. Billboard reported that Record Store Day 2016 led to a “record” sales volume in vinyl albums- 383,000 units for week ending April 21. At an average price of ~$25 (RIAA) that’s nearly $10 M in revenue. Add to that the additional spending from used albums, CDs, vinyl singles and t-shirts and it was a banner day.
Record Store Day is a reminder that Americans still do buy music. Vinyl buyers are voracious music buyers; did you know that one in three also pay for an on-demand subscription? Here are a few other facts from our MusicWatch research that you can quote when you wander into Grimey’s, Looney Tunes or your favorite shop.
I’m queuing up for a bit of jazz with the special release of Bill Evans “Another Time”. What will you be taking home?