Record Store day preaches to the converted

So, Saturday was Record Store Day. Did you make it out? I did, hitting Iowa City’s two record stores, each of which was participating. I was late, so I missed out on the Guided by Voices disc (hello, eBay), but did pick up singles from Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan (which were available in quantities that lead me to believe there is little “limited” about them), and the Sonic Youth/Beck split from Matador (the sale of which on eBay, if current prices are to be believed, would fund purchase of the GBV record).

The stated goal of Record Store Day is: “On this day, all of these stores will simultaneously link and act as one with the purpose of celebrating the culture and unique place that they occupy both in their local communities and nationally.” So, did it work? According to anecdotal evidence reported by Billboard.com, it did. Several stores reported higher sales and much greater traffic than normal. It didn’t hurt that independent and major labels created 82 special releases available that day only, drawing collectors to stores in droves. Did it draw anyone else? Hard to say. Because most of the special releases were by smaller bands and on vinyl, an appeal to the masses this ain’t. What it did, I suppose, is show people like me who have largely given up on independent record stores because of sketchy selection, high prices or lack of convenience, that record stores are still happening places.

The most compelling argument for the value of record stores came from Steve Albini. the Chicago Reader blog Post No Bills shared an ad placed by Chicago’s Reckless Records that includes an essay from Albini that, in its tortured analogy to a farmer’s market, actually makes a case for the value of record stores. To explain it would mean practically retyping it here. Just go read it here.