By Molly Segers
Record Store Day – that most joyous time of the year – is upon us again!
Saturday, April 20th more than 700 independent record stores around the country will be stocked with a sampling of hundreds of special releases exclusively available for Record Store Day. Atlanta is lucky enough to be home to five participating record stores. Among them is Criminal Records, recently named one of Billboard Magazine’s 13 best record stores in the country, and owned by Record Store Co-founder Eric Levin.
Now in its 6th year, Record Store Day has become Black Friday for record collectors and fans, and I count myself among both those groups. Instead of discounts, customers line up early to claim a prime spot in line in hopes of snagging copies of their much sought after items. Many of the special releases only have a few hundred copies pressed, so even if your store does stock the item that you’re after, they may have it in very small quantities. And I do mean small quantities. Last year I bought one of only two copies they had stocked of an EP.
Record Store Day is all about the unique culture that can only exist in a local independent record store and being a part of that musical culture. To celebrate this there is way more than just records to be bought. There are also special events. Criminal Records will be hosting a special performance that night with von Grey, Christ, Lord, and Mood Rings, all of whom have Record Store Day special releases.
You can peruse the full list of Record Store Day Releases here: http://www.recordstoreday.com/SpecialReleases or get the app for Android and iPhone, featuring a mobile product guide.
What RSD release will you be questing for?
Be sure to stop by Criminal Records, Decatur CD, or 4 CD Warehouse Locations this Saturday!
