(Another essay I wrote for a University assignment around 2022, this time around my first time attending Record Store Day that year. I thought it was quite funny so worth sharing here. I have, however, edited out direct references to my home town for privacy reasons. Otherwise, it is presented as is.)
Indeed, ever since the inception of the musical holiday in 2007, the demand has only gotten higher, and in turn the desperation to not be left in the dust has gotten more intense. You must be there first in line, or you risk having to settle for other than what you wanted. Some have criticised this approach as boiling down the love of vinyl to a consumerist fault, valuing the acquisition of the best products for sometimes substantial amounts of cash (especially second hand, with scalpers being another factor to the rush to get the record you want on the day). Others still have expressed frustration with what was originally a day to celebrate and empower independent record labels getting overrun with major players like Universal or BMG, pushing the smaller players out of the running.
At the end of the day though, I see it as a fun novelty that, although hectic, is certainly memorable to take part in. Since I have recently come into my own as a vinyl collector, especially in the last couple of years, I especially was interested in taking part when it next came my way. Plus, 2022 would be the first Record Store Day since the pandemic had begun to not be held remotely, so it was something of a return to form.
What one might consider a warmup round to this was in 2021 when I attended an event that HMV was doing for its 100th birthday, which included new pressings of some classic records. Sadly though, despite arriving at around 6am and getting to the local store a little while later, I was still too late and all the copies of the record I was after (a repressing of The Stone Roses’ debut, for the record) had been reserved. As luck would have it, I was able to grab a copy when the online listings went up, but I knew a different approach was necessary to not get left in the dust the next time around.
For this event, I ended up choosing to go to the local music shop I was frequenting often in recent months and got most of my vinyl purchases from. In fact, I was taken off guard when I walked in that April and saw a sign advertising Record Store Day for the very next day. I had known it was coming up, but somehow it had crept up on me something fierce.
Right away, once I got home, I began to scheme my approach. I looked through the online list of records that would be available on the day, and after some mulling I eventually decided on a reprint of Rick Astley’s seminal 1987 record Whenever You Need Somebody, pressed on Red Vinyl. I figured that considering the decent infamy surrounding the album (both due to its popularity upon release and the infamous RickRoll trend in the late 2000s), that it would be a particularly desirable item that would sell out quickly. An estimated 1,800 copies being available only deepened this perception. If I wanted this record, I would have to get there especially early.
Some other records caught my eye, such as a repress of some of Lou Reed’s earliest solo demos, and an album of Blur remixes, but I ultimately passed on those so as not to strain my wallet so much. I found out later that Taylor Swift had released an extremely limited new single for the occasion, which ended up being possibly the most desired record out of that year’s line-up. As to be expected, it would go on to sell out quickly, and just less than a week after the fact, second hand copies have already inflated in value to over seventy pounds.
I did not end up sleeping that night, largely because I did not want to risk sleeping through my early alarm and getting there too late. Instead, I bided my time until I decided it was late enough that I could head out (around 5am) and I ordered a taxi from my student accommodation to nearby the music shop. From there, I could play the waiting game.
I arrived at the shop at around 5:36am, early to be up but apparently not early enough. I knew I would not be the first there but had only been anticipating around a small handful of hardcore vinyl collectors outside the shop. Instead, a decent line had already formed, and I had to sprint the rest of the way when I was dropped off to make sure someone didn’t walk up and leave me further back in the line.
A bit of a newcomer mistake, it would seem, but it turned out that I had not picked a bad position to arrive at. Not at the front, but still close enough that I could expect to receive my record of choice without too many problems.
Since this was my first Record Store Day, I had no idea how many people would show up, and I was surprised as time went on and the line that formed behind me became much longer than the line I had joined. Clearly it was a more popular occasion than I had anticipated. Perhaps the pandemic had people pining for an event such as this.
It wasn’t until later that I got a proper idea of how many people had actually lined up outside the record shop that morning, but I knew it had to be a lot as the line had snaked around a corner and out of sight. A few days afterwards I asked someone working there if they had any idea how many people had attended, and they told me that an estimated 80 people had shown up to the opening event that morning, but the amount of people buying Record Store Day products in person in the following hours and days numbered somewhere around 540. Evidently it was an especially busy Record Store Day this year, and in hindsight I ended up being lucky at being so early in line.
The 3 hours I waited outside were killing time until the shop opened, along with occasionally checking the store’s Twitter page to make sure the vinyl I was after didn’t sell out. At around 7am, some people at a café next door started taking breakfast orders for people in the queue, and I got some crumpets while I waited. Not long later, some employees came out and started handing out lists of their inventory for people to fill out with the records they wanted. These sheets were noted and revealed that I was 17th in line that morning. Definitely preferable to 80th.
To cut a long story short, I filled in my sheet as required and at 8am people started to be let into the shop to collect their records (though it was staggered in such a way that it took another 45 minutes until I got inside). Sadly, I wasn’t quite early enough to get a bonus tote bag with my order that was given away to some early customers, but I wasn’t really upset about that, for as long as I got my Rick Astley LP, I would be happy.
Sure enough, after getting inside and having a look around the normal stock the store had on offer, I was let down into the basement, where the exclusive records were being kept. I didn’t have to wait long down there, for soon my order had come up, and the LP I was hoping for was still available. And so, for 24.99 I walked back out an incredibly happy customer. The decent audio quality of the pressing once I got a chance to put it on my turntable only served to make me even happier.
In conclusion, it was a hectic but fruitful morning that I am thoroughly glad to have participated in. Not just for my own benefit, but also for the feeling of community that it bought about. Vinyl collectors from all walks of life coming together to celebrate their passion. In my mind that makes it all worth it, to allow for what was once a fledgling community to grow and reach its former popularity.
The vinyl is rather good too, of course.
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