Record Store Day
Today, I participated in my second Record Store Day. For the uninitiated, RSD is an event that takes place on the third Saturday of April each year, celebrating independent record shops with specially pressed vinyl releases. Last year, I visited my record shop of choice, Banquet Records in Kingston. I got there at about 7:30am and gained admission at around 11am. By that time, most of the coveted releases had gone, although I did succeed in picking up The Muppet Movie soundtrack. Because Banquet make their remaining/late arriving releases available online the following Saturday, I succeeded in filling most of my gaps.
I was uncertain how to feel about the experience. It's certainly no fault of Banquet's that they're a popular destination on RSD and it seems to have become a greater issue this year. They reported yesterday that their first queuers arrived at 3:30pm on Friday, 16 and a half hours before the store was open to sell the limited edition items. I think most rational people with life commitments have to draw the line somewhere regarding how long they're prepared to wait for vinyl.
Nonetheless, I hopped on the first bus to Bromley this morning to visit Head Entertainment, an altogether more civilised experience. I must give kudos to them for how they handled the demands of the day. Arriving at 6:10am, I found myself 15th in the queue. Each person in the queue was permitted to reserve a record each, a splendid idea which ensured fairness and in my case, a copy of Biffy Clyro's "Puzzle" on LP.
That was the main thing I was after that I knew would be available on the day, but I also impulse bought Death Cab For Cutie's new album "Kinsugi" on cassette. It transpired that it's not one of my best impulse buys of late. Not because it isn't a good album but because it appears to be available online for about a tenner. I'm still coming to terms with the fact that in 2015, I have bought a cassette tape on the high street for £18.
This is something of a gripe. I would accept that limited edition short run presses of items would lead to an increase in costs and that this might be exacerbated by import costs too. But a lot of items available on RSD are overpriced to a silly extent. For example, I might have been interested in getting the picture disc of Aha's "Take On Me" but the £16 asking price makes Kinsugi seem like a reasonable investment. The White Stripes "Get Behind Me Satan" was £39, while the most coveted record at Banquet, a re-release of Brand New's "Deja Entendu" was available for an eye-watering £50.
If this continues, vinyl fans like me are going to be priced out. But it's right to acknowledge the importance of RSD in raising awareness of independent record stores, who provide the titles and service you won't find at places like HMV. An event like this that helps to keep places like Banquet and Head on our high streets can ultimately only be a good thing.
I was uncertain how to feel about the experience. It's certainly no fault of Banquet's that they're a popular destination on RSD and it seems to have become a greater issue this year. They reported yesterday that their first queuers arrived at 3:30pm on Friday, 16 and a half hours before the store was open to sell the limited edition items. I think most rational people with life commitments have to draw the line somewhere regarding how long they're prepared to wait for vinyl.
Nonetheless, I hopped on the first bus to Bromley this morning to visit Head Entertainment, an altogether more civilised experience. I must give kudos to them for how they handled the demands of the day. Arriving at 6:10am, I found myself 15th in the queue. Each person in the queue was permitted to reserve a record each, a splendid idea which ensured fairness and in my case, a copy of Biffy Clyro's "Puzzle" on LP.
That was the main thing I was after that I knew would be available on the day, but I also impulse bought Death Cab For Cutie's new album "Kinsugi" on cassette. It transpired that it's not one of my best impulse buys of late. Not because it isn't a good album but because it appears to be available online for about a tenner. I'm still coming to terms with the fact that in 2015, I have bought a cassette tape on the high street for £18.
This is something of a gripe. I would accept that limited edition short run presses of items would lead to an increase in costs and that this might be exacerbated by import costs too. But a lot of items available on RSD are overpriced to a silly extent. For example, I might have been interested in getting the picture disc of Aha's "Take On Me" but the £16 asking price makes Kinsugi seem like a reasonable investment. The White Stripes "Get Behind Me Satan" was £39, while the most coveted record at Banquet, a re-release of Brand New's "Deja Entendu" was available for an eye-watering £50.
If this continues, vinyl fans like me are going to be priced out. But it's right to acknowledge the importance of RSD in raising awareness of independent record stores, who provide the titles and service you won't find at places like HMV. An event like this that helps to keep places like Banquet and Head on our high streets can ultimately only be a good thing.
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