I Hate Record Store Day!

I wonder how much of RSD renews the public profile of stores and how much it just feeds the same audience that already shopped anyway...

 

Aaargh -- this is the same topic that has been discussed in at least two other threads!!!!!

 

I'm watching the NCIS marathon today. So today is NCIS day!

 

Today was my first participation in RSD. I usually waited a day or two to find what I wanted. However, this year there were a few items a really wanted and decided to partake. Glad I did. Loads of fun and meeting some really nice people. I'll certainly be going next year.

 

Got to the line 5 minutes before they opened the doors. Scored the couple I wanted when I thought I wouldn't, got a coffee, returned & browsed when the rest ran off to the next record store which didn't open for another half hour. I think I won RSD.

 

The latter. I never hear talk of Record Store Day outside of this forum. A big problem, of course, is that there are so few record stores around to participate that people just don't hear about it. Related to that is the fact that so few people bother with record stores nowadays that they don't stop in and happen to hear about Record Store Day.

 

I saw at least 7 people today with 9mm pistols pushed into their ribcages by others mumbling "you will get me that Zappa 7"

 

Kat, I'm sorry to hear about your medical issues, and since my daughter was on dialysis prior to her transplant, I fully know how challenging your life is (especially the restrictive diet). With regards to RSD, I pointed out in another thread that all of this that we discuss and enjoy is just stuff (albeit, some pretty GREAT stuff), but we have nothing without our health. If your stores are anything like mine, there will be plenty of stuff still on the shelves tomorrow or early next week. Granted, the super rare things will be gone, but in the past couple years I couldn't make it out on the actual day, but still was able to get some cool things by my favorites (Hendrix live EP, The Cure Entreat Live LP). And if you need a little pick-me-up or some fresh tunes today, go treat yourself online to some 180g pressing of an album that you love and have your own RSD.

Good luck on your health journey.
jeff

 

Maybe the RSD releases shouldn't be announced ahead of time? Then it becomes a true surprise when you hit the store. I dunno.

 

I agree wholeheartedly! Record Store Day should be called "Record Store Customer Frustration Day" or "eBay Day".

"Oh, I am so excited to go to my closest record store to stand on line to compete for a few items we all want. Once I realize they're all gone, I'll resort to overpaying on eBay."

I will no longer participate in this nonsense. After being told by three retailers they didn't have what I wanted, I shared my perspective with the them as well.

What a lame ass idea that has already jumped the shark.

 

i went to one of the local shops that opened at midnight. i had done it last year, and it was fun then...the weather was nice, there were lots of people, but it was laid back and there wasn't a big rush.

last night was not so much fun. the weather was much cooler, for starters. i got there an hour before it opened, and the line was already starting to go around the block. cursed quietly to myself, before i realized that the line was starting to extend around the next corner around the block, and i was actually on the front end of it.

the store, which is already tiny and tight with space, was wisely letting in a few people at a time. as we approached the store's front, i checked the time and saw it was 12:05. i looked back up through the window and saw dudes with ARMFULS of LPs just worming their way through the place. 70% of the line hadn't even gotten into the store yet.

i only wanted two RSD things: the Big Star soundtrack and the Nick Drake "U.S. comp" reissue. as soon as we got in the door, i asked about both. Big Star was already gone. and the store wasn't even open for 10 minutes at that point.

i was really happy to see the store get a lot of business. i've been going there for the last 5-6 years, and the guys that run it are top notch. but this is the last RSD i line up for. this time, people were pushy and rude. you could barely navigate the aisles, and there were dudes trying to shove me and other people forward. if there were a fire or something, i can't imagine how that would have played out.

 

I really want to support RSD. Here is my inpression of the day; long lines, to much control over shopping, VERY high prices and nothing I wanted. Great concept - poor execution. I kept thinking of all the music that need issued on vinyl and CD...these are the items they chose? Really? Oh well.

I hope the stores did well, but it was a waste of time for me. Sorry.

 

I can go to record-store everyday if I feel like going and to be honest these kinds of organized events seem more like forced and unnatural.
I buy hundreds of albums a year so...

Sometimes it makes me feel, that the special-events are made to the people who actually buy only few albums a year and these events try to lure them to stores.

Its cool thing to release special issues for certain events but somehow they could do them more properly and get the limited editions widely more available.
Just buy looking some awful ebay-prices for certain items makes me feel sad for some people...

I have few of the past RSD-releases but I never got them due to being rare in the future, I got them as I like the artists/bands on them.

 

My friend and I got to our favorite store right about the time they opened. I drove by about an hour earlier and there were maybe 80 people in line. They were all inside by then, some coming out with a single LP or a 7". Just one. That's when I knew this would be a good day. It was a bit of a madhouse near the bins, but as always size and attitude wins. We both got pretty much everything we wanted, save for a copy of Acadie for yours truly. LOTS of young folks buying LPs. A beautiful sight to see.

 

I love browsing for LPs but it's just not enjoyable when the store is mobbed. They need to release this limited edition stuff out over the course of a week, otherwise it just seems gimmicky. The owners of the stores I've talked to say they never get enough of what they order (if they get it at all), and the queuing up for hours to flash mob these usually tiny places is kind of obnoxious.

This year's releases were especially weak. I only went because I really wanted Things Fall Apart on vinyl. I waited until the afternoon and the mob wasn't bad.

Record Store Day had nice intentions behind it but is very poorly executed. It should really be a week long event, and none of these extremely limited edition releases that soulless scalpers end up selling on ebay.

 

one thing that super annoyed me (and then i'll shut up): people contorting themselves around you just to flip through a bin. especially while you're already flipping through that bin. encountered that twice last night.

 

Luckily, if you are really lucky you might get some of the low pressed rarities still from the shop tomorrow...
Good luck everyone here and hope you got what you were looking for.

 

Does everybody buy for the collectibility of the individual items, the resale value, or to open and play them? The idea of "record store day" should be expanded throughout the year. Every month, 10-15-20 different items and enough of each to go around, and at a fair price. If the idea of RSD is to support your independent dealers, do it all the time, not once or twice a year. RSD supports the dealer one day, and feeds the resellers after that. I'm probably wrong, but that is my opinion.

 

Woke up this morning to find some guy from Israel selling each of the Beta Band Three EPs for $75. EACH. Not really helping us out with that stereotype pal.

 

i buy mine to play them. especially the Nick Drake stuff. i'm never going to encounter UK original presses of that stuff anyway.

and the rest of your post is spot-on.

 

I LOVE Record Store Day, so...I guess this is a threadcrap?

 

Yeah, the whole thing has a "preaching to the choir" feel at this point. It was a nice idea but I think it's run its course.

Where the hell is CD Store Day, anyway, with CD exclusives???

 

I also buy them to play them, never do I buy anything for resale later. I really do hate the limited runs though as it makes it really hard for us fans to get what we want.

 

As of this writing, every RSD item I've ever bought has been opened and played.

But don't get me wrong, I was considering returning to my local Indie this afternoon and buying a few things just to flip them. And the reason for that is not just the outrageous prices on eBay, but the amounts that people were actually buying some of these titles for. I simply could not believe it. Ultimately I talked myself out of it as I just didn't want to be bothered + I think it would have left a bad taste in my mouth anyway.

But it brings up a reason why I think some people get so miffed about RSD now, which is that this does happen. For the lack of a better analogy, RSD is like Black Friday. People buy, people flip and (worst of all imo) other people buy at the inflated prices - if people didn't actually buy them at the eBay prices, then this wouldn't be a problem. But they do and I just don't know why.

I think it evens out, however -- wait a year and some of titles will likely drop back to normal RSD prices, even on eBay. A few of course won't, but given the sheer number of titles this year I'd suspect that the majority of them will.

 

I avoid Record Store Day and the attendant hoopla and hype and have no regrets, hesitation, or remorse.