RSD: Do Flippers Really Hurt Record Store Day? *

It sounds a little like what you are saying is that RSD has become too popular, and you're too cool for it. Which is fine, but if the idea was to get more people into shops it seems it's succeeding, not failing. If it's turned you and others like you off from shopping in record stores the other 364 days a year, then maybe there's a problem. Otherwise it seems to me that it is generally doing what it was intended to do, even if there are legitimate gripes.

 

Lucky you. If I compare London today with London 15 years ago I see a different picture. I hope I am wrong and RSD gives all British high streets a new shiny music shop.... but I am a bit doubtful.

 

For once we agree. This year my regular RSD store had lines longer than previous years, and in talking to a few other store owners and record people, it sounds like they were also much busier than last year. I do think the labels need to adjust production accordingly though, or it will be a victim of its own success if there even more people out for limited releases. Eventually people like those posters above will bail out.

 

regardless of what you or I think/want RSD to be, it is wildly successful and not going away....these stores make tons of cash on that one day, when money is being made people are happy

 

you make a good point. the real shame of the success is real audiofile music fans will bail out but RSD will continue for the people that do it because its cool to have bragging rights or the money makers

 

Stores close down for a lot of reasons and some would never have been saved by RSD no matter how successful it is/was/could've been. I don't think RSD was ever going to save every record store, nor do I think that the RSD organisers ever felt they could or intended that anyway.

But I think it would be a good idea if RSD did commission an official survey so we can get an idea of how well stores are doing outside of RSD and what they think the impact of RSD is on the rest of their business.

 

So, if something sells out at 500 copies, you're saying that's enough, even if the item could have sold twice as many copies?

You're saying that someone staying away on RSD is okay, even though a couple of the items they'd like may be sitting right there in the store?

They should want to serve as many people as possible. There's a balance between creating a buzz and the long lines and not putting off a lot of potential customers to the point that they won't show up at all. Maybe they have that balance right and maybe they don't.

 

pretty much the same in the seattle area. i'm constantly hearing of record stores i didn't know existed.

 

Judging from the RSD sections on various indie store websites, there are plenty o' leftovers from previous RSDs, many of them being sold at what I assume is a loss. The idea that that stores and labels can accurately anticipate demand for one-shot, secondary format items seems like wishful thinking.

 

Whatever some bitch about, I had a really great day hanging in a crowded record store full of enthusiastic people. It was like a weekend at the San Francisco Columbus & Bay Tower Records back in the 70s. I surely miss those days.

 

As the guy who proposed it, I'm still liking it too.

I don't work in the biz, tho', so I'm sure there's something I've overlooked about the plan that makes it utterly unworkable in the real world. Like, that it would get shoppers in the stores on more than just one day, and that schmucks wouldn't be able to ruin the fun for the real music fans in the first 10 minutes.

 

I am not saying anything as far as my opinion goes. I am trying to tell you that you aren't making a difference. If an item sells out regardless of how many copies or who buys it then whoever made that decision got what they wanted.

I don't care if someone stays away, but do you think RSD does when there are more people each year and more product and more money being made? I am pretty sure more more more is a success to them.

Like I said what you or I want makes no difference. It is successful!! For everyone who won't show up there are 2 more to take their place.

 

I like the fact that RSD makes thousands in a day for most stores that are able to get the limited stock in, and I hope they shift lots of stuff that is already in stock. The flippers are guessing, and I have a lot of records and have been buying them for 36 years, yet feel clueless. Like a horse race, I never gamble on a horse by paying money in a bookie shop, or buy the RSD record I think will sell for a lot, but I look through the list and see if I can guess what will be big. I thought the Beefheart was the pick of the bunch, but now I see the REM box probably was. I was right about the bowie single. So many other £7 to £12 7" 45s, that will never be worth more than that. What the world needs is lots of flippers as clueless as me.

 

It's certainly successful in the short term. Only time will tell if this model will work for years down the line. Maybe it will, although I'd be a bit worried about all of the folks who apparently show up on this one day and not at all for the rest of the year. Will they eventually lose interest?

 

There were a few items I had been hearing about in the run-up to RSD that I was indeed interested in, but I had a family to look after and errands to run. By mid-afternoon I just assumed the flippers already bought the things I wanted and I did something else with my limited free time. I even checked eBay while taking my daughter clothes shopping, and sure enough stuff was already up and selling for crazy money. Say what you must about "the market," but scalping leaves a bad taste for me.

 

How are auction prices not the market price? If a seller lists a $20 album for $50 and gets it, then that's a market price, at least on eBay. But if he can't sell it for $50, then he'll have to relist it at a lower price. Eventually, it'll find its level.

 

I've never participated in RSD and rarely visit a brick and mortar store anymore, so I find this thread a bit amusing.

 

How evolved you are!

 

As Yogi Berra would say, Record Store Day's so crowded no one goes to it anymore.

 

All I will say is my store has 2 locations and in business 30 yrs and received only 1 Doors lp
What happened any ideas==Thanks in advance

 

There is an interesting piece on Billboard from Josh Madell co-owner of New York City's Other Music:

http://www.billboard.com/biz/articl...dell-on-record-store-day-success-record-store

 

An auction is a snapshot, that shows how much a single buyer will pay for an item at any given time. It is not a controlled enviroment, and some bidders drive up the price despite having no serious intent to buy. If you sell one album for $200 at auction that doesn't mean the LP should be marked at $200 retail in every store in America. In fact if you do set the price at $200 you probably will not sell any.

Did you ever notice that when you get an appraisal they give you the value, the Auction value, and an Insurance Estimate?

 

Glad you enjoy the view...

 

Right, plus the market for a "rarity" that's less than a week old is something less than stable.

 

Short but a good read. I wish we had more direct feedback from record store owners. He's made a great point regarding the one day exclusives vs the a lot more exclusives given to download sites.