Record Store Day - Thoughts on how it could be better?

Most stores won't give you detailed information about how many they ordered because it's not a guarantee of anything. Except a guarantee of having an argument with an enraged customer.

 

Is this a serious post? Where are all the limited edition CDs? Really?

 

I asked three stores in my area about the Pink Floyd Piper mono.

1st said don't even bother we only ordered a few
2nd said he ordered 60 and expected to get around 50% of his order
3rd store said they would have multiple copies but gave me no specific number

A fourth store I didn't ask because as you said he never gives detailed info.

There were two additional stores in my area not participating in RSD this year.

 

Pardon me if you've already stated this, but in the end did you actually buy a copy?

 

Yes, I picked up Piper mono and The Sundays 1st album. I also picked up the Chet Faker EP for a friend.

I got on line at 7:30am for a store that opened at 8am. Figured if I didn't get what I wanted there I could hit a store that was opening at 10am and if that didn't pan out I would finally hit the store that said they would have a lot of copies, which was about an hour away from me.

 

I agree with this completely, and yet I see again and again people on this forum (which must be RSD target market) getting excited for the same old albums that have been reissued many times before, and are even currently in print in superior editions, or offer nothing new in the way of music. Unfortunately, I think the market for novelty coloured vinyl or gimmick releases of familiar albums is a lot bigger than the market for interesting, hard-to-find stuff. Why try something different when you can buy yet another copy of something you already own eight copies of?

 

I'd be in favor of multiple formats including out of print CDs, cassettes for those folks who want them and, of course, vinyl.

 

Umm yes, limited edition CDs. Off the top of my head, there were RSD releases on CD of the KMD (MF Doom side project) album Bl_ck B_st_rds and a very cool White Lies CD EP that collected some rare, hard-to-find and vinyl-only mixes on CD. (I have both of these.) Plus, there was an exclusive RSD only on CD R.E.M. EP that gathered up the live tracks that were left off the live bonus disc on the Green reissue. (haven't yet seen this one.) So yes, there is a precedent for having cool CD releases that were Record Store Day items; unfortunately it seems like they're being phased out.

 

Would this be the R.E.M. you speak of?

Live in Greensboro EP (RSD Exclusive)

importCDs (eBay) has this for $17 & change.

Some notable artists have done the RSD CD thing in the past (Queen, Hendrix, Metallica, etc).

Looking at a search of RSD CD on eBay, you get a lot of RSD samplers (mostly swag, I'm sure) along with lots of vinyl where the eBay flippers forgot to change their listing category from CD to vinyl. But there were at least a couple CDs issued for RSD 2018 from what I can tell, one by Sun Ra and another by John Carter Cash.

 

Yup, that's the one.

I think they may have been the only CDs for this year, or close to it.

 

Trying to find a place for my rant on Sat.'s RSD experience. Maybe this is the place.
I opted out of the last few RSD's because my local store opted out and replaced the limited quantity stuff available everywhere with a release of back-logged used goodies on same day. Idon't need to get in line for this stuff,but I'm there as I am almost every Sat. and what pops out and fits in the budget comes home. In the past,I found this store's old RSD system acceptable. Show up in line,store opens,stuff laid out in mostly alphabetical order,followed by RSD stuff of yesteryear and,if you want to browse around,that was fine,too. I would show up an hour before opening and was done in less than an hour. I always engaged in a conversation in line as I was the old fart and it was interesting to listen to the youngins' interest in physical music Maybe a return trip later that day(walking distance) for a regular visit. Like the shampoo bottle:lather,rinse ,repeat.
So this year I was given a wonderful gift certificate at a long-time(since inception) participating RSD outlet. I'm not a big fan of this place as their everyday policies are so old fashioned. The stuff just sits there. Online presence often heralds a new batch of used LPs,many common classic rock stuff at mint-Discogs pricing. Sorry, Foreigner,Kiss stuff,often record club stuff,is no reason to shop. Live music & concert giveaways-no need. But I figured RSD was the place to splurge.
I got there a little later than I wanted,but it seemed to me that if I had arrive an hour before,I would have been about where I was in RSDs of past at my regular joint. Wanting a Pink Floyd for a friend,i was a bit concerned. The store posted receiving 30 copies-I was past 30 in line and figured most,if not all,of those in line wanted a PF,too. Anything else,just a crap shoot.
Store opened on time. The store is pretty big as indies go and usually has lots of wasted space,another concern. Why couldn't they bring in more bodies? Turns out no 2018 RSD merchandise on the sales floor. Its all behind the register area. Turns out everyone was given a number coming in,along with a want sheet. All this,so those in line could stand around not in a line awaiting their call. As for the want sheet,I declined as I knew what I wanted. Turned out that was a mistake. I was #54.
So,30+ minutes in line to wander around for over an hour till it was my turn. I told them my wants as someone behind the counter wrote these down. Had I known this,part of my hour plus waiting could have filled this out in a minute. Now,in DOT fashion,two folks(employee + myself) were required to do the work of one. At this time I was free to now touch the beloved RSD '18 stuff behind the registers to make additional purchases. But don't just pick it up for purchase. Gotta give it to the want list person. At this moment,I heard that there was no expectation of ever running out of PF at that time and,indeed,someone could buy a second copy if there was a second body with them. Fair to an extent,but pushing thing a bit. And looking like that "30 copies" was under reported. In all fairness,there are always last minute add ons and a delivery could have been coming in at that time,so maybe that explains the glut of PF. That reminded me of a past RSD snafu at my regular place where a UPS overnight shipment missed the plane and there was a panic during the night till the owner drove to the UPS depot to settle things.
I had no idea that being allowed to browse the RSD stuff delayed my order. Nothing was filled till I left the counter and-----yes,another line. This one to make payment. Talked to some guys in another line-they had already been at my usual haunt and couldn't believe the screw ups here. Now,3+ hours and still no end of transaction. The store has a long time history of printed receipts needing something called "ink" or upgrading system for Y2K. Detailed receipt,though not the thermal crud that disappears before the money changes hands.is impossible to read. And any add-ons(used stuff on the floor,clearance stuff) has to be hand written on the receipt with artist,title & format. H A N D W R I T T E N. V E R Y S L O W. So,after almost four hours,I'm out of there. And my bladder full of diabetic medication,is ready to explode. Store does not sell prepared food,no public restrooms,no places around there open for business yet. It's a quiet college town and Sat. is hangover recovery day.
After taking care of those personal needs(including plummeting sugar levels needing immediate attention),back home to my usual joint. The place has been open for four hours with tons of non-RSD goodies and things are hummin'. Folks wandering around,actually touching possible purchases,inspecting condition,conversing with others,a DJ playing chill soul 45s. One of the best Mexican food joints nearby-all is right with the world.
RSDs in the past-less than 2 hours. RSD '18-almost four hours. As they asked say in the old airplane ads: Is this any way to run an airline?

 

As I said in my post to this thread, the experience of RSD will vary greatly from store to store. The store you went to is trying to over-engineer things, and in the process made it much worse.

 

To be canceled for the next 10 years

 

Make everything a “First” instead of an “Exclusive.” I don’t like spending the better part of a day away from my family driving to multiple stores and then scouting eBay or Discogs to buy limited pressing albums at inflated prices out of the fear that I will never be able to hear the music again in my preferred format (or any format at all). I don’t give a damn if an album is released in some colored vinyl variant on RSD and then in black for all of the other days, but the practice of releasing music on one day of the year that can never be purchased again really rubs me the wrong way.

 

I’d rant more about the need for paragraphs. Hard to read is as hard as it was to buy.

 

The concept to generate interest in supporting local record shops is fine, but the execution of it creates a mob mentality. Massive lines, pushing and shoving, no manners, often very little stock of certain titles, and resales marked up 4-5 times on the secondary market. If the idea is to get people to support local record shops and vinyl, then it should be a more user-friendly environment. Why turn off so many people when the objective is to cater to music fans?

 

Little more supply on the good stuff

 

Maybe folks are just well behaved out here in the west, but I've never experienced pushing and shoving at RSD. In fact i find that people help out others when they see a title someone else wants.. People hand over records to others.

These ain't Black Friday Days a Walmart!!

 

Allow returns. I had an issue with the Nilsson Schmilsson RSD last year. Non fill on side 2. The store owner at first basically said no returns regardless of the reason, but I guess he thought about how that sounded so he agreed to swap mine out for another sealed copy. He said it would most likely have the same issue, and he was correct. So I'm stuck with it. I didn't partake in RSD this time around and I won't in the future unless it's something that I REALLY want. Nice to haves won't cut it. Just not worth taking the chance.

 

Hell, I live in the heart of a city that is nationally known for various forms of everyday rudeness (unfairly, for the most part} and I've never seen anything even approaching pushing and shoving on RSD. As they say, pics or it didn't happen.

 

". Eliminate the limited numbers of those records, and the sales numbers would evaporate" your proving my point. The only reason that a lot of these are selling is because of the perceived limited nature and not because of people actually wanting them. It happened to comic books in the 90's. The publishers put out multiple covers for the same issue with some being rarer than others. It worked for a short time but the publishers started doing it more and more with some issues having more than 10 covers. The comic book fans got tired of the gimmick and the stores got stuck with a ton of books they couldn't sell.

 

No more DISTURBED vinyl

 

Harmonia & Eno - Tracks and Traces Remixed, RSD 2010 cd only release, still no vinyl release to this day.

 

Potential problem, obviously u try to keep to a minimum, but I get what yr saying.

Communication, customer service, and boilerplate "some RSD items maybe cancelled delayed etc...."
Good opportunity for the owner to step up, work with his customers, earn repeat business.

 

Improve RSD by netting, darting, and injecting all the people who start RSD gripe threads and post enraged tales of thwarted RSD desire with something that instills a relaxed philosophical detachment and bemused acceptance about the outcome of your ultimately trivial and 'sposed to be fun hit-or-miss shopping expedition.