Record Store Day...What nonsense!

Damn, I didn't get to wake-up at the crack of dawn to wait in the blustery cold and make small talk with other record collectors (what record are you after? Oh cool! How about you? Oh cool!) until eventually buying my $37 record and complimentary donut.
I had a relaxing morning playing music and having brunch with wife and son. If I have to pay a 10 or 20 dollar premium to have it shipped online, then it's totally worth it.

 

I spent the day at Disneyland, with really long lines, and no one seems to be thinking of limited exclusives...

 

This was a very good RSD.

I arrived well after the "locust" came through and both my shops had items of interest.

No line to shop, no line to pay.
Tons of stock at least 5 FLOYD mono, Dylan, etc. of the high demand titles still by 1:00 in afternoon.

RSD
RSD


Nice releases. CSNY has bonus disc and sounds great. The alternative Fleetwood Mac records are on Super Deluxe CD but the 12" vinyl sound and are nice for the collection.
Yes, they are expensive...once a year, be selective, it's fine. I would have bought 7" singles (Police) but pass due to cost vs. interest.
Yes, some come out on black vinyl later, some on CD (i.e. Cheap Trick, Bill Evans, etc.) but many don't.

I avoid the lines....don't get there early....RSD seems to be doing pretty well now at pressing to demand (especially if you live near a few stores with massive stock.

 

Yup I support the flippers as they are providing me a service so I can spend my morning doing what I want to do instead of stressing out in a line to see if I Might get an lp I’m interested in. The premium charge is worth it in gold when I’m able to spend the time with my 5 year old at the climbing gym.

 

Everybody appears to be fixated on the RSD exclusives, doesn’t anybody use RSD to enjoy the savings that the retailers are offering???

Today I ran into shops offering 30% off box sets, 15%-20% off of new vinyl, 10% off of new, 20% off of used, 30% off of 45’s. and then offering an extra $10 off if your purchase was over $70. I got my one RSD record I wanted (the U2 EP) an hour after the store opened, and then some Mofi Dylan vinyl goodness that I wouldn’t have bought without the discounted goodness. It was a great day.

 

I was at Reckless Records in Chicago and they had 1 copy of the Peter Gabriel. Of course I didn't get it either.

 

Classic SHF.
"The problem with RSD is stores get stuck with unsold records," immediately followed by "The problem with RSD is they don't press enough of [title I want]."

 

$25 a record? I'd cheer. Start at $50 here.

 

Most of the places I went to had slim pickings. All of the RSD stuff at Rasptuin’s for exam0le fit in one of those plastic mail things. It was small and underwhelming.

I think the problem more was that the stores didn’t order enough of some items. As to the Peter Gabriel release, 2000 pressing for the LP was too small especially given that this release had as much unreleased mixes/ material, etc.

I think some of the complaints are legit. I understand not wanting to order stock that will sit around but sometimes it seems the titles they choose are a bit bizarre.

 

It’s maybe 2% of the records that are being flipped ...big deal and everyone doesn’t live near a record store.

 

True. Every year this gets put through the paces
But why not have exclusives ALL YEAR ROUND? In other words, instead of everything being about ONE DAY, stagger the release schedule so that cool stuff is coming out on a weekly or monthly basis. This will keep people coming back again and again. I hate Black Friday and refuse to participate. RSD is like Black Friday.

 

2% seems a very, very low estimate.

 

Wish mine had the Csny.

 

Look at all the Elevators current RSD picture discs up on eBay. Plus all that have already sold. Some even that were sold before RSD. There's The Rub!

 

Depends, right? A 21” Sony Trinitron in 1984 cost $700. For $700 today, you can buy a tv that is light years better.

Tech stuff shouldn’t cost as much as it does. A $25 album only sounds good because so many of them cost over $35 today.

A record is a lousy, super cheap piece of plastic. Plastic costs nothing.

 

I stood in line for two hours. When I got there, I was already #12 in line. Didn't get the five things I really wanted, but ended up spending quite a bit on my second string wants. Hit the other store in town which opened an hour later (was #5 in line) but their selection was terrible. Only bought one thing. Hit two more stores in a city down the road a bit but neither had anything left of interest. I never had trouble getting the things I really wanted in the past and having to wait for two hours in line was a bit taxing. It wasn't the standing and waiting in line that got to me, it was the inescapable cigarette smoke hitting me from all angles.

 

4+ hrs round trip to the nearest store that participates in RSD for me.
Such is life in the sticks.
But then, I'm a vintage fan so I don't feel like I've lost much....if anything.

 

Right. It's just basic capitalism, and that's
a good thing. The store I give the most
of my business to on an annual basis has
a policy of one copy only of each title per
customer. That seems fair. Also, they
limit the number of people in the store at
one time to insure everyone's safety. I'm
not a regular RSD person, so I'm guessing
this is all common knowledge and probably
common practice everywhere.
It is a big day business-wise, that much I
do know. Would I like to see the
"formula" tweaked a bit? Sure. I have
plenty of novel ideas and if I ever open
a record store, you will be able to see
these ideas implemented there. Maybe
I'll even share them here beforehand or
in any event, if the discussion turns there.

 

There are so many titles every RSD. A small store cannot, absolutely cannot, afford to buy every title in case someone may decide to want it. I work at a store and frankly, we have a whole bunch of Peter Gabriel albums that never sell. We did in fact get one. Guess what? It never sold. One of the biggest issues with RSD that I've found are those people that you've never seen in your store or you only see them that one day getting all upset because you had no idea they wanted something. If they came in a little more frequently and didn't wait until the week of RSD to tell you what they wanted, maybe we could try to get what they want.

 

You're missing a chance to do something you enjoy by starting a negative thread about something that makes you cranky.

 

Right. While some instances are extreme, if you think about the 'flippers' or even the stores that mark up online, some people seem to get uptight about something that would have cost $30 going for $50. There is the cost of the employee/person taking time out to put it online, Ebay's cut, paypal's cut, shipping box, and if they waited in line, their time for doing so. In a way, it's like paying someone a few bucks to go get something for you. It's merely a tip.

 

I'll gladly stand in line for Courtney Barnett

Unfortunately my local shop didn't have it.

 

Well maybe. But it was based on two titles Dylan and Lennon. Counting how many were listed on EBay USA and how many were pressed of each. Both were under 2% for sale on eBay

Obviously not scientific.

But why not ? Many people don’t live near a record store.

 

If a flipper purchases from a B&M store, then I suppose the intent of RSD is preserved.
However if that said flipper in in front of you in line, then your POV on the subject might be different?

 

"Why isn't every participating shop required to stock every title in mass quantity?"