It's that time of year again, Record Store Day, when vinyl lovers the world over celebrate the unsung suburban hero of independent music – the humble record store.
Now in its twelfth year, Record Store Day is an international celebration of the culture of indie record stores as well as their staff and customers, with thousands of participating retailers each year.
From dinky, hole-in-the-wall operations to sprawling marketplaces, brick-and-mortar record stores have been the invaluable conduit between labels and listeners for decades. Once vibrant gathering places for music lovers to congregate, digest the latest news and spin the freshest tracks, record stores soon fell out of mode as listening habits shifted dramatically with the onset of digital distribution.
No longer did you have to make the trip to your local vinyl outlet to discover the latest music from your favourite artist, it was all online and available at the click of a button. It became much easier for the consumer to track down rare cuts and hard-to-find imports themselves without leaving their home.
But in 2007, a gathering of independent music shop owners in the United States came up with the idea of an event to celebrate and promote the unique culture of indie music stores. Thus Record Store Day was born, founded by Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, and Don Van Cleave.
The first Record Store Day was held in 2008, with Metallica setting an international standard for what to expect from the event when they spent hours at a San Francisco store meeting fans.
Eleven years later and Record Store Day is a highly-anticipated annual event offering an extensive list of special releases only available on the day, and is credited with being a driving force behind the resurgence of popularity in vinyl.
In Australia, indie music shops right across the country get in on the fun with their own festivities, as eager vinyl fans scour the racks in search of that special record to fill their collections.
More than 180 indie music stores around Australia are opening their doors for this special day with live music, DJs spinning the vinyl, treasure hunts, parties, barbecues, coffee carts, face painting and special one-off releases for many legendary artists.
In 2019, Australian rock icon Russell Morris is among a handful of familiar faces selected as Record Store Day Ambassadors, including Kate Ceberano, Dave Faulkner (Hoodoo Gurus) and Hockey Dad.
Most well-known for producing Australia's only true psychedelic hit of the '60s 'The Real Thing', Russell is an enthusiastic supporter of indie record stores. When he released his 2012 album 'Sharkmouth', the first in his 'Ghosts And Legends' trilogy, it was independent record stores that heavily promoted it and pushed for its success.
Music may change and the way we listen to music may change, but the unquestionable passion people have for music they can hold in their hands remains as strong as ever. Just like Russell Morris, nothing beats the real thing.
