records – FAK3R

Record Store Day – April 18, 2009

Record Store Day 2009

UPDATE: read Euclid Records excellent post from last year by the owner Joe, “Record Store Day: What It Means To You and Me” for some insight into why you should care and participate in RSD
If you’re like me, you can’t wait for Record Store Day 2009. If you were with me last year, you’ll recall that I blogged about it and gave my review of it afterward – I really enjoyed walking up to Euclid Records where I saw the same old staff I’ve seen for years, along with people from the neighbor hood, a local(ish) band play (which my *kids* said were too loud (win!)) and of course picked up some new music. This year’s event will be April 18th, and you know I’m saving my pennies for the day. I think this year I’ll surprise the staff with some donuts to kick the day off right! If not for local music shops, the music world would be even less human, here’s to them rallying a comeback around the world. As, looks like this year bands and artists are seeing the value of having a day devoted to the music merchants, and are chipping in a bunch of exclusive releases to celebrate.

The organizers of Record Store Day have been happily overwhelmed by a steady flurry of support and activity from artists, record labels and retailers wishing to participate in the annual event in salutation of the independent music store. This year Record Store Day is set to feature a number of exciting new products made especially for the event from such well-known artists as Radiohead, Wilco, Tom Waits and Lucinda Williams and the Flight of the Conchords, just to name a few.
Wilco plan to release their upcoming DVD as an exclusive release to indie stores and on the band’s website on Record Store Day. The group’s Jeff Tweedy told Billboard Magazine in a recent interview, “Even if I wasn’t in a band, I’d still support Record Store Day. It’s a great thing and I’m glad we could do something special with them for our DVD.”
The Decemberists will release a Record Store Day 7″ as well. The band’s Colin Meloy adds, “I don’t know what I would do without indie record stores. Growing up in a town without them, I can tell you that it’s no fun to shop for indie records at chain box stores.”
You can also expect a slew of vinyl releases from Radiohead, My Morning Jacket who will release a CD as well as limited run double 10″ vinyl recorded live in Louisville at record store Ear X-tacy.
Also expected are classic split 7″ releases from Tom Waits and Lucinda Williams who will issue a double 7″ of live tracks from Atlanta and Edinburgh, as well as Sonic Youth exclusive Record Store Day split singles with Beck and Jay Reatard.
Other indie rock elder statesmen the Jesus Lizard will release a special package to include nine 7″ singles and Guided By Voices will re-release their Hold On Hope LP, with three bonus tracks.
And in the “legends” category, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen will all release RSD exclusive 7″ singles. Def Jam also plans to release a 4 LP gatefold history of the label, the physical version of which will be for indies only.
Fans can expect more unique Record Store Day pieces from a diverse array of artists such as Metric, Slipknot, Jane’s Addiction, The Smiths, the Stooges, MC5, Modest Mouse, Slayer, Rivers Cuomo, the Black Kids, Brandi Carlile, Taking Back Sunday, among many others.
In addition, Coachella, the world-renowned annual music festival set to take place on April 17-19 in Indio, California, has chosen Record Store Day to run the event’s popular on-site record store, with management provided by popular Southwest-based indie retailer, Zia Record Exchange. The on-site Coachella store, previously operated by Virgin, is noted for its high profile foot traffic and good vibe.
Record Store Day, April 18, 2009, coincidentally falls smack in the middle of the dazzling desert-set festival. Promoted by GoldenVoice, Coachella 2009 boasts such an eclectic mix of big name headliners as Paul McCartney, Amy Winehouse, My Bloody Valentine, Public Enemy, TV On The Radio, The Cure, The Hold Steady, Leonard Cohen, Morrissey, Jenny Lewis, Franz Ferdinand as well as many others sure to be stopping by the Record Store Day site to peruse the shelves for records and memorabilia and hang with their fans between sets.
A number of artists performing at this year’s Coachella will release product expressly for Record Store Day. Among them, Mastodon who will release “Crack The Skye” on 180 gram vinyl to include an extra 7″ single and lyric sheet, Jenny Lewis will issue a split 7″ with none other than Elvis Costello, and Black Keys will release a special RSD split 7″ with the Flaming Lips.

Mar 16, 2009 | Categories: commentary, featured, headline, music, news | Tags: bands, independant, indie, local, music, record store day, record stores, records | View Comments

Record Store Day – April 19, 2008

Record Store Day

“On Saturday, April 19, 2008, hundreds of independently owned music stores across the country will celebrate Record Store Day. On this day, all of these stores will simultaneously link and act as one with the purpose of celebrating the culture and unique place that they occupy both in their local communities and nationally.” There you go, April 19th I expect all of you to visit an independent music store in your area and buy some music; records, cds, 45s, posters, tshirts – hell, consider getting a new turntable, the kind with the USB plugs so you can rip that new vinyl! I’ll be swinging by my neighborhood store, Euclid Records for sure on that day (and likely before…) – the thought of not having that as an option terrifies me.

Apr 04, 2008 | Categories: commerce, music | Tags: cds, community, local, mom and pop, music stores, posters, record stores, records, tshirts | View Comments

An historic auction of millions of records, cds, etc

With a starting bid of US $3,000,000.00 this is one crazy eBay auction. Described as “The World’s Greatest Music Collection (3 Million Records, 300,000 CDs, 6 million+ Song Titles)”, you’re ostensibly buying a record store. In an interview, “Paul Mawhinney, owner of the Record Rama Sound Archives in Pittsburgh, Penn., is selling off what he calls “The World’s Greatest Music Collection” — as a whole — with a starting bid price of $3 million US ‘I want the history of American popular music to be available for future generations.’—Paul Mawhinney This is my life’s work,” the 69-year-old music enthusiast told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I’ve had a lot of people that wanted it, but they didn’t have the right kind of capital.” Looking at the pictures, it looks exactly like the old school record stores I’d seek out when I would be in towns like Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver and LA. There aren’t many like this anymore, which makes me appreciate my neighborhood Euclid Records all the more. In the end, what I like about this auction is the seller’s mindset that the music belongs to everyone, and is not just some commodity. “Mawhinney says he’d like the collection to be available to the public, which is a proviso of the sale. “I want the history of American popular music to be available for future generations,” he told The Toronto Star. The buyer is required to either donate the collection or create a public space for people to access it.” It sounds perfect for the Library of Congress, but apparently they didn’t have the funds.