Record Store Day Brings Joy and Connection To Music Lovers

MINNEAPOLIS (WJON News) -- People across the country will be lining up early on Saturday morning in an effort to get some rare treasure. The 18th Annual Record Store Day (RSD) is on Saturday, and what started out with just a few hundred stores and about 10 titles has turned into over 1,000 stores and over 300 titles. RSD has seen celebrity ambassadors like Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, and Iggy Pop throughout its run and continues to grow.

In 2010, RSD set up its first Black Friday event.

Retail Music Manager for the Electric Fetus in Minneapolis, Bob Fuchs, says it has been fun to see the evolution of the day and the relationships people have made:

"It's a very communal day and that is what happens with the line and people are very respectful, holding people's position in line if they have to use the restroom or go get a coffee or something like that so it's been really fun to see that everyone kind of self regulates and becomes friends with each other and the vibe is great and the line is usually a pretty fun thing."

Fuchs says it is great to see all the people with like-minded passion come together for RSD at the Fetus and for them to be a part of their lives and community. RSD has become so popular cities like New York, Los Angeles, Boise, and Las Vegas have declared the day an official holiday.

Record Store Day created RSD Summer Camp in 2016.

The day will see thousands turn out to their favorite independently owned record store in an effort to get some of those limited vinyl releases, make new friends, and celebrate the hobby. Fuchs says it has been amazing to see records make a comeback:

"I didn't think they would widely be popular ever again in society. 15 years ago, I thought this is the end. CDs were going away, streaming was coming on. The record stores were probably just going to die on the vine so 15 years ago I thought, well, this is the last gasp, and now we've seen physical media rebound.  Even CDs have come back. Last year our CD sales were up even, like almost close to 25%."

Fuchs says all physical media like cassettes and DVDs are gaining in popularity, and the generation that grew up in the digital age is embracing tactile media to change the game. Nearly 1,400 stores will celebrate RSD, which first took place on April 19, 2008.

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