Record Store Day celebrates indie retail music sellers as they ride vinyl’s popularity wave. Special LP releases, live performances, and at least one giant block party are scheduled around the U.S. Saturday as hundreds of shops celebrate Record Store Day amid a surge of interest in vinyl.
In suburban strip malls and big city downtowns, indie record stores are often the first to recognize and promote emerging artists. Years before Taylor Swift was setting Grammy records and selling out concerts, Bull Moose Music in Portland, Maine, was already supporting her music.
Chris Brown of Bull Moose Music and a co-founder of Record Store Day mentioned, ‘We were carrying her music before all the big stores. We always knew she would be a star.’ The surge of interest in physical records, especially LPs, has helped keep independent stores afloat, with Taylor Swift’s limited physical record offerings contributing significantly.
The Recording Industry Association of American reported that revenues from vinyl records grew 10% to $1.4 billion in 2023, marking the 17th consecutive year of growth and accounting for 71% of physical format revenues.
Record Store Day is a celebration of the estimated 1,400 independent record stores in the U.S. and thousands more worldwide. While streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music dominate music consumption, old-school LPs remain popular among collectors who appreciate the packaging and listening experience of records.
