Record Store Day UK 2012

[Perry Vale]

This Saturday (21st) sees the latest Record Store Day for UK independant shops. In it's 4th (or 5th) year now, it's been getting bigger every year with around 400 individual releases this year!

http://www.recordstoreday.co.uk/

Record Store Day came into being in 2007 when over 700 independent stores in the USA came together to celebrate their unique culture. The UK followed suit and 2012 will see the fourth celebration of the UK's unique independent sector. This is the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists across the globe make special appearances and performances. Festivities include performances, meet & greets with artists, DJ's, in store quizzes and many other events.

Anyone been to one before, or planning to go this year? I worked the last one, and have to say it was one of the best days I've spent behind a counter in my life. There's no getting away from the grim fact of having to queue up for some time to be sure of getting some of the nicer items, but everyone was in good spirits considering and all seemed to have a good time.

This year in Sister Ray we have Jim Kerr & Charlie Burchill (from Simple Minds) appearing to do a signing session, Billy Bragg playing live, and Bob Stanley (Saint Etienne) and Pete Paphides (journalist) working behind the counter!

So, good idea or bad idea?

[Rob McCow]

It'd be a bad idea for us to buy any LPs, our record player is stowed away somewhere and we're in the process of ditching our CDs! It's kind of sad in a way.

The Record Store day is a noble effort and probably good fun for those involved though. I'm not enough of a vinyl fan to take part.