Vinyl’s special day is fun for Record Stores but not always fruitful
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It’s torturous but also rewarding waiting outside a record store in the early hours of the morning.
But scoring limited releases from bands such as the White Stripes, Metallica and Foo Fighters makes Record Store Day worth it for dedicated vinyl lovers, despite some setbacks over the recent years for shop owners.
On Saturday, record stores around Orange County and the country opened their doors early for fans who began lining up hours prior.
Kade Clark, 18, of Mission Viejo, said he got to Factory Records in Costa Mesa at 4:45 a.m. to participate in his fourth Record Store Day to find albums by the Decemberists and Violent Femmes.
“The list just keeps getting better year after year,” he said. “I love that vinyl is coming back. It breaks my heart when I tell friends about a great album and have them say they’ll just download it. If you like someone’s music you should pay for it.”
Each year since the first Record Store Day in 2007, independent record stores receive a list of limited and special releases from both independent and major labels and get to select which items they would like to order on a wish list.
When he first became involved in Record Store Day in 2010, Factory Records owner David James said he didn’t invest too much in the limited releases but slowly began including them in his Record Store Day inventory.
James, whose store typically makes one month’s earnings on Record Store Day alone, said the day has proven tiring and busy, but worth it in the end.
“I always talk about RSD like a love/hate relationship,” he said. “It’s so exhausting preparing for it. But boom, it’s a great success come Saturday. I have new faces in the shop and it’s great exposure and good money. So, I’m in love with it come Sunday.”
Ron Dedmon, who owns Dr. Freecloud’s Record Shoppe in Fountain Valley, said he believes that independent record stores have been kind of lost in the mix lately because of the costly warehouse prices of some of the items.
Sometimes, he said, the labels, especially major ones, will only allow the stores to sell items a few dollars above cost, so it’s difficult for stores to make a profit.
“It almost seems like, because of these prices, it’s more marketed toward a chain store, which isn’t allowed to participate according to the rules,” he said. “It’s not very fruitful for independent record stores.”
Dedmon also said he believes he’s starting to see some favoritism from the major labels that appear to send more items to bigger independent stores, like Amoeba Records.
James argued that wasn’t the case.
“It’s still independent record store-centered, and, sure, the major labels are a huge part of it,” he said. “A lot of people think it’s gone corporate but the major labels have to have a hand in because that’s what the people want. They want the White Stripes, Metallica, Brand New and Foo Fighters releases.”
While people seem to typically hunt for major label releases, they often do it to resell for higher prices on eBay, Dedmon said.
“It’s turned into a shark-fest,” he said. “Their intention is to double or triple the price once it gets on eBay. Maybe the labels are selling them for so high to counter that, but it’s still not helping the stores.”
James said there’s no way around the resellers, though, but that he’s followed the Record Store Day rules to make it fun for everyone.
“We’re very strict about not letting our stuff get in other people’s hands before Record Store Day,” he said. “Nothing gets sold early. If you want the White Stripes, you have to be here at 5 am to get it. I even take a few things for myself and I don’t even listen to anything until Record Store Day. It’s torturous. It’s like Christmas. It’s fun.”
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