Record Store Day: 'Like Thanksgiving, But For Vinyl'
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Siara Sparkman-ssparkman@timesuniononline.com
A line of people started forming at 6:30 a.m. Saturday outside of Karma in preparation for the eighth annual Record Store Day. Inside, dozens shuffled through bins and crates of vinyl released specifically for the event. Karma manager John Vance has worked at the store for five years and this is the fifth year the record store has participated. He said Record Store Day is mainly about having a great selection of music for the shop regulars and music lovers and collectors from all the area. “Obviously, you want to have a great selection of all the limited Record Store Day vinyl releases, but it’s a great excuse to bring in all sorts of music you think the people visiting for the first time, or from out of town, would also enjoy seeing as well,” Vance said. “We try to fill our music racks to max capacity.” Vance said the event has been influential in bringing people into local record stores, or at least giving them a reason to go in the first place. He said the day has grabbed the attention of people because the interest in CDs, vinyls and new releases has lost its appeal over the years, but Record Store Day has sparked that interest again. “Record Store Day has reminded a lot of people record stores are still here for them all year, not just on Record Store Day,” Vance said. Vance said the past events have been successful, and he was excited seeing the line forming outside the doors hours before they opened. He said it is people who love music that operate record stores. “We share the music we love with people, sometimes helping them find their new favorite band, or turning them to something off the radar they may not have found on their own,” Vance said. “The great thing is our customers are well versed in music enough to show us great music we may not have known about. It goes both ways.” Matt Reish was on the hunt for The Clutch release. He said he was unsuccessful at first because he “couldn’t get past the mob.” Record Store Day is something that Reish plans for all year and he tries to save his money. “You see old friends and it is like Thanksgiving, only with records,” Reish said. Zoe Anweiler attended the event for the first time this year because it always begins so early in the morning. She said it is mostly important to her husband, Reece. She said they heard that people were contemplating camping outside of Karma, so they decided to arrive as early as they could. She was happy they did because she was able to find the Lego Movie soundtrack on vinyl and the 21 Pilots album in the shape of the state Ohio. “We are vinyl collectors,” Anweiler said. “It’s really cool that artists support local business, and I love it when artists release specific stuff on Record Store Day.” Lennon Martin-Ratliff was searching for The Dead Milkmen record and found it, to his surprise right before he left. “It was the last thing I found and I was so happy,” Martin-Ratliff said. “If I didn’t find it, I wouldn’t have been upset. It’s the thrill of the hunt.” Martin-Ratliff said he hangs out at Karma often and he knows all of the workers. Record Store Day is a special day for him because many of his favorite bands participate and release new music. “I got The Replacements, Dead Milkmen,” he said. “Record Store Day means I get special stuff from them and it adds to my love for them.” Many record stores participate in the event across the country and celebrate in different ways. Some venues host live music and other festivities. This year at Karma, while supplies lasted, customers received a Record Store Day poster, a 7-inch Alabama Shakes colored vinyl and an instrumental CD. “Right now, things are going great for most independent record stores, not just because of Record Store Day but also the new generation that has a growing interest in physical music,” Vance said. “I hope it's just going to keep getting better from here for Karma and all the independent record stores.”
