It amounts to a national holiday for independent record shops. With special new releases and a bevy of used classics, vinyl devotees will be flooding area stores on Saturday.
Record Store Day: Returns to Vertigo Music and other stores on Saturday. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
Last year, vinyl LP sales jumped 17 percent – and for the first time in 35 years – exceeded sales of CDs, which now seem to be the outdated dinosaurs when it comes to music platforms.
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In fact, the Record Industry Association of America noted that vinyl records comprised 70 percent of all physical music sales in 2022, generating $1.2 billion in revenue.
So, it’s no surprise that music lovers anxiously and enthusiastically await the return of Saturday’s Record Store Day across the country, with independent record shops reveling in robust sales, with long lines of shoppers poring through bins for special vinyl releases by artists major, minor, local and everything in between.
And while Record Store Day fervor hasn’t quite reached the concert-splashed festiveness of pre-pandemic days, West Michigan’s shops will certainly be flooded with shoppers and a few will even once again boast live music performances and/or DJs.
Reverend Charles Preston Smith
Indeed, Rev Charles’ Dodds Record Shop, 808 Bridge St. NW, Grand Rapids, will once again host its VERY short but incredibly entertaining Record Store Day parade down a short stretch of Bridge Street at 3 p.m. The shop – open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. – will also have Beaver Xing performing from noon to 4 p.m. outdoors and “vintage vinyl” spinning inside.
For his part, owner “Reverend” Charles Preston Smith touts the benefits of buying used vinyl.
“You’re saving a life – a record’s life. You’re keeping records out of landfills and making room for more used records at your local record shop,” he said. “Rescued record albums are often less expensive to adopt: A new vinyl averages $20-$40, whereas used records are typically under $10.”
But of course, the real draw for many vinyl enthusiasts on Record Store Day just happens to be those new and, often special, releases from the likes of Taylor Swift, The 1975, Wilco, T. Rex, Yes and even, Michigan’s own The Verve Pipe. Check out a full list here.
And that means vinyl devotees will likely be queueing up at Vertigo Music, 129 S. Division Ave. in Grand Rapids; The Corner Record Shop, 2982 28th St SW in Grandville; and Green Light Music, 4717 W. KL Ave. in Kalamazoo, as well as at other independent stores across the region.
Get a full list of stores and special RSD releases at recordstoreday.com.
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