What to expect for Record Store Day
Record Store Day returns to independent shops across America on Saturday, Sept. 26.
This year finds the annual celebration spreading its exclusive titles out across three weekends to assist with social distancing concerns related to the spread of COVID-19.
As Jason Woodbury, the marketing director for ZIA Records, a Phoenix chain with stores in metro Phoenix, Tucson and Las Vegas, says, “Record Store Day had to roll with the punches the same as everybody else this year.”
The first of three RSD Drops, as the event has been rebranded, was Saturday, Aug. 29.
Record Store Day was launched in 2008 as an annual celebration of the independent record store as a cultural hub for hardcore vinyl geeks and casual music fans alike to not just purchase records but to congregate and revel in the atmosphere.
Those social distancing requirements are bound to make it hard to revel in the atmosphere the way you may be used to reveling.
So we reached out to all nine metro Phoenix stores officially participating in the second of three RSD Drops to see how that initial drop went and what shoppers should expect.
RSD September exclusives
Whichever store or stores you plan to hit, there are plenty of September titles that are well worth tracking down.
Fleetwood Mac’s “The Alternate Rumours” is exactly what that title would suggest, an album of alternative versions of the songs on “Rumours.” The Doors’ “The Soft Parade” is also reimagined on “The Soft Parade: Stripped.”
Paul McCartney’s “McCartney” gets the 50th anniversary treatment in a limited-edition half-speed mastered vinyl pressing for Record Store Day.
RSD 2020 Ambassador Brandi Carlile pays tribute to Soundgarden, covering “Black Hole Sun” and “Searching With My Good Eye Closed” on “A Rooster Says.”
Tempe legends the Meat Puppets are releasing a RSD-exclusive EP on new music. The Dirty Three’s “Ocean Songs” deluxe edition includes a bonus LP of their set at the 2007 All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival.
There’s a re-release of Eminem’s “My Name Is” on 7-inch vinyl and a collection of rare remixes and outtakes from Britney Spears’ “Oops!...I Did It Again.”
There are plenty of live titles, as always, from the Allman Brothers Band (“Fillmore West 1-31-71”) to Dinosaur Jr. (“Swedish Fist (Live in Sweden)”), Shooter Jennings (”Shooter Live at Bonnaro”), The Replacements (”The Complete Inconcerated Live”), the Ramones
(”It’s Alive II”), the Rolling Stones (”Steel Wheels Live”) and the Gun Club (”Live in London 1983”).
ZIA Records
“The first Record Store Day Drops went really well, so we’re feeling good about maintaining our approach,” ZIA CEO Jarrett Hankinson says. “We had people line up at all of our locations but they were masked, distanced and overall in great spirits.”
The store received a lot of comments from satisfied customers.
“Everyone seemed to get what they were looking for,” Hankinson says. “But given that these titles are really limited, sometimes you don’t get exactly what you’re looking for if you’ve got a really limited-edition title in mind.”
Because it went so well the last time, ZIA plans to take the same approach to this month’s Drop.
Customers can line up at any location beginning at 7 a.m.
“We’re gonna be monitoring the social distance, of course,” says Woodbury. “And then we’re gonna let the first 10 customers in to shop for 15 minutes, ring them up and then the next 15 will come in.”
At 10 a.m., all remaining RSD exclusives will become available online for curbside pickup or delivery.
Hankinson says they learned some things in August that could lead to an improved online approach.
ZIA has already sold out of the soul compilation they were scheduled to release on Record Store Day’s original date back in April. And they’ve gone on to release a number of exclusive titles in the weeks since then.
“We always say everyday
Store Day,” says Woodbury.
In the interest of safety, masks have been required on all customers and employee since the stores reopened.
They’ve installed plexiglass, required customers to maintain a safe distance and changed the way they handle trade, now disinfecting items customers bring in and keeping them in separate containers overnight.
“The physical business model is a tough one in 2020 because of the added strangeness,” Woodbury says. “But it was already a challenge, going against a completely digital music ecosystem.”
Hankinson says he can’t wait for ZIA to be able to throw a big party for Record Store Day like they used to, with live music, DJs and big crowds.
“But until its safe to do so,” he says, “we’ll keep it fun but low-key.”
Zia Camelback: 1850 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix.
Zia Mill Avenue:
Tempe.
Zia Thunderbird: bird Road, Phoenix.
Zia Chandler: 3029 N. Alma School Road.
Zia Mesa: 1302 S. Gilbert Road.
Stinkweeds
3201 S.
is Record
Mill Ave,
2510 W. Thunder
Stinkweeds will again be going virtual for the September RSD Drop, taking orders by phone from 7-9 a.m. with all remaining RSD exclusives becoming
available for sale at stinkweeds.com/RSD.
Store manager Lindsey Cates says, “We will be making some improvements, so any hiccups that we had last time should be solved and people will be able to get through a little bit faster on the phone line.”
The August Drop went really well, she says. “So we’re looking forward to doing it again.”
The decision to go virtual was made after considering the weather and the store’s square footage.
“It’s just the only thing that makes sense,” Cates says. “I just can’t imagine having people waiting in line for hours in 100 degree weather while we service five people at a time.”
That first day is curbside pickup only. No mail orders will be taken until Sunday.
“They don’t have to pick it up that day,” Cates says. “But we’re just trying to retain that element for Record Store Day.”
Stinkweeds has curbside pickup shopping.
With appointments, shopping customers have the store to themselves for 45 minutes.
“So a lot of people have really been enjoying that,” Cates says. “It’s kind of like a dream come true for a lot of people.”
Stinkweeds has been blown away, Cates says, “by the support of our customers and the community in general. We know the internet is servicing everyone right now. And we’re just so blown away by the amount of people that continue to shop with us consistently.”
Details: 12 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix. 602-248-9461.
Asylum Records
been and
10
a.m. open, doing appointment
For the fifth year running, Asylum is hosting a signing by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Michael Bruce of the original Alice Cooper group, whose songwriting credits include such iconic recordings as “I’m Eighteen,” “Ballad of Dwight Fry,” “Under My Wheels,” “Be My Lover” and “School’s Out.”
Bruce will be on hand from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., signing records.
In the past, he’s performed store, but not this year.
As store owner Scott Robenalt says, “We don’t want to have a big gathering
at
on
the with the social distancing thing going on.”
Bruce was also at the August Drop, which went great.
“It was actually one of my better Record Store Days,” Robenalt says. “It seems like it flowed a little bit easier. Everybody wasn’t piling in all at one time.”
Asylum also has a “Star Wars” actor — Stephen Costantino, who played a Gamorrean guard in “Return of the Jedi” — coming in for the September Drop from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
The store opens at 7 a.m. and Robenalt will have a record rack up front with all the RSD exclusives.
“We’re gonna let people in in little groups if they come together or one or two at a time to go through the rack, go to the register, buy it and go out,” Robenalt says.
“Or look around in the store if they want. But as soon as somebody finishes, somebody else gets to come in.”
The store will also offer 20% off on all used items.
Details: 2990 N. Alma School Road, Suite No. 5, Chandler. 480-964-6301.
The Record Room
Store owner Jon Rose says the Record Room had planned on having live bands and a DJ for the first of three Record Drops.
“But right now, with the COVID, it’s just too weird of a time,” he says.
A month later, it’s still too weird a time to have live music at the second Drop.
Rose says he’ll be taking precautions to make it safe to shop there.
“We’re big enough to where we can have people come in and they’re not gonna be on top of each other,” he says.
“But it’s mainly just you’ve gotta wear a mask. Don’t go coughing on anyone. Try and stay away from people. We have hand soap by the door, but what else are you gonna do?”
All merchandise will be 20% off, and there’s a bunch of used LPs they’re putting out that day.
“I’m also doing a ‘come down and make a deal with the owner’ type of thing,” Rose says.
Then, with a laugh, he adds, “Let’s make a deal.”
Details: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 2601 W Dunlap Ave #21, Phoenix. 602-4600040.
The ‘In’ Groove
Store owner Michael Esposito some advice for the regulars.
“If the first Drop is any indication of what’s gonna happen, it’s really optimal for the locals to get here before the stuff goes online,” he says.
The store opens at 8 a.m. and local shoppers have a window of two hours to the ‘In’ Groove before Esposito makes the RSD exclusives he has left in stock available online.
“I think it took us seven minutes to sell about 1,200 records once they went online,” he says.
“I think people are under the assumption that they can go around and shop throughout the day. They weren’t expecting, nor was I, that so many stores would have absolutely nothing after 10 o’clock. It was really wild.”
In a normal year, stores selling those exclusives on their website is “very taboo,” Esposito says.
“They don’t like it, which is totally understandable. You want to get people in the store.”
The actual turnout in August was light at the ‘In’ Groove but Esposito hopes cooler temperatures in late September will increase traffic.
Esposito, as always, ordered what he says are “absolute massive quantities” of all the RSD exclusives.
For those who do show up in person, face masks are required and the store will limit the number of customers allowed inside at any given time.
“But to be honest,” Esposito says, “we’ve been open six years, and the very first Record Store Day, we opened the door and it was kind of like a free-for-all. So ever since then, I’ve just always had a policy of regulating the amount of people that come in the store.”
Going into the first of the RSD Drops, Esposito said he’d miss the “big, fun event at the end of the tunnel” after all the work it takes to get ready for Record
has
Store Day.
Having seen it play out, he arrived at a shocking conclusion.
“It was the best Record Store Day we’ve ever had,” he says. “Because we were left with nothing. So I hope they can take some of what came about because of COVID and implement that in future Record Store Days”
Details: 3406 E. Thomas Road, Phoenix. 602-957-2453.
Tracks in Wax
Store owner and sole employee Timmy Stamper says things went great at the first of three Record Store Drops for Tracks in Wax.
“Just about every RSD title sold immediately,” he says. “So it was good, a great turnout and everybody respected the pandemic and acted accordingly, without even really having to be told.”
Masks are required and Stamper keeps hand sanitizer on the counter.
The store will be open from11a.m. to 3 p.m.
“I’ll have lots of great stuff in stock,” Stamper says, “things I’ve been holding aside that didn’t hit the first Record Store Day, vintage stuff I’m gonna price out, a lot of great things, and I’ll have the new RSD titles as well.”
Details: 4741 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. 602-274-2660.
Uncle Aldo’s Attic
Uncle Aldo’s Attic sells vintage collectibles including board games, records, toys, costumes, books and more.
They’ll have a limited selection of RSD exclusives, but they’re running a 10% discount on their vintage vinyl.
“Because we’re a smaller shop, we get a smaller selection of exclusives,” says store owner Desi Scarpone.
“But at the same time, we also have all of the vinyl in the store on sale. So that’s kind of our thing. People come in for the Record Store Day stuff and stay for the savings.”
Masks are required, the store offers gloves and they’ve been taking other precautions.
“It’s almost impossible to keep everything clean in a record store,” he says. “But the surfaces that people use — the door handle, the credit card machine — we keep those clean after every use, but there’s not a whole lot else we can do.”
Details: 6016 E. McKellips Road, Mesa. 480-218-1415.