Record Store Day, often known as RSD, is an annual event that takes place on Saturday and celebrates the culture of independent record shops with community events, unique vinyl drops, parties, and more.
Why it matters: Whether you’re new to records or a committed collector, the day is undoubtedly the finest time of the year to check out a local shop. This is true regardless of whether you’re new to records or a loyal collector.
The metropolitan area around the Twin Cities is home to more than 20 record stores, ranging from the volunteer-run Extreme Noise to the Prince-approved Electric Fetus.
The situation is as follows: vinyl is making a comeback, baby. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, traditional vinyl records accounted for seventy percent of all sales of physical music in 2022, so surpassing sales of CDs for the first time since 1987.
What he is essentially stating is as follows: “Spotify exists, but having some sort of physical media you can hold is more personal,” said Joel Eckerson, who co-ran a record shop in Minneapolis called Dead Media for seven years and now co-owns Disco Death Records.
Vinyl records are more durable than CDs and cassettes; a record from the 1970s can still sound sharp and clean, he continued. CDs can skip and scratch, and cassettes wear out with time.
Plus: Even while Generation Z customers still make up a portion of their audience, Disco Death attracts customers of all ages, from college students who are new to the scene to Generation X customers who are rebuilding their collections, according to Eckerson.
The way it works is that stores that take part in the official Record Store Day event are eligible to carry limited edition represses of popular albums as well as studio sessions by Taylor Swift.
However, if they are not interested in the releases that are being made that year, stores also have the option of independently organizing their own parties and exclusive drops.
Where to shop on Saturday
Disco Death Records: Although it is not an official Record Store Day participant, the record store in south Minneapolis is giving out more than 700 records today, many of which are by artists located outside of the United States.
Guests may look forward to freebies, a vintage market, and concerts by regional bands in the evening. Used record store Cheapo Records has locations in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Blaine, and all of them are stocking Record Store Day selections. These selections include an undetermined number of copies of that highly sought Taylor Swift record.
The retailer recommended going to the Blaine location because they anticipate there will be less of a wait there. The shop, which is purportedly the only Black-owned record store in the state, is located in St. Paul and will have a full lineup of DJs performing between the hours of 12 and 6 p.m. in addition to having “more dope vinyl than you can drop a needle on.”
