RECORD STORE DAY Saturday (April 17). Various venues, bands and set times.
Record Store Day is here again. This year’s unites more than 1,400 independently owned record stores worldwide to “celebrate the art of music.” From Vortex to Hits & Misses, Toronto’s indie shops are getting into the spirit, offering special discounts, door-crasher prizes, limited-edition releases and in-store performances.
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But is it just a token gesture?
“Gone are the days of a brand-new album selling 2,000 pieces on the first day,” says Tim Baker, co-owner of Sunrise Records and manager of Record Store Day in Canada. “But there’s nothing wrong with selling 400 or 500 copies, so long as we can make enough money to stay in business and give the customers what they want.”
As digital quality and sales continue to improve, traditional brick-and-mortar record stores are no longer an essential way for musicians to reach fans. But while record sales keep sliding, Record Store Day is expanding.
This year, over 150 exclusive releases will be available to participating stores (recordstoreday.com/canada), including an alternate version of Pavement’s Quarantine The Past greatest-hits collection and a rare box set of John Lennon 7-inches. Availability depends on demand and the luck of the draw, adding that element of chance that was once a key part of the record store experience.
Ironically, it’s this old-school mentality that’s kept many Toronto indie shops relevant in the digital age. Thanks to the resurgence of in-store performances, for instance, stores now act as social arenas as much as retail outlets, adapting to serve a niche market rather than the general public.
“We give the musicians a few beers, but other than that we don’t really pay them,” says Amanda Newman, booker of Sonic Boom’s downstairs stage. “Still, most of the time, all we have to do is ask and they’ll say yes. It promotes their show, it promotes their record and it’s fun for everyone.”
In the last year alone, heavy hitters like Dinosaur Jr., the Weakerthans, Drive-By Truckers and the Black Lips have played Sonic Boom. On Record Store Day, the store will present an all-day performance card that includes, among others, CanCon legends Sloan.
“It’s nice to be able to come back and play in that environment,” says Sloan’s Jay Ferguson. “We used to do a lot of in-stores back in the 90s because we had more of an all-ages audience then. It’s a great way to connect with our fans on a more intimate level.”
Ironically, Sloan have moved away from traditional distribution, releasing their last two records, the Hit & Run EP and 2010’s B-Sides Win, exclusively online through their Murderecords label. Ferguson, who worked in a Halifax record shop from ages 12 to 16, thinks record stores still provide an important element of discovery.
“Record stores are still relevant as a place for people to hang out and discuss music,” he says. “That social function would be the greatest loss if indie record shops went extinct.”
He may sound idealistic, but for many of the participating shops, the event isn’t strictly symbolic.
“Last year’s Record Store Day was the biggest day [for sales] we’d ever had,” says Criminal Records co-owner Paul Simcoe. “And that includes Christmas and Boxing Day.”
Record Store Day, Saturday (April 17)
Sunrise Records (336 Yonge, 416-593-7989)
Hunter Valentine, noon, Fox Jaws, 1:15 pm, Ash Koley, 2:30 pm, Moneen, 3:45 pm, Justin Nozuka, 5 pm
Sonic Boom (512 Bloor, 416-532-0334), 3 pm
Sloan, Adam Green, Meligrove Band, Metz, Buck 65, Valery Gore, DJs Shit La Merde, Lullabye Arkestra and jj
KOPS Records (229 Queen West, 416-593-8523), 5:30 pm
City Sweethearts and the Junction
music@nowtoronto.com
