Independent record shops prepare to welcome back music fans on second Record Store Day DropOFFICIAL PRESS RELEASENEWS PROVIDED BY Record Store Day Record store owners across the UK are preparing for the second instalment of this year’s rescheduled Record Store Day. • First ‘Drop’ exceeded sales expectations lifting spirits of independent community • UK vinyl sales rise 3% year on year despite COVID-19 setback • ‘Drop 2’ on Sept 26th treats fans to exclusive vinyl releases from Paul McCartney, Notorious B.I.G, Declan McKenna and Fleetwood Mac • New titles added to final October Drop from Lewis Capaldi, Daft Punk, Kali Uchis and more ‘Drop 2’ will take place this Saturday 26th September in over 200 record stores as huge vinyl releases from artists such as Paul McCartney, Fleetwood Mac and Declan McKenna will whet the appetite of record lovers who have been feeling the void of music celebrations since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Shops will once again prepare for socially distanced queues, bookable time slots and another online sales bonanza. This comes after the enormous success of the first RSD event on the 29th August which saw thousands of music fans participating in-store and online. Joe Blanchard, owner of Bear Tree Records in Sheffield, said: The impact of RSD Drop 1 has seen UK vinyl sales rise 3% year on year with more than 2.7m units already sold – given the dramatic impact of COVID-19 on the record business this is a staggering achievement and testament to the format’s enduring appeal. And it’s not just the record stores who are excited by the return of Record Store Day. Superstar artist Lewis Capaldi has just announced a new limited-edition version (https:// Record Store Day is widely credited as the catalyst behind the vinyl revival and is recognised as the biggest trading day of the year for many independent record stores. It is often quoted as being bigger than Christmas for the participating small businesses; selling more than 100k LPs and 30k singles on one weekend alone. More than 230 independent shops faced huge uncertainty with the postponement of this year’s event alongside the nationwide closure of all retail outlets. Many are hoping that the RSD Drops will provide a much needed sales boost in order to get them back on the road to recovery. Warren Alsop, owner of Slide Record Shop that opened in Bedford in 2017 said “When lockdown happened we had to shut both our physical and online shop while we figured out how to operate safely. After a lot of talking, researching and seeking advice we’ve now re-opened and we’ll be operating a queue with bookable slots for the RSD Drops so we can serve our amazing customers safely. It’s a wonderful day to celebrate music and artists as well as a great boost to a small business like ours” The Big Moon, the official ambassadors of this year’s event said: Record Store Day Drop 2 will take place on Saturday 26th September. A full list of limited edition releases can be found here. You can find participating stores using the RSD store locator below.
Source Record Store Day
September 21, 2020 6:00am ET by Pressparty |