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:
“On the first Drop we opened with an appointments system which – given the need for social distancing – means there was a considerable decrease in the amount of people we could welcome into the store. However, the first RSD Drop was still our busiest day of 2020 so far! The real spark - or full blown explosion - this year was a huge increase in online sales too. We saw the most traffic online we've ever seen in our trading history resulting in a 200% year on year increase in sales so we’re now feeling optimistic about the months ahead.”

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://bit.ly/33NHfql) of his best-selling album ‘Devilishly Uninspired to a Hellish Extent” made exclusively for Drop 3 on October 26th. He said “It’s been class to work on some really different versions of my music for RSD in the past & it’s such a buzz watching everyone go out in the morning that day to try and find the releases! Excited to get this new album colour way out there to support all of the indie stores over the UK this year! X” 

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:
“We’ve played in lots of excellent record shops up and down the country and have met wonderful people every time. From the people who work there and organise events to the generous souls who have parted with their money and time to buy our records and come to see us play intimate shows. It just generally made us feel like what we’re doing is sometimes worthwhile. It’s important that we protect these physical communal spaces so that in the post coronavirus world we can make sure they are still there and accessible and welcoming to all. Support your local record store!"  

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.