This is not related to International Independent Record Store Day.
Record Store Day emphasizes that music stores around Australia are still an important source to buy records, and to find new music and new styles.
According to AMRA, the public still love to browse and buy a physical product as seen by the rise in vinyl purchases over the past 12 months.
AMRA Chairman George Papadopoulos points out, “People, who don’t know about the resurgence of vinyl ask me who buys it and I usually say anyone who doesn’t have cloth ears. So many true music lovers are turning away from the flattened audio of an MP3 and want a warmer, richer sound and that’s where vinyl comes in. Sales of records are up 77% in the past twelve months, and Record Store Day Australia helps drive that.”
Full details of activities will be posted over the next few weeks on their website.
The word is that this year will have two Ambassadors, neither of them artists. Last year’s Ambassador was Russell Morris.
Activities range from store to store. But they can include In store appearances, signings, one-off promotions, events as music trivia and record launches, free food, discounts, gift vouchers, and special releases just for the day. One long time store told AMRA that last year, it had more business on Record Store Day than over Christmas.
Last year saw special vinyl releases from Kings of Leon, Iggy & The Stooges, Gotye, Cypress Hill, Hermitude and Parkway Drive, and CD one-offs by Urthboy and Hungry Kids of Hungary.
