For some people, Record Store Day is a chance to grab all the special releases, either to collect or to sell on eBay. For others, it's a day to re-visit youthful times spent discovering exciting musical gems.
For me, it's neither of those things. In my rural childhood, we got our records at Zayre or the BX. Shopping for music was something we did while out buying socks, or on the way back from getting groceries at the commissary. In my teen years, we lived in a suburban area where I thought I was hot shit because I had easy access to a mall. The mall contained a Musicland --just a crappy corporate chain staffed by random people who needed whatever job they could find, but I wasn't thinking about any of that at the time. I was just impressed that there was a whole store devoted to nothing but music!
I don't think I had much experience at all with independently owned record stores until I moved to Atlanta in 1994. Really, I just hadn't had been exposed to such a thing. When I moved here and suddenly had not one but two shops in my own neighborhood, it was a whole new experience for me. You could ask the clerk about something, and they would be knowledgeable. You could casually mention some song you loved 15 years ago, and they would offer to track down a copy for you.
So to me, Record Store Day isn't about the thrill of hunting for exclusives or the nostalgia of reliving days gone by. It's about celebrating the fact that I have access to such places. Supporting small businesses. Being part of a community. Running into friends, drinking a beer, enjoying a spring day, and listening to a band. Discovering new music and handing my cash to a person, instead of just clicking my mouse and making Apple richer.
(Don't get me wrong, I do download music sometimes. But not if I have other options. Downloading doesn't help my neighbors pay their bills. And there's no ceremony in it. I often remember the circumstances around buying a physical record or CD--where I was, who I was with, what the weather was like, what else I did that day. But I never have lasting memories of the experience of downloading something.)
If you're lucky enough to have access to indie music stores, please support them today and every day!
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