Record Store Day took place on Saturday, causing music fans and supporters of local businesses to come together and celebrate the physical medium of sound.
Record stores around Minneapolis offered limited edition vinyls and free concerts in order to commemorate the day. This yearly event honors the diverse range of sounds contained on vinyl records and acts as a focal point for community support of independent record shops and artists.
“The day has become this national holiday for the music business. I didn’t realize how big Record Store Day was as far as the impact it has. It gets people back into the fold of music culture,” said Bob Fuchs, retail music manager at Electric Fetus.
The iconic Minneapolis record store celebrated the day by offering a range of DJs to play sets at their store. Along with this, a performance from the Minnesota band Durry took place outside of their store. The crowd enjoyed the sibling duo as they played an acoustic take on their indie rock sound.
“Record Store Day is an old idea, holding onto the in-store experience,” said lead singer/guitarist Austin Durry. “It’s not online, you have to go out with people for an outdated format of music. It’s a cool way to hold onto that community part of it.”
The band put out an exclusive 7-inch Record Store Day release titled “Big Boy” with signed copies being sold at the Electric Fetus.
Exclusive records from hundreds of big-name bands and artists were being sold in record stores all over the Twin Cities. Down In The Valley was selling an autographed copy of the album “Foolish” by Superchunk. Along with this they had shirts, posters and free concert tickets.
“Record Store Day is on 4/20 this year, so we are celebrating by giving away T-shirts, rolling papers and, of course, snacks. We have all the cool Record Store Day records and some amazing used records,” said Kathleen Haga from Mill City Sound.
Cheapo Discs celebrated by opening an hour early, along with offering a wide variety of exclusive vinyls. Agharta Records in St. Paul offered special shirts and turntables in honor of the holiday.
Beyond the draw of rare records and live entertainment, Record Store Day in Minneapolis is a celebration of local business spirit and support of music artists. Fans gather to honor the independent record shops that function as cultural centers in our city’s neighborhoods, creating ties far beyond the grooves of a vinyl record.
This yearly event honors the constantly evolving music scene while also serving as a reminder of the timeless power of music to bring people together. It is a symbol of the enduring nature of vinyl records and their ability to stay in circulation in the era of streaming.
Make sure to attend these events and discover the charm of Record Store Day in April of next year when the city celebrates vinyl records once more.