Guest editor Alex on why he hates RSD.
Record Store Day is coming up again on April 18 and once again one of my favorite bands has scheduled a vinyl release for that date. And I fucking hate it. They are refusing to sell it to me right away. Instead they are telling me that it will be available on record store day at a store near me, which I can 100% guarantee you it will not be. It might not even get to a store in my country. Some unemployed dude in California or wherever is going to buy a couple of these records and sell one of them to me on eBay for what will turn out to be around 80€. 20-40€ will go to UPS and customs, record store harvester dude will pocket the rest. And that’s not what’s making me angry because it’s not even a bad deal. I mean I am basically sending the guy there and having him mail me the record which is taking him a couple of hours and he is doing that for whatever is between the actual store price and the price he gets through eBay which is usually about 20€. Fine with me.
Paying 80€ for a collector’s item from a band that I love, also fine. The thing is that record store day kind of was invented to get me into a record store to find out that it is a nice place and thus earn my local store owner and my favorite band an extra buck. Sadly, the way things are actually happening neither of them is making any extra earnings. Plus all I will be taking away from my local store is disappointment which is an unlikely incentive to make me return there often.
In a perfect world I would pre-order the record through the band to be delivered to my local store where I would then happily take my 80€ to be split up in a meaningful way while I talk to my local store owner making beautiful memories.
On second thought, my local record store – the one that is participating in RSD – is a hideous place that is mainly displaying sneakers and doesn’t have any music to browse. I am taking my business back to the eBay dude. He’s probably a nice guy.
Header shot by Man Alive!
