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"Tortured Poets Department" & new Pearl Jam. Philly's guide to Record Store Day.
By Tom Dougherty,
2024-04-19
"Long Live" Berks County: a guide to Taylor Swift's Pennsylvania roots 02:18
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - New Taylor Swift and Pearl Jam and a laundry list of special releases. Record Store Day 2024 figures to be a big one for independent record stores in the Philadelphia area and worldwide.
Here is what you and the music lover in your life need to know for this year's Record Store Day.
When is Record Store Day 2024?
Record Store Day, an annual celebration of record stores, takes place on Saturday, April 20, at over 250 participating shops. Record collectors in the U.S. can find a participating store near them on the Record Store Day website , which also includes links to internationally participating stores.
What is Record Store Day?
According to its website , Record Store Day was established in 2007 as a way to celebrate independent record stores, with the first event taking place on April 19, 2008.
"This is a day for the people who make up the world of the record store — the staff, the customers, and the artists — to come together and celebrate the unique culture of a record store and the special role they play in their communities," the website reads.
Record Store Day includes special vinyl and CD releases. Some record stores hold in-store performances, cookouts, meet and greets and other festivities.
Vinyl record sales continued a resurgence last year. According to a report by the Recording Industry Association of America, vinyl outsold CDs for the second time since 1987 — 43 million to 37 million. Vinyl sales outsold CDs for the first time since 1987 in 2022.
Each store has a limited amount of each unit, so it's good practice to check your neighborhood shop's social media pages to see what they will have in stock.
Will Taylor Swift have a Record Store Day release?
Still, "Tortured Poets" figures to be a big money maker for record stores. With the album going on sale Friday, in theory, Swifties could still buy it on RSD if a store has any left. Some record stores may also have special releases of their own for the album.
What is Pearl Jam's "Dark Matter" RSD special release?
If Swift isn't your Jam, perhaps Pearl is. Pearl Jam's new album "Dark Matter" also was released at midnight Friday, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band will have a Record Store Day exclusive vinyl on sale.
The "Dark Matter" RSD exclusive LP will be yellow and black, and 15,000 units will be on sale - a reminder that supplies are limited. For example, Repo Records on South Street has only 14 copies of Pearl Jam's RSD release.
Pearl Jam will also have a limited edition Philly variant of "Dark Matter" on sale - Young Ones in Berks County, Repo Records and Siren Records in Philly are three stores that will be selling it.
Pearl Jam will be back in Philadelphia for two concerts at Wells Fargo Center in September touring their 12th studio record.
What record stores in Philadelphia are participating?
Eleven stores in Philadelphia are listed on the Record Store Day's website.
48 Record Bar , located at 48 S. 2nd St. in Philly's Old City neighborhood, will hold a pop-up vinyl market from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. featuring RSD releases curated by the Record Store Day organization.
What record stores in Philly suburbs are participating?
RSD isn't limited to city limits. Plenty of suburban record stores are participating in this year's event. You can find the full list of participating record stores in Pennsylvania on RSD's website, but here are the stores in the Philly suburbs.
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