Grab the Turntable, It's National Record Store Day

It’s hard to deny the efficiency and immediacy that comes with digital music players and online stores, but it’s equally hard to deny some of the magic of physically shopping for the latest albums has been lost. Going to the store, flipping through the racks while something never heard before plays on the speakers, and maybe actually speaking to another customer to possibly find a new band to check out.

That’s part of the reason why National Record Store Day has been created, to keep that interaction alive and well while true music lovers stock up on their vinyl collection. The annual celebration kicks off at Deep Groove Records in Phoenixville Saturday when the store opens at 10 a.m.

Record Store Day’s impact has been felt throughout the music industry, fueling what many have called “a small renaissance.” Created at a time in which community record stores were in peril, Record Store Day has been instrumental in the resurgence of both vinyl as a format and local stores as the preferred place to purchase it.

Vinyl sales surged to 9.2 million in 2014 - a 52 percent increase since 2013 and the biggest number since national sales started getting tracked in 1992. Independent record stores in the US averaged a 645 percent sales growth overall on Record Store Day 2014.