The 10th annual Record Store Day – held on Saturday April 22 – has already been hailed as a huge success by independent retailers, yet praise continues to come in. Record Store Day UK coordinator Megan Page is the latest industry figure to pay tribute to this year's event.
“It was a fantastic day,” Page told Music Week. “Early reports from shops across the board suggest it was the best year yet, and we are always surprised every year to think we can outgrow the last! The experience and the events shop offered their customers this year was really exceptional as high-profile artists including Izzy Bizu, The Black Angels, Bobbie Gillespie and many more joined in the RSD celebrations at their local shops up and down the country.”
At the time of writing, the final official sales had yet to be compiled, though Page says that provisional feedback from participating stores suggests sales eclipsed the 2016 figures. It is something Page links to the range of choice, from limited edition releases to old staples.
“Our data at this stage suggests that sales grew another 10% which we are really pleased with as each year we don’t think we can physically get any more people through the doors,” said Page. “But the quality of the releases was an improvement again this year and offered customers a real eclectic mix which meant shops of all sizes and specialities had rarities to offer their customers. Provisional data shows that the two David Bowie releases, Cracked Actor and BOWPROMO, topped the albums chart. So no surprises there!”
While recent figures suggest that the format’s explosive growth is finally slowing down, Page has pointed to some clear areas for growth concerning RSD that will ensure the event will continue to go from strength to strength.
“Now the 10th anniversary has passed it’s probably a good time for both us and the labels to place more of a focus on the indie exclusives that are coming out every week in the UK,” concluded Page. “They’re giving record shops a real boost all year-round and we’ve recently been able to promote some really exciting exclusives from Pete Doherty and Father John Misty and there are some great ones coming up in May from The Charlatans, Jane Weaver and Slowdive. I’d like to see more noise around those this year!”
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