Further details have been released of the newly adapted version of Record Store Day, which debuts later this month.
The revised 2020 edition is being split over three dates – August 29, September 26 and October 24 in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Pink Floyd, The Cure and The Kinks to Christine And The Queens, J Hus and The Big Moon are among artists scheduled to take part with limited edition releases.
Record Store Day has created a series of “RSD Drops” to accommodate the new social distancing guidelines. Music fans are encouraged to use the Record Store Day store locator from the August 14 to find out how their shop plans to open. Shops are set to offer bookable slots and/or socially distanced queues, as well as a one-off move to same day 6pm online sales.
We will be operating a socially distanced queue and will be serving from 8am
Natasha Youngs, Resident Music
Natasha Youngs, owner of Resident Music in Brighton said: "We may not be partying this year but we're still determined to make sure we celebrate the artists and labels that have made special releases available for our event. Getting them into the hands of the fans safely and sensibly is our top priority this year. We will be operating a socially distanced queue and will be serving from 8am.
"With the releases being made available online at 6pm the same evening, customers who would rather not visit the shop in person can choose to order them online in the evening instead. They can then collect their records from the shop at a later date or have them posted to their door.
"We'll focus on being able to organise another exciting event next year when things can hopefully return a little more to normal."
For one year only, Record Store Day is relaxing online sales so that product can be made available on participating shop websites or over the phone from 6pm on the evening of each Drop.
More than 230 independent shops faced huge uncertainty with the postponement of this year’s event alongside the nationwide closure of all retail outlets and it is hoped the first instalment of the RSD Drops will provide a much-needed sales boost.
Warren Alsop, owner of Slide Record Shop, which opened in Bedford in 2017, said “When lockdown happened we had to shut both our physical and online shop while we figured out how to operate safely. After a lot of talking, researching and seeking advice we’ve now re-opened and we’ll be operating a queue with bookable slots on RSD so we can serve our amazing customers safely. It’s a wonderful day to celebrate music and artists as well as a great boost to a small business like ours.”
Record Store Day is also continuing its partnership with War Child with the release of three special and limited edition titles. U2, Manic Street Preachers and David Bowie will each donate £1 of every sale to the charity in a bid to raise more than £10k.
