Record Store Day’s first vinyl drop is taking place this weekend (June 12).
RSD coordinator Megan Page has told Music Week that this year’s edition has one of the best release slates in the history of the event.
Here, Rough Trade co-owner Stephen Godfroy says the demand for Record Store Day product is as “strong as ever”...
What are your hopes for Record Store Day this weekend?
“Our hopes are, foremost, that it is a smooth operation. I think for record stores, it’s always been somewhat of a challenge from an operational point of view. We have so many new releases coming out on that single day, as well as the number of events that we were staging [prior to the pandemic]. But they are such special moments.
“The drops, by and large, have been a real success. In line with the [Covid] restrictions and where they are at any given moment, we just hope that from an operational side of things everything goes to plan. In terms of demand, there’s no decline from that point of view. The customers’ appetite for Record Store Day product is as strong as ever. We’ll do our best to marry that demand with whatever allocation that we are provided.”
The customers’ appetite for Record Store Day product is as strong as ever
Stephen Godfroy
What do you think of this year’s line-up of releases?
“It is good, and we’re often surprised by certain releases doing better than maybe we anticipated, while other releases don’t do quite as well as expected. It’s sometimes hard to say. But, overall, Record Store titles inevitably sell out, it’s a great time of year. It’s certainly something that, as an independent retailer, we look very favourably upon and look to do as much as we possibly can to help spread the word when it comes to the validity and value of Record Store Day.”
Are you looking to bring back in-store events for the second vinyl drop on July 17?
“Rough Trade live events are going to start in July [based on the current government roadmap]. If the restrictions ease as planned, then all of those restrictions will have lifted by drop two. The public’s appetite for live music is pent-up, it’s huge, as we’ve seen. Stores are willing [to host events], so I think if artists are willing then performances for drop two will certainly be a fixture.”
Subscribers can click here for our magazine story on Record Store Day with Megan Page and the major labels.
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