Record Store Day is an annual independent record store birthday party as a cultural center for vinyl fans and casual music lovers, just to buy records, but to meet and revel in the atmosphere.
In a year explained through COVID-19, this day was first postponed and then replaced by a series of RSD Drops (special departures of the day), to allow a greater social distance through the dissemination of exclusive titles on 3 individual weekends.
As Jason Woodbury, marketing director of Zia Records, a Phoenix network with outlets on the Phoenix, Tucson and Las Vegas subways, says, “Record Store Day had to follow the same moves as everyone else this year.”
RELATED: How Maynard James Keenan’s Puscifer the Store will be Jerome’s record store day
These demands of social distance will surely make it difficult to revel in the environment, as you may be used to rejoicing.
So we contacted the nine Phoenix Metro retail outlets that officially participated in the first of the 3 RSD Drops on Saturday, August 29, to see what shoppers are expecting.
In Zia, visitors will be greeted on teams of 10 at 15-minute intervals.
At Stinkweeds, consumers will have to buy by phone or online and pick up items. The store probably wouldn’t let other people in that day.
According to Woodbury, “it’s anything everyone tries to come up with a plan that fits their desires and what their consumers are asking for.”
Zia consumers can queue from 7 a.m.
“We’ll control the social distance, of course, ” said Woodbury. “And then we’re going to let the first 10 consumers do their shopping for 15 minutes, call them and the next 15 will come.”
At 10 a.m., all remaining RSD exclusives will be available online for pickup or delivery on the street.
At 6 p.m., the channel partners with In Live to offer a live broadcast of the Rebel Lounge with hip-hop artist Mega Ran.
“We wanted to have anything that seemed like a laughing party element,” Woodbury says. “But obviously we can’t have many people. So we have to do it.”
Zia has already sold the soul compilation to be presented on the original Record Store Day date in April. And they continued a number of exclusive titles in the following weeks.
“We say that every single day is the day of the record store,” Woodbury says.
For the sake of safety, masks have been required for all consumers and workers since the store was reopened.
They installed plexiglass, forced consumers to keep their distance, and replaced the way they controlled the business, now disinfecting the parts consumers bring and storing them in separate boxes overnight.
“Physical business style is complicated in 2020 due to extra casualty,” Woodbury says. “But it’s already a challenge to oppose a completely virtual musical ecosystem.”
Zia Camelback: 1850 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix.
Zia Mill Avenue: 3201 S. Mill Ave, Tempe.
Zia Thunderbird: 2510 W. Thunderbird Road, Phoenix.
Zia Chandler: 3029 N. Alma School Road.
Zia Mesa: 1302 S. Gilbert Road.
Stinkweeds virtual for its first RSD Drop.
As Lindsey Cates, store manager, explains: “From 7am to 9am, we’re going to receive incoming phone calls. We’ll have four lines open and we’ll move as fast as we can. And then at 10am, everything is gone will be available on our online page at the address stinkweeds.com/RSD.”
The resolution taken after reviewing the weather and square meters of the store.
“It’s the only thing that makes sense,” Cates says. “I can’t believe other people are queuing for hours in 100-degree weather while we serve five other people at once.”
This first day is street pickup. Mail orders will not be accepted until Sunday.
“You don’t have to get it back that day,” Cates says. “But we just want to keep this item during Record Store Day.”
Cates says it’s due to the enthusiasm of the regular Stinkweeds customers who led to this first RSD Drop.
“So far, other people seem excited,” he said. “And our orders are as vital as they normally would be. So we have a lot of products. And we keep making gift bags and stuff like that. Everything will be just for customers to pick it up.”
Stinkweeds opened, picking up on the sidewalk and buying groceries by appointment.
By appointment, consumer merchants have the store for them for forty-five minutes.
“So a lot of other people enjoyed it,” Cates says. “It’s like a dream come true for a lot of other people.”
Stinkweeds was impressed, Cates says, “through our consumers and the network in general. We know the Internet is serving everyone right now. And we’re so amazed by the number of other people who keep shopping with him. us systematically.”
Details: 12 W. Camelback Road, Phoenix. 602-248-9461.
For the fifth year in a row, Asylum has been signed by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Michael Bruce of The original Alice Cooper band, whose credits include iconic recordings such as “I’m Eighteen”, “Ballad of Dwight Fry”. “Under My Wheels”, “Be My Lover” and “School’s Out”.
Bruce will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Bruce probably wouldn’t play, he’ll just sign. As Robenalt says, “we don’t need to have a big collection with ongoing social estrangement.”
Masks will be required and will have a disc holder with all RSD exclusives.
“We are approving to allow others to combine into small teams if they combine or one or two at a time to go through the shelf, go to the log, buy it and leave,” Robenalt says.
“Or look around at the store if necessary. But as soon as it’s over, something else comes.”
The store will also offer a 20% discount on all parts used.
Details: 2990 N. Alma School Road, Suite No. 5, Chandler. 480-964-6301.
The store’s owner, Jon Rose, said Record Room had planned to have bands and a DJ for the first of the 3 Record Drops.
“But right now, with COVID, it’s too strange,” he says.
They will take the necessary precautions to make purchases there safely.
“We’re big enough for other people to arrive and they may not be more sensitive to each other,” he says.
But the most common thing is that you have to wear a mask. He doesn’t cough anyone up. Try to stay away from people. We have hand soap near the door, but what else are you going to do?
All products will get a 20% discount, and there are plenty of LP used that day.
“I’m also doing like ‘go down and make a deal with the owner,'” Rose says.
Then, laughing, he adds, “Let’s make a deal.”
Details: 10 a.m. to 6:2601 p.m. W Dunlap Ave. 21, Phoenix. 602-460-0040.
The store owner, Michael Esposito, has asked for what he says are “absolute amounts” of all RSD exclusives.
Other than that, he didn’t plan anything special to mark the occasion.
“It’s a shame we don’t have as much publicity,” Esposito said.
From 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., those titles can be purchased in the store. At 10 years old, everything else will reach the “In” Groove website.
“We have a pretty complete online site,” he says. “So anyone who doesn’t feel comfortable buying groceries has the opportunity to participate.”
In a general year, the outlets that sell those exclusives in their stores are “very taboo,” Esposito says.
“They don’t like it, which is understandable. You need to lure other people to the store. But I think the ability to shop online will be a big challenge for a lot of other people.”
For those shown in person, a mask is required and the store will restrict the number of consumers allowed internally at any time.
“But to be honest,” Esposito says, “we’ve been open for six years, and on the first day of the record store, we opened the door and it was kind of wrestling for everyone. So since then, I’ve had a policy of regulating the number of other people entering the store ».
Esposito says he will miss the “great occasion of laughter at the end of the tunnel” after finishing the last two weeks collecting everything for this week.
“But I think it’s smart that anything is happening,” he says. “He’s smart for the industry.”
Details: 3406 E. Thomas Road, Phoenix. 602-957-2453.
Tracks in Wax has shared images of RSD exclusives that it will be released on the store’s Facebook page.
Titles from David Bowie’s “I’m Only Dancing (The Soul Tour 74)” to “Live! At the Paradise, Boston, 1980” by The Pretenders and a special red vinyl edition of “The Kink Kronikles”, a compilation that has been released in the United States for more than 35 years.
Details: 4741 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. 602-274-2660.
Contact the reporter at [email protected] or 602-444-4495. Follow him on Twitter @EdMasley.
Support journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.