Rant #1,421: Record Store Day

My family and I pretty much did nothing this weekend.

We once again tried to get our washing machine fixed, and the workman will have to come back later this week to finally finish the job. This has been going on for weeks, with different workmen, but this time, hopefully it will click.

Other than that, I watched lots of sports, and my family and I went out to eat on Saturday night at a local restaurant.

This continued the "local" thing we started on Saturday morning, as my wife and I went to our local record store to celebrate--and spend money at--Record Store Day, the annual event that puts the spotlight on local record shops.

They are a dwindling number from, let's say, 20 years ago, but the ones that still exist seem to be very strong. Those that specialize in new and used vinyl are becoming very popular, especially with millennials, who are seeing the value of buying vinyl records over CDs.

There is just something about a vinyl record that cannot be reproduced with a CD--the artwork and the sound, among other things--and these kids, and older people like myself, know this, especially when it comes to rock and roll.

Anyway, my local record store, Infinity Records, holds this event every year, as do hundreds of other similar stores around the country. Many record labels put out special Record Store Day-only recordings to cater to clientele who shop on this special day, featuring material from both oldies acts and the latest, hottest newer acts.

The kids go for the newer acts, I go for the more established acts, so I can pretty much find what I want on this day.

The store opened early, and you could shop for a small donation to a local charity if you came early. I paid for both myself and my wife, and we were in, and for the next 45 minutes or so, we looked all around the store, and came up with a few bargains, and a few things geared to that day.

I bought my requisite number of singles with picture sleeves--that is my latest fascination--and a couple of old LPs that were cheaply priced.

I also bought a couple of items expressly made for Record Store Day, releases from A-Z--the Animals and the Zombies--and a picture disk (!) of The Walking Dead TV show for my wife.

All in all, I spent some money, but the haul was well worth it.

And I was happy to see that so many people showed up, and it appeared to be mainly kids who are probably one-third my age, which is even better.

Vinyl is far from dead, and it is probably the format rising the most in the music industry today.

Where once there was really a void in the production of record players, today that is on the upswing, and the great thing is that most of these new players are meant to be plugged into your computer, where you can digitize what you are playing and listen to it in a variety of formats both at home and in the car.

I really enjoyed record day, was happy that some of my money went to charity--I believe a percentage of the money spent on oldies albums also went to charity--and I was happy with my return.

All of this just makes April my favorite month of the year.

April showers bring Record Store Day. What more can I say?

Shop your local vendors--whether they are record stores or not--and if you are into recorded music, stop  into your local record shop.

You might be surprised at what you find there.