A Tavistock record shop owner is advising vinyl lovers to get up early on Record Store Day, Saturday, April 20, as queues for specially pressed recordings are likely to be in high demand.
John Chapple, who runs Rival Records in Paddons Row, will be one of 250 independent record shops from all over the UK are expected to take part, with thousands more celebrating across the globe in what’s become one of the biggest events in the music calendar.
Some shops will have live music on Record Store Day and all will have an exciting range of exclusive and limited-edition releases. The recordings are often previously unreleased live sets on sometimes novelty vinyl, such as light-up plastic.
John, who used to manage an HMV shop, said: “Interest in vinyl has boomed, not only among older people like me who are reliving their youth and seen the fall and rise of vinyl, but also among young people who have never seen vinyl before.
“I love vinyl because the sound is not compressed as digitally and having something tangible to hold and treasure with often excellent artwork.
“Record Store Day is vital to our trade because we can sell enough in one weekend to equal a normal month’s takings. I expect queues early because these exclusive records will only be on sale on this weekend.”
Record Store Day is for the people who all contribute to record shops - staff, record labels, customers and artists - to honour their special role in their local communities.