Australian record stores get lifeline from new RSD Drops initiative

Local record stores, which are among the hardest hit during COVID-19, may get a trading lifeline via a new initiative from the Australian Music Retailers Association (AMRA).

AMRA coordinates Record Store Day (RSD) in Australia, a day which retailers have told TMN causes as much of a sales spike as Christmas.

This year RSD was postponed from its traditional third Saturday in April to June and now AMRA has come up with a new initiative called RSD Drops.

The initiative includes three separate release days, each with their own list of limited edition records on three Saturdays; August 29, September 26 and October 24.

An AMRA spokesperson explained, “As we work our way through Virus World, we have all had to adapt to survive and Record Store Day is no different.”

AMRA said that the three dates would not be “a Record Store Day like we have known it”.

“RSD Drop days are designed to help you add to your collection in the safest way possible.

“They will be tailored to suit whatever conditions we need to follow at the time: online, email or phone orders, kerbside pick up, back door pick up, home delivery and in-store.”

The list of August titles will be available in early June.

“These titles will only be available for physical bricks and mortar indie stores where recorded music is a significant part of their business. No record fair stalls, no pop-ups, no chains.”

The worldwide loss of Record Store Day this year was particularly hard. In the US, Nielsen Music reported that 827,000 vinyl records were sold during last year’s event.

Indie stores themselves shifted a record 673,000 units, a 16% jump from 2018.

In the UK, Record Store Day has proven to increase album sales by 197% compared to the week before, and 484% for vinyl.

This year the need for Record Store Day was heightened when Australian indie record stores reported losing 20% of business in early March after the pandemic hit.

Some turned to home deliveries with mixed success, or scaled their online operations.

Some like Landspeed in Canberra, run by AMRA president Blake Budak, opted for online vinyl and CD marketplace Discogs to list their stock.

For many indie stores, what hit harder was the rapid fall of the Aussie dollar, as much of their stock comes from overseas.

Artists, managers, record companies and media have posted messages of support for stores.

One of these is #loverecordstores, founded in Britain but with a global focus.

Another British initiative is #recordstoreoftheday, backed by the British Phonographic Industry, the Association of Independent Music and Entertainment Retailers Association,

The initiative shines a daily spotlight on an indie store on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Elton John, Paul Weller, Keane, Rick Astley, Peter Gabriel, Franz Ferdinand, Kurt Vile and Brittany Howard are among those who joined the campaign.

Music fans and music industry figures also filmed short clips on the importance of their local stores and shared the videos on their social channels.