Dave Scharf, Centretown News
John Westhaver in his record store, Birdman Sound, which sells only vinyl, no CDs and no digital.John Thompson still remembers his first Record Store Day. Vinyl enthusiasts and collectors gathered outside his small, independent shop itching to get their hands on the day’s special releases.
“It was terrifying. There were people lined up,” says Thompson, owner of The Record Centre.
“I didn’t order the right things,” he says, “so the next year I was consequently stuck with a lot of stuff I couldn’t sell.”
Thompson isn’t the first store owner to make this misstep.
With a variety of limited pricey pressings that are specially released for the day, it isn’t only customers fighting to add the best finds to their collection. According to some Ottawa record store owners, the event is infused with pressure to choose the right expensive investments.
It wasn’t always this way.
Record Store Day was initially developed to increase foot traffic for the brick and mortar shops that help vinyl maintain a foothold in an ever-evolving music industry. As both the day and the vinyl industry grew in popularity, so too did the size of the labels involved. Now many are concerned that the corporatization of the event has pushed it out of reach for the very shops it’s intended to help.
John Westhaver, owner of Birdman Sound, has worked with and around records since the 70s. He places the blame squarely in one place.
“Record Store Day was a great idea initially, and it was executed fairly well, but it’s a runaway train that’s been totally usurped by the major labels,” says Westhaver.
“They’re the people that destroyed the record the first time around in the late 80s,” he adds.
According to Westhaver, what started out as neat releases by independent labels has bloated into generic re-issues from disconnected bigwigs like Universal.
“Record Store Day is largely garbage that is being foisted on the public,” says Westhaver.
But even that ‘garbage’ can be hard to come by. With a limited number of pressings shipped to entire countries, not every store will get what they want.
“Somebody actually does decide who gets preferential treatment to get those records,” says Westhaver.
He does not formally participate in the day.
“I’ve never played the game because I despise games,” says Westhaver.
As in some games, a self-declared referee can cast you to the sidelines.
Darin Tomlin of Vertigo Records decided to scale back his store’s involvement in the day. He was disappointed to find that, following his choice, his shop was no longer listed among the official participants.
“It was kind of weak that they just took us off the site and didn’t even contact us or anything like that,” says Tomlin.
Tomlin’s decision was a financial one. He cites inflated prices, the large investment he usually had to make upfront for the day, and non-returnable products as key factors in his decision to scale back.
“We didn’t want to take that risk anymore,” says Tomlin.
Not all of the record stores in Ottawa are unhappy with Record Store Day. Ian Boyd, owner of Compact Music, stands in proud support of the event.
“We’re grateful that someone takes the time to endorse the cultural heritage that is known as record stores in our society,” says Boyd.
According to Boyd, the difficulty isn’t so much about major labels taking over as it is about making smart business decisions. The majors have a right to put out music and businesses have to be careful not to buy more than they can sell. With the right balance, he says the day can be exciting.
“To be bitter about making the kinds of sales that you can make on that day is wrong,” says Boyd.
He adds that although the stock purchased on Record Store Day is non-returnable, that’s the norm with bringing vinyl into a shop on any given day.
Still, Westhaver emphasizes that while financial balancing is an obvious part of the event for those who participate, the day has become about money instead of music.
“It’s supposed to be a happy thing, not fraught with tension and spending way more money than you can possibly spend for one day of the year,” says Westhaver.
Despite the disillusion sweeping some stores in Ottawa, the day hasn’t shut down yet.
This year’s Record Store Day will take place on April 16 at participating stores.
Whether you celebrate Record Store Day everyday, on its official day, or not at all, Ottawa record shops are happy to see you walk out their door with new music to spin.
“Vinyl has always ruled, it still does, and you should always support your brick and mortar shop no matter where they are,” says Westhaver.