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Record Store Day spins into Reno April 16

Recycled Records joins retail day of exclusive vinyl

By David Hegle

Dhegle@metromix.com
April 11, 2011

Record Store Day spins into Reno April 16

National Record Store Day may have passed unnoticed in Reno when it started three years ago, but the annual observance on the third Saturday of April draws new participants each year.

“When I first looked at it, I didn’t know that there was all this extra stuff that goes with it,” said Paul Doege, owner of Recycled Records. “I thought it was just a push to advertise your store, and I do that every day.”

Saturday’s Record Store Day is more than just a publicity push. Every year, hundreds of exclusive and limited products are released to local sellers, but it is up to the individual stores to get the word out and make the day as festive as they wish.

“We did well last year on Record Store Day and we weren’t doing anything,” Doege said. “You don’t have to hit me over the head too much before I get it.”

Sundance Bookstore and Music is participating for the third time, and Discology is back for a second round.

In 2010, “I saw a lot of new people that I hadn’t before or at least in a while,” said David Calkins, owner of Discology. “That may just continue to be the case, even if it’s just a couple times a year.”

Record revival

These stores sell CDs as well, but the celebration has “record” in the name for a reason. The exclusives released by acts ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Death Cab for Cutie to Lady Gaga are mostly vinyl records.

“There’s always been this appeal to vinyl,” Calkins said. “It’s tactile, it’s got that warmth.”

Although records have an undeniable place in the music industry’s past, they’re also a resurgent market within modern music.

“The kids are going for records,” Doege said. “There’s this whole movement today.”

Calkins said most of his vinyl audience is under 25, and when he started Discology in 2006, he didn’t even deal in vinyl, new or consigned.

“It’s a whole new medium for them,” Calkins said about young people who have mostly been exposed to tapes, CDs and now digital downloads.

“It’s still gathering new fans all the time — I get a new round of college kids every semester,” he said.

Part of the appeal for Doege is that Record Store Day organizers are wired into a younger demographic with a big online presence.

Just being there

But Record Store Day is about more than the format — "store" is also in the title.

“A visit into a record store is like a trip to the past,” Doege said. “They just don’t exist anymore.”

But record stores are also a vital avenue for new music to be discovered.

“The record store is the original social network for music,” Calkins said.

Recycled Records has a posted quote from author Nick Hornby echoing that sentiment: “What's playing on your favorite download store when you walk into it? Nothing, that's what. Who are you going to meet in there? Nobody. … Who's going to tell you to stop listening to that and start listening to this?”

While iTunes wins for convenience, Ping, the Apple attempt at social networking within the music store, hasn’t really taken off.

Selection a 'crapshoot'

Atmosphere aside, Record Store Day is largely about the exclusives.

More than 200 Record Store Day exclusive, early and limited releases are listed online. Record stores then select items they want or have had customers request.

“It’s just kind of a crapshoot — you just put you order in and hope for the best,” said Sundance’s Troy Falk.

Because of the hundreds of participating stores and short supply (some releases are limited to only a few hundred copies) record stores can’t say for sure what they’ll receive and have available, and even the largest store doesn’t get everything.

So if you show up looking for the Foo Fighters cover collection “Medium Rare,” be prepared for disappointment, but know there’s always a chance — and many releases can be ordered after April 16.

The limited nature can bring out crass capitalism, but many participants (including Discology and Sundance) sign a pledge agreeing to not gouge customers, sell only to people physically in the store, not hold back stock for online and not sell early. But patrons are encouraged to just enjoy the spirit of things.

“With all the releases coming out, it didn’t seem to matter what I did or didn’t have,” Calkins said. “People just came in to buy a record.”

Re-releasing a local favorite

Discology owner David Calkins backs up his bullish attitude toward vinyl with a rerelease of local band The Atomiks’ 1995 album “Pontiac.”

“It’s actually my favorite full-length album from a local band,” Calkins said. “I don’t feel like it’s an album that says ‘this was made in 1995.’”

The album was produced by Tom Gordon of Imirage Sound-Lab and was never released on vinyl. Calkins approached it as a passion project when he pitched the idea to George Pickard, frontman of the still-active rockabilly band.

The resulting package will exude collector cool when it’s released in late May. The original tracks are pressed on two 10-inch records with an unreleased track from the recording sessions included as a bonus glow-in-the-dark 7-inch single.

He’s ordered a run of 300 copies that will be hand-numbered. All copies include high-quality digital copies of all tracks, but future printing will not have the bonus single.

With used CD copies of “Pontiac” being snapped up for $25 as soon as they show up, Calkins is optimistic this set will prove popular at the same price point. If sales are good, he would like to invest in other local bands’ vinyl releases, both new and old.

To pre-order “Pontiac” on vinyl, visit Discology’s retail or online store. You can listen to two tracks from the album — "Broken Record" and "Michelle (Hold Tight)" — on The Atomiks' MySpace page.

Main album track list: