Blur, Bon Iver, Josh Homme Pitch In For Record Store Day

Independently owned record stores throughout the world are banding (pun) together to celebrate music (in its hard copy form) with the third annual Record Store Day on Saturday 17 April.

The concept behind Record Store Day is self-explanatory: to keep independent music retail outlets surviving in the increasingly digital age. The sacred places where Desmond Dekker and the hit Cookie Monster single “C Is For Cookie” can be found on vinyl. Where asthmatics cheat death while flipping through the dust mite-heavy Rockabilly section. Where formerly aloof staff can riff endlessly about their genre of expertise once you break their suspicious shell…

Yep, it’s as easy to wax poetic on your local record store as it is to illegally download Metallica’s entire back catalogue.

Sentimentality aside, there’s several reasons to get excited for Record Store Day because artists that want you to buy their albums are getting involved:

Blur are offering up their first new single in seven years – a 7-inch vinyl single with 1,000 copies distributed to UK stores as part of the event.
– The Rolling Stones are releasing a recently unearthed outtake from Exile On Main Street in honour of the event.
– Bon Iver is dropping a new single in the USA, as are The Thermals.
– Former Sydney- now London-based TEENAGERSINTOKYO are releasing their debut LP to coincide with the day as well.

The ginger Elvis Josh Homme from Queens Of The Stone Age is the ambassador and he’s one of the most amazing humans alive which must mean something:

For the list of Australian record stores taking part in Record Store Day click HERE.

Now enjoy the obligatory High Fidelity clip and reflect on your favourite John Cusack record store moments:

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