Music Lovers Ready For Upcoming RSD Dates: June 12th and July 17th.
Bessemer City, NC: Independent record stores across North and South Carolina are preparing for 2 “Drop dates” this summer for Record Store Day, and vinyl enthusiasts are more excited than ever to arrive at their favorite local spots to take part in the exclusive releases and special events. The brand new, expanded record store directory at VinylCarolina.com is making it easier than ever for music lovers to find stores in their area.
The first Record Store Day was held on April 19th, 2008, and is credited with being one of the catalysts for the resurgence in vinyl sales over the last 13 years since its inception. According to MRC Data’s 2020 Year-End Music Report, LPs accounted for 27 percent of album sales in the US, at 27.5 million sold in 2019 alone.
From the RSD website, you can see a list of participating stores, and thanks to the newly expanded Carolina record store directory at VinylCarolina.com, Carolinians can dig deeper by discovering all of the stores in their area with full details plus store reviews and ratings.
As the store directory was released in May of this year, site owner David E. Turner said, “With everyone looking at a return to normalcy, and with many still having stimulus money ready to spend, this year’s Record Store Day dates have been circled on many a calendar here for 2021. Stores are hosting live music, having big sales on other inventory, and tying in other special events and there is just a genuine sense of excitement leading up to the first date in June from stores in both Carolinas.”
Many of the stores will be selling the RSD releases by the next day online, so even if you don’t have a participating store nearby, you can still find shops in the directory with online stores and purchase from the comforts of home.
RSD is the perfect chance to discover new music and among the special releases you can check out areartists from the Carolinas. One of particular note this time around is the release of “Our Back Pages”, an album of dB’s music re-imagined by the band’s Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey , originally from Winston-Salem, NC.
There are also 4 special regional releases for North Carolina, with proceeds supporting The Shalom Project in Winston-Salem. (The Veldt, The Backsliders, Chris Stamey & The Fellow Travelers, and Jeffrey Dean Foster).
On the VinylCarolina.com website, in addition to the new store directory, there is also an event calendar with upcoming record shows, many of which are returning to a full schedule after being mostly cancelled in 2020 during the pandemic. You canjoin thousands of NC/SC vinyl enthusiasts in the VinylCarolina Facebook group where music lovers share their favorite records and best finds.
About VinylCarolina: VinylCarolina.com is an online resource covering independently-owned record stores, record booths and other related businesses in North and South Carolina. Later this year the site will be holding it’s first annual “Best Of” awards.
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