EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was authored by Carolyn Robinson.
WOOSTER — Someone was worried enough about the sizeable number of people gathering on the Public Square in downtown Wooster early on Saturday morning to call the police – but it wasn’t a threat to public safety.
Responding officers just encountered dozens of excited vinyl fans waiting for the doors to open at Blackbird Records to kick off Record Store Day, a global event celebrating vinyl records and independent music stores.
Record enthusiasts from Wooster as well as neighboring towns and counties started lining up not long after sunrise on a chilly spring morning for the chance to pick up some rare deals before breakfast.
Sergio Ruiz, Randi Armstrong and Will Ruiz drove in from Ashland to check out Blackbird Records for Record Store Day. They’ve been coming to this event for years.
“I just think it’s cool that kids are listening to records these days,” Sergio said. “Now there’s no real way for people to buy music other than streaming. People standing in line to buy a physical media, that’s awesome. I’m just glad people are still doing that.”
Record Store Day started in 2008 to honor the culture of the nearly 1400 independently owned record stores in the United States and thousands more in at least 14 countries around the world.
It’s when hundreds of artists ranging from Taylor Swift to famous legacy artists to obscure emerging local artists release special editions of their work in limited quantities at brick-and-mortar music shops.
Each store makes its own buying decisions to offer some titles and not others. Record Store Day organizers list three types of albums for onsite purchases, depending on availability:
Exclusive titles that are physically released only at indie record stores;
Titles found first at indie stores, but may be released to other retailers or webstores at some point in the future;
Regional titles sold at specific stores, or small press runs under 1,000 copies.
Nate Huffman of Wooster was looking for both new and old favorites.
“I got started collecting when I was in 8th grade, and I’m 53 now. My dad gave me all his old Rolling Stones and Beatles vinyl records, and then vinyl kind of went away for quite a while. It’s made a resurgence and I’ve been collecting now for 15 years pretty seriously,” he said.
“I collect them, but I also listen to all of them. I don’t just keep them sealed.”
Rob Weinman of Wadsworth said his daughter bought him a record player for Christmas.
He was looking for Fleetwood Mac albums, but said that since big box music stores don’t sell vinyl records anymore, he likes to check out local independent shops.
Dave Rogers, former owner of Lucky Records, which was located in the same building until 2020, was on hand Saturday to assist the Blackbird Records team with the throngs of vinyl fans on their quests for that must-have special item.
“There are limited edition releases that only come out today, and when they’re gone, they’re gone. Usually it’s one pressing, sometimes as little as a few hundred, sometimes several thousand, it just depends.
“There’s a big Taylor Swift release today, and Gracie Abrams is another big one. It’s a really good list this year, and it’s pretty widespread across genres, so it’s a little bit of everything for everyone.
“It’s just a lot of fun.”
For vinyl enthusiasts who couldn’t make it to Blackbird Records in Wooster, or any other participating independent music store, check your favorite vinyl shop’s website for the releases they may choose to sell online starting Sunday, April 13.