Independent record shops prepare to welcome back music fans on second Record Store Day Drop!
Record store owners across the UK are preparing for the second instalment of this year’s rescheduled Record Store Day. Drop 2 will take place this Saturday, September 26th in over 200 record stores as huge vinyl releases from artists such as Paul McCartney, Fleetwood Mac and Declan McKenna will whet the appetite of record lovers who have been feeling the void of music celebrations since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Record Store Day is widely credited as the catalyst behind the vinyl revival and is recognised as the biggest trading day of the year for many independent record stores. It is often quoted as being bigger than Christmas for the participating small businesses; selling more than 100k LPs and 30k singles on one weekend alone.
Shops will once again prepare for socially distanced queues, bookable time slots and another online sales bonanza. This comes after the enormous success of the first RSD event on the August 29th, which saw thousands of music fans participating in-store and online.
The impact of RSD Drop 1 has seen UK vinyl sales rise 3% year on year with more than 2.7m units already sold – given the dramatic impact of COVID-19 on the record business this is a staggering achievement and testament to the format’s enduring appeal.
And it’s not just the record stores who are excited by the return of Record Store Day. Superstar artist Lewis Capaldi has just announced a new limited-edition version of his best-selling album Devilishly Uninspired to a Hellish Extent, made exclusively for Drop 3 on October 26th.
“It’s been class to work on some really different versions of my music for RSD in the past & it’s such a buzz watching everyone go out in the morning that day to try and find the releases! Excited to get this new album colour way out there to support all of the indie stores over the UK this year! X” says singer.
