Record store owners prepare for influx of customers ahead of Record Store Day
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Saturday, April 20 marks the 16th annual Record Store Day — the international event celebrating independent record stores with hundreds of exclusive releases available only at those stores.
Phil Machemer, owner of Revolver Records Inc., joined News 4 on Friday morning to discuss the upcoming weekend.
“It’s a nice spike in sales in the middle of the year when we don’t expect that much,” Machemer said. “It brings people into the shops to see what we do if they aren’t familiar with records. Every year, we sell turntables on Record Store Day — people want to get into it and it’s a way for them to figure it out for the first time. It’s exciting.”
The event provides a way for artists to release live albums, new music, old unreleased music and albums that have previously not been pressed on vinyl to the record-listening community.
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Machemer told News 4 about his favorite part of the event each year.
“I feel like [sharing music] is most of what we do — learning from other people and learning about music,” he said. “That, to me, is what vinyl is all about: getting into something you may not have had the chance to be exposed to.”
This year’s RSD releases include David Bowie’s “Waiting in the Sky” LP, Jim Croce’s “Live: The Final Tour” LP and The Tragically Hip’s “Live at CBGB’s.”
Click here for the complete list of Record Store Day offerings. (NOTE: Not every store will stock every record on the list and quantities are limited.)
Western New York Record Store Day locations include:
Erie County
Apples & Oranges, Records & Tapes — 3048 Delaware Ave., Kenmore, N.Y. 14217, (716) 432-4198
Black Dots — 368 Grant St., Buffalo, N.Y. 14213, (716) 725-0010
Cool Beat Music and Books — 2445 William St., Cheektowaga, N.Y. 14206, (716) 259-9228
Hi Fi Hits — 5221 Main St., Williamsville, N.Y. 14221, (716) 466-2300
Out There Records — 625 Delaware Ave., Buffalo, N.Y. 14202, (716) 290-8736
Revolver Records, Inc. — 831 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo, N.Y. 14222, (716) 213-7604
Revolver Records, Inc. — 1451 Hertel Ave., Buffalo, N.Y. 14216, (716) 213-7604
Revolver Records, Inc. — 6840 Transit Road, Williamsville, N.Y. 14221, (716) 213-7604
Rick’s Record Shack — 3348 Lakeshore Road, Hamburg, N.Y. 14219, (716) 563-9116
Ross Records — 31 Buffalo St., Hamburg, N.Y. 14075, (716) 609-5828
Allegany County
Music Alley — 100 N. Main St., Wellsville, N.Y. 14895, (585) 593-1877
Chautauqua County
Rhythm And Grooves Record Store — 65 W. Main St., Fredonia, N.Y. 14063, (716) 680-8195
Monroe County
Hi Fi Lounge — 1822 Monroe Ave., Rochester, N.Y. 14618, (585) 272-7370
House of Guitars — 645 Titus Ave., Rochester, N.Y. 14617, (585) 544-3500
NeedleDrop Records — 304 Gregory St., Rochester, N.Y. 14620, (585) 271-6785
Record Archive — 33 1/3 Rockwood St., Rochester, N.Y. 14610, (585) 244-1210
Trader Shag’s Emporium — 84 Main St., Brockport, N.Y. 14420, (585) 637-0720
Vinyl Record Revival — 6515 Brockport-Spencerport Road, Brockport, N.Y. 14420, (585) 431-3330
Niagara County
Daredevil Records — 324 Niagara St., Niagara Falls, N.Y. 14301, (716) 299-8490
Music Matters Record Store — 527 Cayuga Dr., Niagara Falls, N.Y. 14304, (716) 371-8454
Record Vault — 1012 Payne Ave., North Tonawanda, N.Y. 14120, (716) 260-1320
Ontario County
Canandaigua Record Exchange — 170 Mill St., Canandaigua, N.Y. 14424, (585) 376-2321
The full interview with Machemer can be seen above.
Adam Duke is a digital contributor who joined the News 4 team in 2021. See more of his work here.
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