generic Discogs to Boost Brick-and-Mortar Record Stores With New Initiative
In the wake of this year’s Record Store Day on April 23, Discogs is spinning up its own initiative to assist brick-and-mortar music sellers.
The online physical music database announced Tuesday (May 3) that it’s set to launch its first annual Independent Record Store Month in June 2022. By connecting music fans and indie record stores across the globe, the initiative hopes to highlight the importance of physical record shops and their contribution to vinyl culture.
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During Independent Record Store Month, Discogs will launch The Store Explorer, a new, year-round online directory highlighting brick-and-mortar record shops around the world and encouraging fans to support them. Participating stores will also receive a digital badge that verifies which sellers in the Discogs marketplace are physical record shops and receive access to a forthcoming virtual conference for participating indie record store owners (more details to come). Additionally, Discogs will create a curated collection of stories and guides profiling individual stores by diving into the people and places that define them.
In a press release, Discogs says the initiative is designed to help physical record stores that are “seeking ways to continue thriving in the face of inflation, a global pandemic, and supply chain disruptions.” The company will be inviting over 4,000 record stores to participate; shops interested in participating can also register here.
Discogs’ user-built database has a catalog of over 15 million releases encompassing 8 million artists, while its accompanying marketplace boasts more than 64 million items.
You can learn more about Independent Record Store Month here.
