Music Lovers Celebrate National Record Store Day

DETROIT (WWJ) - Saturday, April 16 marks the fourth annual Record Store Day, a day in which more than 700 independently owned record stores across the nation come together with artists to celebrate the art of music.

Coveted CDs, vinyls and special memorabilia will be available at several local music stores today, as fans celebrate Record Store Day across Metro Detroit.

Todd Fundaro, owner of Flipside Records in Clawson, told WWJ's Kathryn Larson his customers look forward to this day all year.

"There's a lot of stores participating. I've had no less than 50 calls throughout the week about 'are we getting this, are we going to have this and are we participating,' they want to know," Fundaro said.

The truth is, Flipside Records is one of only a small handful of specialty stores still in existence. Independent stores are being phased out by big-box retailers and digital downloads.

Independent record stores were often coveted in the past because they are not owned by a corporation. So, the stores aren't influenced or told what to do by the record companies or anyone else for that matter. They have complete control over their stock, store policies and which promotions they participate in.

Oakland Press music critic Gary Graff said many of the music industry's headliners give stores a helping hand and give hard-core music lovers a reason to keep buying vinyl and CDs.

"There's all sorts of special releases from major, major artists, they put out special things, that are only available at these independent record stores," Graff said.

This year, many big-name artists are participating in Record Store Day, with most releasing exclusive albums in honor of the event. Just some of those artists include Ozzy Osbourne, Pearl Jam, AC/DC, The Doors, The White Stripes, Foo Fighters, Death Cab for Cutie, Jimmy Eat World, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Lady Gaga and The Grateful Dead.

"You know, its more of if you're a fan of the band and you a fan of collecting and listening to music, these are things that you're only going to be able to get, normally on that day and certainly only in a little, independent record store," Fundaro said.

Local record stores are participating in the event all over Metro Detroit, in cities like Dearborn, Eastpoint, Ferndale, Trenton, Hamtramck, Royal Oak and Oak Park. Click here to see a full list of participating stores. 

To find out more information and to browse a listing of specialty items for sale, visit www.recordstoreday.com.