Vinyl geeks accustomed to making an annual Record Store Day pilgrimage will have to roll with the flow again this year, as organizers continue to plan around the pandemic. Record Store Day is happening on June 12 and July 17 this year, rather than a single day.
It’s a way to keep crowds at bay while still supporting the local vinyl scene, according to Jarrett Hankinson, CEO and general manager for Zia Records, which has multiple metro Phoenix locations. “The goal is to put this on as safely and organized as humanly possible,” he says.
Record Store Day started in 2007 as a way to highlight and support independent record shops. Typically, it happens on a single day in April. But organizers broke that mold last year, replacing it with a trio of Record Store Days on August 29, September 26, and October 24. Some local stores participated in all three; others skipped the events altogether.