THE ANALOGUE PROJECT BY AUDIO-TECHNICA The aim of Record Store Day is to bring music enthusiasts and collectors of physical recorded formats together in a celebration of independent music retail. Over its ten year duration, RSD has grown to become a worldwide event, with some of the biggest bands on the planet releasing limited edition releases specifically for sale on the day, the majority of which are guaranteed to sell out immediately. It is the biggest trading day of the year for most stores, and something akin to Christmas for record buyers. More than simply about moving units, many stores choose to celebrate the day by putting on instore performances and using the opportunity to highlight local acts and the community in their locality or area of expertise. So as Record Stores around the world gear up for the tenth anniversary of Record Store Day, Mixdown has teamed up with Audio-Technica to chat with some of Australiaâs most iconic stores about their history, community and being an independent retailer in the current retail climate.
Beatdisc Records Since 1995 Beatdisc Records has been serving Sydneyâs West with deep punk cuts and local releases, helping to foster and sustain the underground scene. In that part of Sydney itâs the only true record store still in existence; while riding the waves of the CD boom and the vinyl revival, and hosting some of the cityâs most epic in-store shows, it has been fuelled, throughout, by a vibrant local music community. As Pete Curnovic, the storeâs owner says, itâs the personal connections developed through Beatdisc that have been central to its longevity. 32
In November Beatdisc celebrated 10 years since they first opened their doors for in-store shows. With a reputation for showcasing blistering local talent and the odd international set, in-storeâs continue to be a large part of the shopâs musicinvested, scene-devoted identity. âItâs very important, and I think thatâs where we built the community from,â says Curnovic. âA lot of people have met through the shows that we do and bands have formed from that, weâve always had a good punk rock following. âSome of my best mates that I hang out with all the time have come from owning or working in the shop.â
âIâm good friends with Andy who runs Poison City, so almost every year weâve done a secret show with one of the American bands that have played [Poison City Weekender]. One of the US bands thatâs played here [is] called Pity Sex. There was I think, 90 people here, which was just incredible for a band that we sell heaps of records [for]. To have them play here in Western Sydney was just really special. âPunk rock has always been vinyl related as well, so our new vinyl grew from that. And you always had second hand stuff coming through - your 70s and 80s rock. We get told almost weekly that our prices are really good and weâve always tried to be very reasonable, so I think that has something to do with it. Weâre still excited about the music we stock, the music, we put out and the vinyl put out on the racks.â Beatdisc are located at Shop 11, Queensland Arcade, 181 Church Street, Parramatta, NSW. beatdisc.com.au â
Greville Records Located just minutes from trendy Chapel St, Greville Records have been in their Prahran location in Melbourne for more than 30 years, and in that time theyâve seen pretty much all there is to see in the record collecting world. The store is something of an institution, servicing a neighbourhood thatâs gone through some significant changes since it first opened up, when the area was only just on the brink of gentrification. Thrown a lifeline by the recent upwards swing in vinyl sales, Greville are now finding that their store is regularly filled with new customers, something they say is a welcome change. âItâs fun because itâs not just old buggers talking endlessly about Bob Dylan and Neil Young anymore. Weâre getting lots of
â âItâs fun because itâs not just old buggers talking endlessly about Bob Dylan and Neil Young anymore. Weâre getting lots of young people coming in. Last week I had a nine-year-old girl asking for Justin Bieber on vinyl, and itâs like âwhoa, this is really differentâ. â young people coming in. Last week I had a nine-year-old girl asking for Justin Bieber on vinyl, and itâs like âwhoa, this is really differentâ. But Iâve also got lots of young people, music fans, whoâve probably got 60,000 tracks on their phone, but theyâve decided that they want to track down particular records and buy them. It still amazes me when a 16-year-old buys a free jazz record. âRecord stores arenât the community they once were. Once upon a time if you wanted to know what gigs were going on around town, what records [to buy], you had to go into a record store, but then the internet came along. It is starting to pick up again though. Weâre all music fanatics, and everyone who comes in here, if I say âcan I help youâ, theyâll jump on you [for that help]. Itâs completely different, if I go into a petrol station, all I want to do is fill the car up and get out of there as quickly as possible, whereas people in record shops do enjoy interaction. I think if you can offer that, if youâre always trying to help people, and selling the right things, or even sometimes telling them about other shops where theyâll be able to find what theyâre after, I think thatâs the edge that a shop like this has. âOne of the great things with records, is thereâs just so many different pressings of things, and weâre always coming across unusual things⊠I source my records anywhere I can overseas, I like going to Japan because they have very high quality pressings and they treat them well too. mixdownmag.com.au