Record Store Day 2011 comes to town

In the midst of the Little 500 men’s bike race, it might be easy for Bloomington residents to overlook another event taking place Saturday: Record Store Day.

The event was created in 2007 as a celebration of the unique culture surrounding independently owned record stores. It is a non exclusive celebration in which any record store can choose to participate, but it’s an event that Landlocked Music owner Jason Nickey has planned for since the last Record Store Day.

Nickey opened Landlocked Music more than five years ago.

“I started a record store because I didn’t want to live in a town that didn’t have one,” he said. “They’re special businesses, and when they’re in trouble, people seem to care. They’re a symbol of the overall cultural health of communities.”

Three Bloomington record stores, Tracks, TD’s CDs & LPs and Landlocked Music, all have special events planned in observation of Record Store Day.

The owners of all three establishments agree on one thing about the day: It’s important to support local businesses.

“This isn’t about us as a store,” Nickey said. “This is about record stores as an institution.”

Landlocked, which is located on the downtown square, is sponsoring live music acts and DJs from the moment it opens Saturday. Local bands such as Sleeping Bag  will perform for guests as they enjoy perks like free refreshments and limited-edition releases, such as a vinyl release of My Morning Jacket’s “Z” or a 10-inch LP of The Kills’ new single, “Satellite.”

Tracks, the record store closest to campus on Kirkwood Avenue, shares its space with IU merchandise, making the store unable to house performances. Regardless, Tracks has Record Store Day plans of its own, including opening early at 9 a.m. and serving doughnuts and coffee in the morning. The store will also have limited-edition releases.

TD’s CDs & LPs, the store located in the basement of Soma, plans to have sidewalk sales and impromptu DJing.

Justin Vollmar, the manager of TD’s, said sales on Record Store Day are usually about eight times the sales of an average day. He said TD's has observed Record Store Day for the past few years.

“When people pick up a record, they develop a deeper relationship with the stuff they’re getting into,” Vollmar said.

Because of the disappearance of locally owned businesses due to larger chain superstores, Record Store Day not only celebrates the support of local establishments, but also makes consumers conscious of where they spend their money.

“Most record stores are independently owned businesses,” Nickey said. “Most stores that participate in Record Store Day are owned by people who live here. It really affects how Bloomington is and how our overall quality of life is.”

Andy Walter, the owner of Tracks, said he expects that between all three stores, Record Store Day should be a big event in Bloomington.

“Bloomington is blessed with three decent stores,” he said. “It’s doesn’t get much better than what we’ve got.”