New plan announced with calendar social distancing

As we work our way through Virus World, we have all had to adapt to survive and Record Store Day is no different. So we had originally planned for our usual third Saturday in April, we moved to June and now we’re saying .. here’s a new plan … and we’re going social distancing.

The new plan is to introduce a concept called RSD Drops.  These are three separate release days, each with their own list of limited edition records.

Three days when you can get your hands on the titles we launched earlier this year,back when we were in the Normal World. Each RSD Drop day is suitably spaced from the one that came before.

The RSD Drop days are:

Saturday 29 August

Saturday 26 September

Saturday 24 October

They will not be a Record Store Day like we have known it. No live music, no beer, no queuing from 4am …. none of the hanging with like-minded music fans. Sorry. And yes we are devastated at this too. Heavy hearts amongst the team here.

These RSD Drop days, though, are designed to help you add to your collection in the safest way possible. They will be tailored to suit whatever conditions we need to follow at the time: online, email or phone orders, kerbside pick up, back door pick up, home delivery, in store… whatever the store can do that’s responsible and safe according to our governments.

Many of the rules of a normal Record Store Day will apply, though. For example: no records online in advance except to show what a store has in stock for purchase on the day. This means no pre-orders or ‘just save it for me, can you?’.

The list of August titles will be available in early June. Many stores will add their own special pizzazz as well.

Will there be a Record Store Day in 2020? At this point we have learned not to make plans too far ahead and to roll with the world as it unfolds. We’re the music industry. We know how to be flexible! So it’s watch and wait … let’s see how successful we are at smashing the virus and as the year progresses we can review, finesse and regroup. If we can hold a Record Store Day this year, we will do our best to do just that. We can’t imagine a world that doesn’t have Record Store Day.

Put the dates in your diary and let’s come on down for some socially distanced RSD Drops … even if we have to do it from our armchair at home!

These titles will only be available for physical bricks and mortar indie stores where recorded music is a significant part of their business. No record fair stalls, no pop ups, no chains.