Since its creation in 2007, Record Store Day has become an annual spring celebration of the spirit and community that independent record stores offer on a daily basis. In honor of the festivities, many bands release limited edition and exclusive records that can only be found but once a year, and it gives music fans a great excuse to spend a good portion of their paycheck at their favorite independent shops. Austin is home to around a dozen participating stores, and there are plenty of good reasons to get excited about buying music from an actual brick-and-mortar establishment this Saturday, April 21. more ›

Since 2007, the third Saturday of every April has been Record Store Day, a day when many of the nation's independent record stores come together with musicians and consumers to celebrate the art of music via limited edition releases, in-store performances, and bounteous swag. more ›

It's record store day again! We love our independent record stores in Austin, and this Saturday marks the third year in a row where consumers and musicians get a chance to give big ups to their favorite hot spots for discovering new sounds, digging through crates of vinyl and otherwise geeking it up within the wide world of sound. more ›

Given the choice of “I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news - which would you like to hear first?” people always want to get that bad news over with, so let’s start there. Nielsen Soundscan reported that music sales had dropped 14% in 2008, and it’s a fact that many big as well as tiny indie retailers have been struggling to survive. Furthermore, indie labels have been shuttering or trimming down as well - Touch and Go records gave the “current state of the economy” as their explanation for ceasing to release new music and for the end of their distribution deals with other labels. more ›